Easy Honeycomb Like Tim Hortons Toffee

What it means

• Honeycomb toffee is a crisp, aerated candy with an open honeycomb of bubbles, sometimes chocolate-coated like the crunchy honeycomb bars found in candy aisles.
• It needs only sugar, a liquid sweetener, and baking soda, but the sugar must reach the hard-crack stage for it to set crisp.
• The whole batch comes together in well under an hour, most of which is cooling time.

Action steps

1. Line a tray with parchment and set it nearby before you start.
2. Combine about 1 cup (200g) sugar with 1/4 cup (60ml) golden syrup or corn syrup in a deep saucepan and stir until dissolved.
3. Cook without stirring to the hard-crack stage, about 150C/300F, when it turns deep golden amber.
4. Off the heat, whisk in 1 to 2 teaspoons of sifted baking soda for 3 to 5 seconds until it foams up dramatically.
5. Pour immediately into the tray without spreading, and leave undisturbed for about an hour to set.
6. Break into shards and, for a candy-bar finish, dip them in melted tempered chocolate.

Risks & deadlines

• Molten sugar causes severe burns — keep children and pets away and never touch or taste it.
• Honeycomb is hygroscopic; store the finished pieces airtight so they stay crunchy.