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The Korean honeycomb toffee is like an upgraded version of the simple 2-ingredient dalgona candy made popular by Netflix’s Squid Game. With 5 ingredients, you can make a light as air and crunchy toffee with great honeycombs inside the toffee and best yet, with some nuts and seeds. So good and it’s hard to stop munching on this.
The Korean honeycomb toffee is also known as sponge toffee, hokey pokey, sponge candy, cinder toffee, seafoam candy/toffee, etc in other countries. They are basically made by caramelizing sugar and baking soda is then added to make it light, airy, and grow big in size. The baking soda is responsible for the holes or honeycomb texture inside the toffee. Gotta love science! You can read more about it in more detail in this Squid Game Dalgona Candy post.
Ingredients
You only need 5 ingredients to make this amazing airy and super crunchy honeycomb toffee
1. Sugar
I use granulated sugar. You can use caster sugar or brown sugar. I have tried with Erythritol and it didn’t work
2. Water
3. Corn syrup
I use light corn syrup. You can substitute with golden syrup, honey, or maple syrup. I have tried with golden syrup and honey, but I have not personally tried with maple syrup, but some people have success with it.
4. Baking soda
Please make sure your baking soda is fresh. DO NOT substitute with baking powder. It doesn’t work with baking powder
5. Nuts and seeds of your choice
I use roasted pepitas, peanuts, and white sesame seeds. You can use whatever nuts seeds or even dried fruit pieces if you wish. OR, skip the nuts and seeds if allergy is a concern
How to easily make Korean honeycomb toffee (or I call it a fancier mega dalgona toffee)
1. Prepare a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat. Scatter some toasted nuts and seeds on the pan
2. Get the baking soda ready on the side. Mix sugar, water, and corn syrup in a heavy-bottom saucepan so the sugar won’t get burnt easily. Stir to combine
3. Put the pan on the stove over medium-low heat. Let the sugar gradually melt without stirring. The sugar starts to get bubbly on the edge
4. As it continues to heat up, the bubbles get larger and boil more vigorously. Remember to keep the heat steady and don’t let the sugar burnt. Lower the heat if you suspect that the sugar browns too quickly
5. The sugar will continue to bubble and large bubbles turn into smaller bubbles and the boiling is not as vigorous. You will see the sugar turn to very very light yellow/golden color, almost hard to notice the color, that’s normal. If you have a thermometer, it will read around 300 F (150 C)
6. Turn off the heat and add the baking soda and immediately stirring vigorously for about 10 seconds. Once you stop stirring, you will see the color turn to light golden brown and the mixture grows in volume and airy. Don’t stir for too long or the sugar will get burnt and turn bitter and darker in color and the foam will get deflated
7. Immediately pour this on top of the nuts and seeds. The sugar hardens very quickly so you need to work fast. Let the honeycomb toffee cools down completely, about 1 hour or so
8. Break the large pieces into smaller chunks and transfer to an air-tight container. They stay airy and crispy for about a week or so. Humidity is the enemy here and it can turn the toffee sticky and soggy
Why honeycomb toffee is sticky ?
The sugar may not be cooked long enough. If you have a thermometer, it will register at around 295 – 300 F. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can do a test by dropping the molten syrup into a cup of water and it should reach the hardcrack stage (detail in the recipe card)
How to tell if honeycomb toffee is ready?
When the honeycomb toffee is no longer sticky, you can easily remove it from the parchment paper or peel it off the silicone mat. Store them in an air-tight container or they will get sticky and soggy if humidity is high.
Why honeycomb toffee is bitter?
You may have burnt the sugar during the melting process and/or you have stirred too long after adding the baking soda.
Why my honeycomb toffee is flat/deflated?
It could be several reasons. You don’t use enough baking soda, or the baking soda may not be active anymore, or you have over stirred the baking soda, or you add the baking soda before the sugar is ready.
Did you make this Korean Honeycomb Toffee (Mega Dalgona with Nuts and Seeds) recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
You may also be interested in this Dalgona Candy from Squid Game
or this Dalgona Candy Coffee Basque Burnt Cheese Cupcakes
Korean Honeycomb Toffee (Mega Dalgona with Nuts and Seeds)
Ingredients
Honeycomb toffee:
- 100 gr granulated sugar you can also use caster sugar or brown sugar
- 35 gr water
- 60 gr corn syrup sub with golden syrup or honey
- 5 gr baking soda
Nuts and seeds (you can use whatever you like and the amount is flexible too):
- 20 gr roasted pepita seeds salted or unsalted is up to you
- 20 gr roasted peanuts salted nuts will add a nice salty sweet combo
- 10 gr roasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prepare a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat. Scatter some toasted nuts and seeds on the pan
- Get the baking soda ready on the side. Mix sugar, water, and corn syrup in a heavy-bottom saucepan so the sugar won't get burnt easily. Stir to combine
- Put the pan on the stove over medium-low heat. Let the sugar gradually melt without stirring. The sugar starts to get bubbly on the edge and as it continues to heat up, the bubbles get larger and boil more vigorously. Remember to keep the heat steady and don't let the sugar burnt. Lower the heat if you suspect that the sugar browns too quickly
- The sugar will continue to bubble and large bubbles turn into smaller bubbles and the boiling is not as vigorous. You will see the sugar turn to very very light yellow/golden color, almost hard to notice the color, that's normal. If you have a thermometer, it will read around 300 F (150 C)
- If you don't have a thermometer, you can also do a test by scooping small amount of the molten syrup and drop it in a small cup of water and it will harden and form a thread that will break if you bent it. This is when you know the sugar is ready and you can add baking soda
- Turn off the heat and add the baking soda and immediately stirring vigorously for about 10 seconds. Once you stop stirring, you will see the color turn to light golden brown and the mixture grows in volume and airy. Don't stir for too long or the sugar will get burnt and turn bitter and darker in color and the foam will get deflated
- Immediately pour this on top of the nuts and seeds. The sugar hardens very quickly so you need to work fast. Let the honeycomb toffee cools down completely, about 1 hour or so
How to store honeycomb toffee:
- Break the large pieces into smaller chunks and transfer to an air-tight container. They stay airy and crispy for about a week or so. Humidity is the enemy here and it can turn the toffee sticky and soggy
How to clean the sticky sugar off the pan:
- Pour some water into the pan and put it back in the stove and bring the water to a boil. The sugar will dissolves. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and the rim of the pan with the hot water. They will come off easily
