Salted Manuka Honey Honeycomb
Salted Manuka Honey Honeycomb
By Chadwick Boyd
PHOTO BY BROOKE SLEZAK
Honeycomb Candy With Way More Honey…And it Heals, Too.
Honeycomb is an old-fashioned candy that is easy to make at home. You just need a candy thermometer and a bit of patience. Typically, honeycomb is made with granulated sugar, corn syrup and about a ¼ cup of honey, which leaves me wanting…more honey.
There are many varieties of honey found at grocery and specialty stores: wildflower, orange blossom, Tupelo, sourwood, acacia and more. While I love nearly all of them, I have come to have an affinity for New Zealand-harvested Manuka honey. It’s thick, quite rich, and has a distinct depth of flavor. It also has natural healing and medicinal properties that combat infection and ease inflammation. It is far more expensive that the honey we use everyday, so I use Manuka honey for special recipes, like this one. And it is worth it.
I have upped the amount of honey in this honeycomb to showcase all the great things about Manuka honey. It’s a delicious candy that also soothes and heals.
Chadwick’s Checklist
What you need to know before you cook.
- Use a heavy-bottomed, medium sauce pan so the candy cooks evenly
- It's best to use a good candy thermometer to make sure you don't burn the candy
- Keep the heat on medium the entire time, otherwise the honeycomb will burn
- Be patient and do not stir as the candy slowly rises to 300°F
- Have the baking soda, wooden spoon and parchment-lined pan at the ready. The last few critical steps go quickly.
Serves: Makes about 1-pound Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 5-10 minutes
Ingredients
¾ cup Manuka honey
⅓ cup light corn syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon baking soda
½ teaspoon flake salt
Directions
Line a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to hang over the sides.
Stir together the honey, corn syrup, sugar, and water in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed sauce pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking without stirring until a candy thermometer reaches 300°F.
Take the sauce pan off the heat immediately. Add the baking soda and stir with the wooden spoon until fully combined. It will puff up in the pan, which is normal. Carefully pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and leave it alone. Do not spread it out with the spoon or anything else. That will cause the air bubbles to go flat.
Sprinkle the salt on top. Let the honeycomb cool, about an hour, or until it is fully hardened.
Using a chef’s knife, break the candy into bite-sized pieces. Honeycomb will become soggy when left out in the open air. Store in an air-tight container, after eating, for 3-4 days.
Chadwick’s Changeups
Switch things up. Have some fun! Do more.
- Dip the honeycomb pieces in melted chocolate
- Try topping with flavored salts, like smoked alder or vanilla bean salt
- Place toasted coconut or toasted sliced almonds in the bottom of the pan before adding the hot honeycomb
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