Sponge Candy

Many people have never heard of sponge candy. Some people know it by a different name: hokey pokey, puff candy, cinder toffee, sponge toffee, seafoam, honeycomb, or honeycomb toffee (according to this site). The confection is made with the following ingredients: corn syrup or molasses, brown sugar, baking soda, and vinegar.

The above candy is made by Platter's. You can find them here. I highly recommend them. I find their sponge candy and chocolate to be one of the best I have ever had. It's very creamy. When it is fresh it is a different texture than when it is stale. I love it both ways. Some people like their sponge candy to get stale. They like to crunch. This may be the same people who like their Peeps stale. (ahem, Rossie).

If you want to make it at home, here is a recipe.

To make sponge candy at home, heat one cup of brown sugar, one cup of corn syrup, and one tablespoon of white vinegar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until the mixture reaches the brittle stage, around 300 degrees Fahrenheit (149 degrees Celsius). Remove the mixture from the heat, stir in a tablespoon of baking soda, and then pour it into a very well oiled pan to set. After the sponge candy has hardened, tip it out and crack it apart or cut it. Keep the candy wrapped in wax paper in an airtight container.