Old Fashioned Angel Food Candy is one of the easiest and tastiest homemade candy recipes!
I have a confession to make…I haven’t started my Christmas shopping yet. Not one single gift has been purchased. As of when I’m writing this post, I have 13 days to get all of my shopping done, wrapped, and under the tree. Eeeeeks!
I just want to sit around eating Christmas candy, snuggled under blankets, reading books or watching movies. I don’t want to shop. Do you want to come do all my Christmas shopping for me? Please? If you do I’ll make a batch of this Angel Food Christmas Candy for you. Deal?
Truth be told, Angel Food candy is so easy to make, I’d get the better end of the deal. While you’d be out hitting the over crowded mall, standing in long lines, fighting over parking spaces, getting tangled up in tape, looking for your scissors, etc. I’d be mixing up just a few ingredients to create some of the tastiest Christmas candy around.
I have an aunt who used to make Angel Food Candy each year, and it wasn’t until she brought it up to me the other day that I even remembered it. It’s probably been 30 years since I’ve had Angel Food Candy, but now that she’s given me the recipe and I’ve made it myself, you can bet another year won’t go by without me making it again.
You may be wondering what Angel Food Candy is. It’s kind of hard to describe but it’s a hard-ish candy, also known as “sponge candy” or “honeycomb candy”. It tastes like toffee, but has a more airy, crunchy center, and the inside looks like a sponge or honeycomb. Most Angel Food Candy doesn’t include sea salt, but I decided to up the ante just a bit and add a sprinkling of San Francisco Salt Co’s Fleur de Sel (French Sea Salt). Angel Food Candy is good without it, but amazing with. I wouldn’t skip this step if I were you!
The key to getting the center of this candy just right is making sure you don’t let the temperature of the mixture go past 300°F. The most accurate thermometer I’ve found for candy and other things is the ThermoWorks Thermapen. This isn’t sponsored…I just absolutely love this food thermometer. It is so fast and accurate, I’ve never had better luck making candy than I have when using the Thermapen. (It’s spendy, but now that I’ve used it for about a year, I think the price is well worth it!). You can buy a Thermapen on Amazon here.
If you are looking for an easy and different candy to include in your holiday entertaining plans, I can’t recommend this Angel Food Candy enough. Definitely make it! Now, I’ve got to go because I’ve got some Christmas shopping to get started. Enjoy!
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Angel Food Candy, also known as Honeycomb Candy or Sponge Candy, is a simple treat to add to your holiday entertaining gifts!
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes minutes
Total Time 25 minutes minutes
Servings 12 servings
Author Dine & Dish
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup dark corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon San Francisco Salt Co Fleur de Sel optional
Instructions
In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and vinegar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Cook without stirring until the temperature reaches 300° (hard-crack stage) on a candy thermometer. Do not overcook (and remember that the temperature will continue to rise even after you turn the heat off, so work quickly at this point).
Remove from the heat and quickly stir in baking soda. Quickly pour into a buttered 9-in. x 9-in. glass pan. Do not spread candy. Just pour it in and let it set.
When cool, break into bite-size pieces.
In the meantime, melt chocolate chips and vegetable oil together over low heat. Once melted, dip candy pieces into the chocolate, shake off excess and set on waxed paper. Sprinkle with Fleur de Sel (optional) and serve once chocolate is hardened.
Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
FAQs
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, corn syrup and vinegar. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Heat, without stirring, to 300 to 310 degrees F (149 to 154 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda.
Why does my angel food candy fall? ›
It's normal for the mixture to rise and then fall some in the pan. Let cool completely. Flip pan over and shake gently to remove block of candy. Use a knife to cut and jab candy into pieces.
What is the candy with angel in the name? ›
Light, crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth angel food candy (also called honeycomb or sponge candy) gets an update with an allergy-friendly chocolate coating!
What is fairy food made of? ›
Also known as “yellowman” in Northern Ireland, “fairy food candy” in Wisconsin, and “puff candy” in Scotland, the candy is made by combining sugar, a golden syrup and bicarbonate (or baking) soda. This final ingredient produces the candy's iconic texture.
What does angel food have in it? ›
Angel food cake, or angel cake, is a type of sponge cake made with egg whites, flour, and sugar. A whipping agent, such as cream of tartar, is commonly added. It differs from other cakes because it uses no butter. Its aerated texture comes from whipped egg white.
What is a substitute for dark corn syrup? ›
Molasses can be used in place of dark corn syrup in an equal amount when making baked goods, glazes, and sauces. Alternatively, you can combine 1 part molasses with 3 parts light corn syrup to match the color, flavor, and consistency of dark corn syrup more closely.
How do you keep angel food cake from falling? ›
Always flip the cake pan to cool your angel food cake with the open side down. Angel food cake will continue to set as it cools, and it can sink down in the pan and collapse if you don't flip it to cool. Use a serrated knife to cut angel food cake once you remove it from the pan.
What can go wrong with angel food cake? ›
Why does angel food cake fall during baking?
- Possible Causes. Possible Solutions.
- Over mixing. Follow package directions for proper mixing times. ...
- Bumping the cake during baking. Avoid opening and closing the oven doors during baking. ...
- High altitude. Follow the high altitude directions on the package.
- Oven temperature too low.
Sticky cake and cupcake tops are from a reaction with sugar and water. Sugars are hygroscopic, meaning they attract water. Within baked goods, sugars help maintain a moist and tender crumb. Sugar on the exposed tops, however, will grab water from humid air, creating a wet or sticky top.
What candy has a daddy in the name? ›
The Sugar Daddy was created in 1925 by The James O. Welch Company and was originally called a "papa sucker." In 1932, the company changed the candy's name to Sugar Daddy.
Baby Ruth is an American candy bar made of peanuts, caramel, and milk chocolate-flavored nougat, covered in compound chocolate.
Why is cinder toffee called honeycomb? ›
Cinder toffee, also commonly known as honeycomb toffee, sponge toffee, or hokey pokey, is a light and crunchy confection with a distinctive honeycomb-like texture. It's a popular treat known for its aerated, spongy structure and rich, toffee-like flavour that's both sweet and slightly burnt.
What is seafoam candy made of? ›
Combine light brown and white sugars, water, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy 2 quart saucepan. Cook covered until mixture boils rapidly. Remove lid, place candy thermometer in pan, and cook without stirring to 260 degrees F (127 degrees C). Remove from heat.
What is honeycomb called in the USA? ›
Regionally it may be referred to as sponge candy, sea foam, fairy food candy, or old fashioned puff in the US, and in Britain, it is often called Cinder Toffee with variances of puff candy in Scotland, Yellowman in Northern Ireland and Sponge Toffee in Canada.
Why does my honeycomb candy taste burnt? ›
If it's any darker than that, it means your sugar is too hot and the honeycomb will taste burnt and bitter. Once you have dissolved the sugar and you start to simmer your sugar mixture, you shouldn't mix it as sugar crystals will start to form – which will ruin your honeycomb.
What is the pork product in candy? ›
Candy. Numerous foods contain gelatin, a protein derived from the collagen in cow or pig bones, skin and connective tissues. It's often used as a thickening or stabilizing agent and can be found in a variety of candies, including Altoids, gummy candies and Starburst chews, among others.
What is honeycomb candy made of? ›
Honeycomb toffee, honeycomb candy, sponge toffee, cinder toffee, seafoam, or hokey pokey is a sugary toffee with a light, rigid, sponge-like texture. Its main ingredients are typically brown sugar (or corn syrup, molasses or golden syrup) and baking soda, sometimes with an acid such as vinegar.
