Honeycomb Candy

A girl in my office, Sarah, is Australian and every time she comes back from a visit home, she brings us Violet Crumble - thanks, Sarah! I'm obsessed. Why this is not available in the US, I have no idea. My lovely new baking book, the Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook, has a recipe for "Sorghum-Molasses Chips" which are basically homemade violet crumbles. I couldn't find sorghum, so I used a mix of honey and corn syrup, and wow - amazing! Homemade candy that is addicting. The caramel inside is crunchy and light, coated in dark chocolate. It's not that hard to make, as long as you have a candy/frying thermometer, and it's very impressive and a huge hit. This may be my new present when I'm invited to dinner/stay somewhere for the weekend.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
12 oz dark chocolate (they said 6, but I needed 12 to cover them all)

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large, heavy saucepan combine the sugar, 1/3 cup water, the butter, and the cream of tarter and heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Insert a candy thermometer and bring the mixture to a boil, without stirring, then cook until it reaches 250 degrees.

Add the corn syrup and honey, without stirring, and continue to boil until the sugar mixture reaches 295 (watch carefully). Remove from heat and sift in the baking soda and whisk for 10-20 seconds to incorporate. It will bubble up, but this makes the bubbly honeycomb texture (keep the baking sheet nearby).

It looks a lot more golden in person

Quickly pour the candy onto the prepared sheet - do not spread - and let it cool completely. Once the candy has cooled, break it or cut it into pieces about 2 inches in size.

Put the chocolate in a glass bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat.

Using tongs, dip each piece of candy into the chocolate to coat it fully, then shake off the excess chocolate and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with all of the pieces, and let the chocolate cool and set.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
Share and enjoy! Or keep for yourself... (I also recommend letting them sit overnight - they become lighter and crunchier.)