There is a moment at the shop when someone picks up a piece of Honeycomb and gives it a little tap against the counter. It makes a light, glassy sound, which is usually followed by the question, "How does it get all those holes in there?"
Our Honeycomb is one of those candies that looks more complicated than it is. The name comes from the irregular little cells inside, but the structure is made by a straightforward bit of candy-making science. Honeycomb candy is a hot sugar confection that gets its airy texture from baking soda.
When baking soda is stirred into the hot syrup, it releases carbon dioxide gas. The syrup is thick enough to hold onto those bubbles while the candy is still warm, so the mixture puffs up. Once it cools and sets, the bubbles remain as the crisp, open structure we recognize as honeycomb candy. It is a little like the way a leavening agent gives baked goods their lift, except here the result is a brittle candy that shatters before it begins to dissolve.
That same basic candy appears under several names depending on where you find it. You may hear it called sea foam, sponge candy, cinder toffee, or hokey pokey. I like that a simple combination of cooked sugar and trapped bubbles has collected so many regional names. It is the sort of old-fashioned sweet that belongs in a candy case, at a fair, or tucked into a coat pocket for later.
We dip our Honeycomb in milk or dark chocolate, which adds a clean snap around the lighter center. The contrast is the whole pleasure of it: a firm chocolate shell, a quick crackle, and then a delicate honeyed sweetness that disappears faster than you expect. Around Halloween, when people are looking for candy with a little character, honeycomb candy makes a good change of pace from the usual smooth creams and chewy caramels.
It is a small piece, but it gives you something to notice. Listen to it break, look at the little cells, and then let the texture do what it was made to do. That is the simple trick behind our Honeycomb, and it is still one of the more satisfying ones in the shop.