For a few years, my son could only have honey as a sweetener, which meant store-bought candy was out of the question. (This was on the advice of his pediatrician who placed him on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet because he had non-responsive celiac disease and was a very sick little boy. The diet worked wonders and he is now a healthy child with no more stomach aches or for that matter, asthma. It’s a fabulous diet!)
I did a lot of experimenting, trying to come up with treats that I could make him. Here are two of his favorites: Honey & Vinegar Candy and Honey Nut Butter Candy; both are fairly easy to whip up when the urge for a sweet treat arises.
One thing that no one ever seems to mention when it comes to making (well, eating!) most honey based candy is that it quickly goes from crunchy to chewy in your mouth. This is more noticeable with the Honey & Vinegar Candy than the Honey Nut Butter Candy, but because of this reason, I recommend these for older children and even then, be sure to break into small serving sizes. The texture of the Honey & Vinegar reminds me quite a bit of the Sugar Babies that I bought as a kid, if that gives you some idea of the chew-factor!
Honey Nut Butter Candy
This first easy honey candy recipe is inspired by “Glass Candy” from the cookbook Grain Free Gourmet by Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass. I love their cookbooks and highly recommend anyone that wants to cook grain-free and refined-sugar-free own a copy of both! Mine are well worn and worth every penny I spent and then some!
- 1 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup nut butter (I used crunchy almond butter here, you can also use peanut butter, cashew butter, sunbutter, etc)
Pour the honey into a heavy saucepan. Place pan over medium heat until mixture starts to boil. Adjust the heat lower if needed and let boil until honey reaches 300 degrees F (hard crack stage.) This takes around twenty minutes.
Remove from heat, add vanilla and nut butter. Stir thoroughly then immediately pour onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in freezer or refrigerator to cool. Once completely chilled, break into long strips, then break those again into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Store in freezer.
Honey & Vinegar Candy
I’m always looking for ways to use some of my infused vinegars, such as Blackberry Vinegar, and this easy honey candy recipe fits the bill perfectly! For the batch pictured above, I used blueberry infused vinegar (made exactly like the blackberry version.)
- 1 cup honey
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or fruit infused vinegar)
- (optional) 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pour the honey and vinegar into a heavy saucepan. Place pan over medium heat until mixture starts to boil. Adjust the heat lower if needed and let boil until honey reaches 300 degrees F (hard crack stage.)
Remove from heat, add vanilla, if desired. Immediately pour onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in freezer or refrigerator to cool.
Once completely chilled, break into long strips, then break those again into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Store in freezer. These start off crunchy, but turn rather chewy after a few seconds!
A few tips to remember:
- Be sure to calibrate your candy thermometer periodically. Dip the tip of it in a small pot of boiling water (you can do this while cooking pasta too, as a time saver) and let it stay for a few minutes without touching the sides or bottom. It should read 212 degrees F (at sea level). My candy thermometer happens to be ten degrees off! So, I have to keep that in mind when making candies and adjust accordingly. It WILL make a difference in your recipe. (For more information on this, check out Ray’s comment below.)
- Honey can scorch and burn if heated too high – be sure to stay nearby and keep checking the temperature with your candy thermometer.
- Store honey based candies in the freezer (in single layers, between parchment paper) until right before ready to eat.
- You can also pour the hot candy into lollipop molds. (Just remember the “chew factor” for small kids!)
- Try different flavored extracts instead of vanilla – such as: lemon or peppermint for a great taste variation.
- Fill your still-hot pot with warm, soapy water soon after pouring out the candy and let it soak for a while in your sink – it will make cleaning up infinitely easier!
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FAQs
Torrone (Italian Nut and Nougat Confection)
This impressive looking candy is easy to make. All it takes is a little time stirring at the stovetop. Honey and egg whites combine to create a chewy nougat that envelopes crunchy almonds and pistachios.
How to make honey harden? ›
You can harden honey by boiling the honey to a temperature of 300 degrees and then letting the honey cool. This causes the honey to thicken and harden. If left alone, honey will also harden naturally or crystalize over time.
What is the candy name with honey? ›
Made with real honey and almond bits, Bit-O-Honey is a delectable bite-sized chew that's satisfied sweet tooths for nearly one hundred (!) years. And now that Spangler Candy has added Bit-O-Honey to its roster of some of the most iconic names in candy, there's no better time for Bit-O-Honey's big reintroduction.
How is bit of honey candy made? ›
The ingredients for Bit-O-Honey are rather simple. It's a mixture of corn syrup, coconut oil, egg whites, honey, sugar, and milk. Once all those ingredients are mixed together and put into the mold, chopped almonds are added into the mix to top it off.
Does pure honey go candy? ›
Yes. Crystallization is a natural process that pure, raw honey goes through. Not every honey will crystallize, and some will crystallize faster than others. But it's a good sign that your honey is real and less processed.
Does honey harden like sugar? ›
Real Honey Crystallizes
The natural sugars in honey (glucose and fructose) will bind together and begin to form little crystals, which can start making your honey harder. With differing blends, some honey will begin to crystallize faster than others.
How to crystalize honey quickly? ›
Take that moisture into the 20's % and fermentation may even take place. Yet another factor is temperature, cooler temps will hasten the crystallization process. Honey stored in a refrigerator or cooler basem*nt or cold garage in winter will turn your liquid gold into a sweet treat that is hard as a rock.
Can honey go bad? ›
“Honey does not spoil, however for best quality, the USDA recommends storing honey for up to 12 months,” Amidor says. “After that time, it remains safe but the quality may not be as good. If the honey becomes cloudy, crystallized or solidified this is not a food safety concern.”
What is the female name for candy? ›
Candy is a surname, given name, nickname or stage name. It is often used as a hypocorism for the feminine given name Candace.
What is queen bee candy? ›
The pioneer of queen cage candy was a man named Good, who in the early 1880's proposed using a mixture of cold honey and sugar to create a dripless honeybee food. Shortly thereafter beekeepers fine-tuned the concept, eventually settled on a mixture of sugars for the candy.
To make quick hard candy with just sugar, combine 2 cups of sugar with 1/2 cup of water. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat until it reaches 300°F (hard crack stage) on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, add flavoring and coloring if desired, then pour onto a greased surface to cool and harden.
What is the oldest candy? ›
The two oldest candy types are licorice and ginger. The historical roots of licorice are found in the early years of man's appearance. In particular, many licorice were eaten by Pharaohs and Prophets. The licorice comes from a plant called “Glycyrrhiza” which in Greek means «sweet root».
What makes honey candied? ›
Crystallisation or granulation occurs naturally in most honeys as, over time, honey in its liquid form changes in texture to a solid candied or soft creamy state with a range of fine to coarse grains. This natural phenomenon is key to producing high quality creamed and candied honeys.
What can be crafted with honey? ›
Other things you can do with honey include crafting blocks of honey (which, as we've already established, are pretty neat) with four bottles arranged in a square in a crafting grid. You can also make sugar – one bottle of honey in a crafting grid all on its lonesome will give you three piles of sugar. Sweet.
How do you substitute honey for sugar in candy? ›
Honey is much sweeter than sugar, so use 1/2 - 2/3 cup honey for every cup of sugar in your recipe. Because honey is sweeter than sugar, you might not want to substitute at a 1-1 ratio (even though you can up to one cup).
Can honey make cotton candy? ›
A delightful, sweet tradition that continues year to year! Made famous at the North Carolina State Fair, Aunt Bertie's Cotton Candy is unique because it's made with REAL HONEY and contains no food coloring or additives.
What is candied honey? ›
During the cooler winter months it's common for pure honey to turn from liquid to a semi-solid state – otherwise known as candied or crystallised honey. This is a completely natural process that does not alter the taste.
