Honey Candy Recipes Needed

[dougn]

I'm looking for recipes to make candy out of honey. Ideally I'd like a recipe that only uses honey as the sweetener (honey + sugar recipes are easy to find).

Thanks,
Doug

[MapMan]

I'm looking for recipes to make candy out of honey. Ideally I'd like a recipe that only uses honey as the sweetener (honey + sugar recipes are easy to find).

Thanks,
Doug


This is sort of a pseudo-chocolate flavored candy... sort of.

To explain, it uses carob powder, which you can generally find at good markets or organic co-ops. Carob powder is a common substitute for chocolate made from the leathery seed pod of the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua). It is actually quite nutritious -- although it is sweet, it contains protein, substantial amounts of calcium (3 times as much as milk), and quite a bit of phosphorus and potassium, Vit. A, B group, etc. Much better for you than chocolate.

Since this treat is chewy, it is sort of like a candy, but also like a very chewy cookie. It does use only honey as the sweetener.

I got the recipe from one of my Amish neighbors.

Carob Whispies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup carob

Boil five minutes

Add:

1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
Drop teaspoonfulls onto waxed paper. Chill.


MM

[summer1052]

You need to talk to one of the chefs here on the forum for details, but . . .

The reason you see honey + sugar in so many recipes has to do with the physics of candy making. Honey tends to stay in a 'plastic' state until crystalization occurs, or is augmented, as in creamed honey.

Sucrose, dextrose, etc., change when they are heated, and become 'plastic' , caramel, or hard -- and then retain those forms.

Trying to get any ingredient to do something it is not made to do results in problems, unless you introduce something that will have those properties. Even too much vanilla extract can screw up baking and candy making -- not because of the vanilla, but because of the carrier -- alcohol or glycerin.

Good luck, and if you find a good recipe, post it!
Summer

[doublechallenge]

The National Honey Board has prepared a recipe for 100% honey disks (used to flavor tea, coffee, etc.). The equipment is expensive and the final product is not shelf stable without vacuum packaging. You can get the contact info. for the National Honey Board at www.nhb.org. Charlotte Jordan is in charge of their new products. Feel free to email me if you need more info - www.atlantabeefactory.com

[ScadsOBees]

My wife has tried to make candy with honey, and so far it hasn't worked. The problem with most candies is like summer said, they need to be heated until they get to a harder stage (soft ball, hard ball, soft crack, hard crack) and honey doesn't cooperate, I'd guess because it is more fructose and less sucrose. But then again a lot of recipes use corn syrup, so I don't know.

If you try to get it to that stage it will burn. So you can make caramels with it. But not peanut brittle.

If somebody has a recipe that does work, my wife would love to have it too.

Rick

[Troy]

Has anyone out there tried to make an old fashioned rock candy out of honey?

I was wondering if you gently heated the honey so that all crystals were dissolved and then introduced a string or stick with sugar crystals on it if the honey wouldn't start to crystallize on the stick and make a honey rock candy kind of thing.

I've never tried this, I'm just looking for ideas.

[berkshire bee]

My wife used to make these all of the time and everyone loved them
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup honey

Cook to hardball stage

For brittle candies, pour thin layer onto a greased cookie sheet, let cool and break into pieces and wrap in waxed paper

For more taffy-like, pour into greased soup bowl.
When it's just cool enough to pick up, pick up and pull into thick strand, fold over and repeat until it's almost cool, Then pull into long strand about as thick as your pinkie and cut into sections.

[Dick Allen]

MapMan, try substituting peanut butter for the butter or keep the butter and add a 1/2 cup peanut butter to the recipe you posted. I think you'll like it.