I’ve covered my homemade version in dark chocolate because I love how the bitterness balances the sweetness of the honeycomb, but feel free to coat yours in milk or even white chocolate. A sprinkling of sea salt also gives these a deliciously grown-up twist! My memory of them is not quite the perfectly formed crunchies most would be used to, but I urge you to embrace this because cutting honeycomb into perfect bars? Ain’t nobody got time for that! What you will have time for though, is slowly letting the chocolate melt so you can lick it off your fingers!
Homemade Crunchie Bars
Makes 8
50ml water
190g Natura Golden Caster Sugar
50g Natura Light Demerara Sugar
140g glucose (available from pharmacies or baking shops)
60g honey
10g bicarbonate of soda
500g The Kate Tin Dark Baking Chocolate, melted (for coating)
Grease and line a 20cm-square baking tin with non-stick baking paper.
In a medium pot, over low heat, combine the water, sugars, glucose and honey until completely dissolved. Turn the heat up and simmer until the syrup reaches 144°C – if you don’t have a sugar thermometer, simply drop the syrup into a small cup of tap water. It is ready when it forms a hard ball almost immediately.
Remove from the heat and, working quickly, add the bicarbonate of soda all at once. Whisk until the honeycomb foams up then immediately pour it into the prepared baking tin.
Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Once completely cold, use a sharp serrated knife to cut the honeycomb into bars.
Dip the bars in the chocolate (you can also use a pastry brush to paint the chocolate on) and allow to set on a sheet of baking paper.
It is very important to store honeycomb in an air-tight container to avoid it becoming sticky. If you have silica gel sachets saved from shoes or handbags, place one of them in the bottom of the container to help absorb humidity.