Salted Chocolate Honeycomb Recipe (2024)

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This salted chocolate honeycomb recipe is surprisingly easy to make and you only need four ingredients. It makes a fantastic homemade edible Christmas gift. Make it in just 15 minutes with 5 ingredients! Naturally vegan and gluten-free.

Commissioned by Thermapen.

Chocolate honeycomb

Do you make foodie Christmas gifts for people? I'll be honest that I often intend to, but then life gets in the way.

I'd love to make some of those Christmas biscuits iced like lacy doilies, but I always seem to run out of time.

And frankly, I probably don't have the patience to decorate them very artistically!

But there are some homemade food gifts that don't take long to make, and are always welcome from the lucky recipient!

Enter: salted chocolate honeycomb. You only need 15 minutes and 5 ingredients to make these fantastic treats.

Reader testimonials

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"OMG I LOVE this chocolate covered honeycomb and have made this over Xmas to give as gifts! Thanks for the recipe" - Jane
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"WOW!!! I just made this, so EASY, and so DELICIOUS!!! I’m not sure one batch will be enough…my kids are devouring it…and I may be helping them!" - Terri
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"These were so dreamy! I didn't know chocolate honeycomb was so easy to make!" - Taylor
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"Made this recipe many times for honeycombed ice cream" - Anj

Homemade honeycomb

If you've ever had a Crunchie bar, you've had chocolate covered honeycomb.

Regardless of the name, it doesn't actually have any honey in it!

It's a mix of sugar, syrup and baking soda - meaning it's actually vegan.

And, let me tell ya, people - IT IS AMAZING! Seriously.

Even if you make it as a gift, you will want to keep it all to yourself and give them a box of chocolates. Really.

Chocolate covered honeycomb

You can enjoy honeycomb on its own, but I love it dipped in melted dark chocolate and sprinkled with a few flakes of sea salt.

The creamy chocolate is lovely against the brittle and sweet shards of honeycomb, which are then offset with the sea salt.

This is definitely my best honeycomb recipe and I hope you all love it too!

Making honeycomb

Although hot sugar can seem scary, it's actually quite easy to make honeycomb.

It's much easier with a food thermometer so you know when you get to the 'hard crack' stage of 140C.

I use a digital candy thermometer so it's super-easy to know when the sugar has reached the right temperature.

Then just stir in the bicarb of soda, pour it into a pan and let it cool.

Ingredients

Caster sugar (superfine sugar)
Golden syrup (or corn syrup)
Bicarb of soda (baking soda)
Dark chocolate
Sea salt

Heavy bottomed pot
Wooden spoon
8"/20cm square baking pan
Baking paper
Food thermometer (optional, but useful!)

Vegan honeycomb

It may be surprising, considering there is honey in the name (honey isn't vegan), but honeycomb is naturally vegan!

This recipe doesn't have any swaps to make it vegan, it just naturally is because none of the traditional honeycomb recipe ingredients contain animal products.

How to make honeycomb

Scroll down for step-by-step honeycomb recipe instructions and the full recipe!

1 - mix the sugar and syrup in a heavy-bottomed pot. Prepare the bicarb of soda (baking soda), and keep a thermometer and wooden spoon to hand. You'll need these quickly and won't have time to search for them!

2 - heat the sugar and syrup in a heavy saucepan to hard crack stage (150C / 300F) or see below for how to tell without a thermometer. Remove the pan from the heat.

3 - quickly but carefully (it will be hot!) stir in baking soda with a wooden spoon, then pour into prepared pan to set at room temperature.

Making honeycomb without a thermometer

Although a candy thermometer makes it easier to make homemade honeycomb, you can still make it without one.

You'll just need to test the hot sugar syrup in cold water to reach the correct stage: hard crack stage.

Hard crack stage

With a food thermometer, you can easily determine if your hot sugar syrup has reached hard crack stage: test with the thermometer until it reaches 300F/150C.

To tell if your sugar syrup is at hard crack stage without a thermometer, you'll need a bowl of very cold water.

Once the hot sugar mixture begins to darken, take a small teaspoonful and drop it into the bowl of cold water. Leave it for a few moments the reach into the water and pick up the syrup. If it's soft and pliable, then it's at soft ball stage and is not ready.
Try again until the sugar syrup instantly hardens in the water and 'cracks'.

Please see this great short video about the stages of sugar syrup.

Tips & tricks

Be sure to gather all the ingredients and tools before you start. Once the toffee mixture is hot it's a very quick process!
When the sugar syrup begins to darken and reaches the hard crack stage, it's not long until it could burn. Work quickly (but carefully!) and take the pan off the heat.
Once the baking soda (bicarb of soda) is added to the oozy hot toffee mixture, it will fluff up and grow more than double in size. So choose a large or high sided pot.
It's important that your sugar is the right temperature or stage.
You can still make honeycomb without a thermometer - just scroll up for the method to determine hard crack stage without a thermometer.
For tidy edges, cut while the honeycomb is still slightly warm with an oiled knife. You can also cut it while cold - it will just shatter slightly.

Thermapen

I've been using my trusty Thermapen digital food thermometer for a few years now. It takes the guesswork out of so many recipes, from candy to bread.

The SuperFast Thermapen® 4 Cooks Thermometer is the number one selling food thermometer in the UK. Here are a few highlights:
Temperature range of -49.9 to 299.9 °C.
Fast and accurate
Reads the true temperature in just three seconds.
Stainless steel probe that conveniently folds into the unit when not in use.

Edible gifts

Looking for more edible gifts besides honeycomb for Christmas or other holidays? Try these!

Pecan Brittle
Christmas Chocolate Tiffin
Rosemary Maple Roasted Nuts
Avocado Reindeer Brownies
Beet Chocolate Truffles

Get the recipe

Did you make this honeycomb recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you!
Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #veggiedesserts. I love seeing your recreations of my vegetarian and vegan recipes and cakes.

Disclosure: This chocolate vegan honeycomb recipe was commissioned by Thermapen. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make it possible for me to be a food blogger and write Veggie Desserts.

📖 Recipe

Salted Chocolate Honeycomb Recipe

Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts

Salted chocolate honeycomb recipe is surprisingly easy to make and you only need four ingredients!It's vegan and gluten free and makes a great edible gift.

5 from 29 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, British, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings 16

Calories 109 kcal

Ingredients

¾ cup (150g) superfine / caster sugar
4 tablespoon corn syrup (golden syrup)
2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarb of soda)
5.5 oz (150g) dark chocolate
Sea salt flakes

Instructions

Line a 20cm/8” square baking pan with baking paper. You’ll need to work quickly when the sugar is hot, so measure the baking soda and be sure to have a candy thermometer and wooden spoon handy.
In a large, heavy bottomed pan, stir the sugar and syrup together. Melt them over a low/medium heat, checking with a candy thermometer until it reaches 150C/300F (hard-crack stage).
Remove the hot sugar mixture from the heat, add the baking soda and quickly beat it in with a wooden spoon - be careful as the mixture will foam up and be very very hot!
Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan, then leave it to set at room temperature.
When it has cooled and set, cut or break it into shards.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave or in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, but don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl.
Dip the shards of honeycomb into the melted chocolate and sprinkle with a few flakes of sea salt. Allow the chocolate to set.

Video

Notes

Be sure to gather all the ingredients and tools before you start. Once the toffee mixture is hot it's a very quick process!
When the sugar syrup begins to darken and reaches the hard crack stage, it's not long until it could burn. Work quickly (but carefully!) and take the pan off the heat.
Once the baking soda (bicarb of soda) is added to the oozy hot toffee mixture, it will fluff up and grow more than double in size. So choose a large or high sided pot.
It's important that your sugar is the right temperature or stage.
You can still make honeycomb without a thermometer - just scroll up for the method to determine hard crack stage without a thermometer.

Making honeycomb without a thermometer

Although a candy thermometer makes it easier to make homemade honeycomb, you can still make it without one.

You'll just need to test the hot sugar syrup in cold water to reach the correct stage: hard crack stage.

Hard crack stage

With a food thermometer, you can easily determine if your hot sugar syrup has reached hard crack stage: test with the thermometer until it reaches 300F/150C.

To tell if your sugar syrup is at hard crack stage without a thermometer, you'll need a bowl of very cold water.

Please see this great short video about the stages of sugar syrup.

Nutrition

Calories: 109kcalCarbohydrates: 18gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 67mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 5IUCalcium: 7mgIron: 1.1mg

The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

Tried this recipe?Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts! I love seeing your recreations.

Salted Chocolate Honeycomb Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is honeycomb chocolate made of? ›

Ingredients: milk chocolate 93% (sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, cocoa mass, emulsifier: soya lecithin, natural vanilla flavouring), honeycomb pieces 7% (sugar, glucose syrup, raising agent: bicarbonate soda, rice flour).

Discover More Details ›

Why is my honeycomb chewy but not crunchy? ›

Chewy honeycomb happens when the mixture hasn't been cooked for long enough. This is most common when you don't use a sugar thermometer. If you don't heat the mixture to 149°C the sugar won't achieve the brittleness required for that crumbly, crunchy texture.

Learn More ›

Why is my honeycomb candy not hardening? ›

If your sugar syrup isn't hot enough, it will make your honeycomb very chewy. The best way to make sure your sugar is at the right temperature is to use a sugar thermometer. The mixture should be at the 'hard ball' stage, which is normally between 121-130 degrees Celsius.

Why does honeycomb taste salty? ›

It is really important to make sure the sodium bicarbonate is well mixed or else your honeycomb may taste a bit salty (from excess sodium).

Learn More Now ›

What is honeycomb called in America? ›

Honeycomb candy is known by many names.

Honeycomb toffee, sponge toffee, cinder toffee and hokey poke are just a few. Often though, it is simply referred to as honeycomb. The exact origin of this light yet rigid candy is disputed almost as much as the various names.

Keep Reading ›

What is the English chocolate with honeycomb? ›

Cadbury's Crunchie is one of the UK's favourite chocolate bars. Comprising of milk chocolate with a honeycomb centre, the Crunchie was originally made all the way back in 1929 and remains a hugely popular snack.

Learn More ›

What are the white balls in my honeycomb? ›

You may mistake this for some kind of pest or disease but the real answer is very simple – it is just honey – crystallized honey in comb.

View Details ›

What is the brown stuff in honeycomb? ›

Bee propolis is a sticky, brown substance sometimes known as bee glue. The honey bees gather tree resin, the main ingredient in propolis, from buds and cracks in the bark. The bees add salivary secretions to the resin by chewing on it and add beeswax to the mix. Propolis has a little pollen in it, too.

Get More Info Here ›

Why does honeycomb taste weird? ›

Honeycomb tastes like honey, but with the addition of a piece of wax. The wax gives a delicate and sweet taste but isn't too intense. You will be surprised by how refreshingly sweet the honeycomb tastes. Considering that there are several types of honeycomb, each has a slightly different taste.

Read The Full Story ›

What to do with failed honeycomb candy? ›

Instead, if it is enjoyable as is, I would suggest just eating it as a toffee like candy. Otherwise, chalk it up to experience and watch the temperature more closely next time. I have a batch of gooey toffee now too. So im just either enjoying it as is or adding bit or chunks of it to my coffee or ice cream.

Know More ›

What does baking soda do in candy making? ›

The secret is in the baking soda. As the sugar is cooking and begins turning amber in color it accumulates small amounts of acid, and that acid reacts chemically with the alkaline baking soda releasing about a zillion minuscule bubbles of CO₂ that get trapped, making the sugar porous and, well… brittle.

Read The Full Story ›

Does honeycomb candy go bad? ›

Nigella's Hokey Pokey, or honeycomb candy, (from Nigella Express) is made from sugar, syrup and bicarbonate of soda and so theoretically should not turn bad for some time. The main problem is that it will soften over time, so the conditions of storage will be the main factor in how long the Hokey Pokey lasts.

Get More Info Here ›

Is cinder toffee the same as honeycomb? ›

Honeycomb is a sweet confectionery also known as cinder toffee. Discover how to make honeycomb at home, how to store it and what to make with it.

Get More Info Here ›

Why is cinder toffee called cinder toffee? ›

Its name “cinder toffee” is thought to come from its appearance, which resembles the cinders and coal used in traditional British fireplaces. The treat's texture and taste, reminiscent of caramelised sugar, made it a favourite among people of all ages.

Get More Info ›

Why is my honeycomb not setting? ›

The mistake most first timers make is to take the syrup off the heat too soon. This makes the honeycomb sticky and doesn't allow it to set correctly. Whole volumes have been written about the science of candy making. All you need to know, however, is to make toffee the syrup needs to be heated to “hard crack” stage.

Keep Reading ›

Does honeycomb chocolate have honey? ›

Honeycomb (50%): sugar, glucose, water, sodium bicarbonate, honey. Milk chocolate (41% cocoa minimum, pure cocoa butter, 19% milk solids) 50%: sugar, cocoa butter.

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Is honeycomb candy made of honey? ›

They're all names to describe a candy that's made from combining brown sugar, corn syrup and baking soda. The lattice structure of the candy is caused by the baking soda reacting with the acid, resulting in these little air pockets throughout the candy. These pockets of air make it look like honeycomb!

Learn More Now ›

Is honeycomb just wax? ›

Honeycomb is basically beeswax and raw honey, so it's 100% edible and safe to eat. The beeswax alone has very little nutritional value, with the exception of trace amounts of Vitamin A. However, since our system does not break down beeswax, it can help the body move food and waste through the gut.

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What does honeycomb taste like? ›

The honeycomb tastes like the honey inside the comb. So honeycomb from different plants and trees will have a different flavor. Most people prefer a mild tasting honeycomb, like acacia, clover or gallberry (holly). You can also find wildflower honeycomb at some markets, which is generally darker in color.

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