A DELICIOUS treat that is suitable for snacking on alongside cookies. It resembles aerated sugar that has been chilled and covered in the chocolate of your choice.
| Prep Time: | 5 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 72 |
| Yield: | 6 dozen small candies |
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons baking soda
- 1 (12 ounce) package chocolate chips (Optional)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar, corn syrup and vinegar. Bring to a boil, and heat to the hard crack stage, 300 to 310 degrees F (149 to 154 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads. Do not stir once the mixture begins to boil.
- While you wait for the sugar to come up to temperature, grease a 7×11 inch baking dish. When the mixture reaches the hard crack stage, remove from heat, and quickly stir in the baking soda with a long handled spoon; it will become very foamy. Pour immediately into the prepared dish, and set aside to cool. Cut into little pieces when cool.
- If you wish to coat the candies with chocolate, melt the chocolate chips in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. If the chocolate is too thick, some vegetable oil may be added. Dip pieces of candy in chocolate, and place on waxed paper until set.
Reviews
I haven’t made this yet but of looks nice get back to me please
I switched to my now “never fail” fairy food recipe. It says to STIR CONSTANTLY until the candy thermometer hits 300 degrees (hard crack). Then quickly stir in the backing soda and immediately pour onto a buttered cookie sheet or greased/ buttered parchment paper.
Try #1: Followed directions exactly and ended up with something that looked and smelled a lot like burnt marshmallows. I’m wondering if the addition of vinegar alters the cooktime from normal candymaking. Also notice clumps of baking soda, consider quickly sifting into mixture with a fine sieve.
This is a great recipe! So simple, but tastes exactly like the “sponge toffee” I’ve always known. (Never heard it called “fairy food” before — interesting!) I used an 8×8 pan and it filled it to the brim, so I’ll probably try something bigger next time. Didn’t bother with the chocolate because we just wanted it plain. Thanks!
I used to live in Wisconsin, and this recipe was awesome!! We made it the first time when we were kids, and our parents weren’t home…. freaked us out (we couldn’t figure out at first why you needed a large pot). We just spead it out on a big cookie sheet, and then broke it up. The less baking soda, the better. When I moved down to Alabama, I tried making the exact same recipe (it was one of my favorites) about 5 times before realizing that the humidity was screwing it up. So the people who posted the negative reviews might take that into consideration. Edit: I was able to make it work in high humidity!!! It was even raining the entire day I made it …. here’s how I did it: Make the fairy food, pour it in the pan, and immediately refrigerate. As soon as it’s set(about 30 min?), take it out, break it up, and dip it in chocolate, then immediately put it in freezer in air tight container. Doesn’t take long to thaw it, so take it out of the freezer about 20 minutes before you serve it. Worked for me!!
WOW!!!!Just like the Fairy Food from Wisconsin, only better. And so easy
i tried this recipe and though it was fun it just did not turn out…..the candy turned out rock hard..i think i may hve did something wrong…i dunno
🙁 Wyocat was right, at 300 the temp shoots right up. Everything was going along nicely, I dumped the baking soda in at 300 stirred and turned to pour into the dish and I noticed a funny smell. The candy was orange and then it hit me, I BURNED IT! Ugh. I really wanted to try this and I just happened to have some corn syrup at home. Now I have a disgusting mess and an awful smell. I give 3 stars because I burned it (not the recipe’s fault) and because the instructions weren’t clear enough for me. I’ll try again after I get more corn syrup at the store and hopefully I can give more stars. *Update* 🙁 Very unhappy now, I made a trip to the store and bought more corn syrup after the first batch failed. I made a couple of adjustments to see if I could do this right. I heated the sugar to about 270 and removed it from the heat and stirred in the sifted baking soda. Closer to what I think it is supposed to be, the stench has lifted in my house but again, IT BURNED! I’m getting grumpy about this one. ***UPDATE*** Third time must be the charm. Removed it from the heat at 260, added in the baking soda. Stirred really well and dumped into the dish. Still kinda orange but since it tasted just fine I assume that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Thanks!
This recipe didn’t turn out at all for me. I followed all of the directions, and used a candy thermometer, and it still burned! That being said, and since it could have still been my mistake, and the fact that it makes a great science experiment for the kids to watch, I give it 3 1/2 stars. Who knows, I may even try it again sometime. Next time I will also make sure the baking soda is SIFTED. (Have you ever bit into a bit of unsifted baking soda? I would not recommend it.) Overall: Good concept, cool food science, fun to watch, worth a try just for that.
This was very good but had a funny baking soda-y after taste… I dont know if I will make again or look for a better recipe.
I gave this as gifts last year to some family members who LOVE sponge candy but can no longer find it in any of the candy shops. Great recipe. Thanks!
I didn’t try this exact recipe but have tried a similar on – I was so excited to find this recipe as I grew up in WI and used to eat Angel Food Candy and then moved to IN and it is about impossible to find. This stuff is sooooo delicious! Everyone who has tasted it loves it, kids and grownups alike. Very wonderful treat.
I followed the recipe’s directions exactly (except for the pan size), and it turned out perfectly. The candy tastes just like the fairy food that I remember from my childhood. I added the baking soda at exactly 300 degrees, and only stirred three or four times (once the baking soda was added) before pouring into a 9 x 13 pan lined with non-stick foil. The candy set up rather quickly, and popped right out of the foil. I did dip the candy into high-quality chocolate that I melted in a double boiler with just a teaspoon of shortening added. I will definitely make this candy again.
I was not impressed. I expected something else when I was making it. Next time, if there is one, I will line the pan with foil or wax paper as it was almost impossible to remove.
loved it
I think that the candy foams up just right. I made this candy for my boyfriend who loves crunchy bars but cannot get them in the US under $3. Can anyone tell me how to prevent the milky yellow “brittle” on the top and bottom of the crunch? It makes it difficult to chew. It has happened both times I tried the recipe.
I have this same recipe and it calls for only 1 tbsp. baking soda. This always tastes great. If you feel your candy raised too high you can cut across the height. Never try on a damp/rainy day and line pan with non-stick foil
I think this recipe calls for TOO MUCH BAKING SODA! I’d decrease it to 1 TBSP. like all the other recipes for sponge candy I found. I think 1.5 TBSP. makes it taste “off”. Also, I used a 9x13x2″ Pyrex dish and the foam was about 4″ high! The air bubbles were so large that it totally crumbled when I cut into it. There was no way this would ever be able to be dipped in chocolate. Be sure to watch the candy thermometer very carefully, as it seems to rapidly increase in temperature at 300. Mine got the tiniest bit too done and tasted burned; so, on top of the soda taste, was just awful. Not sure what to do with this mess. But, do try reducing the baking soda if you try making this recipe!
This was so much fun to make! It’s just like a chemistry experiment, the way it foams and bubbles up when the soda is added. I lined my pan with quick-release foil instead of greasing, and just lifted the whole thing right out of the pan once it cooled. Next time I’ll try it with brown sugar.
Thank you thank you thank you for this recipe! We too call it sponge candy and it’s extremely expensive to buy this stuff at the one candy shop that still carries it at Christmas time only. It was so simple to make, takes very little ingredients that you usually have, and tastes just as great as the spendy stuff. My dad still doesn’t believe I made it myself and everyone at work asked for the recipe! I will put my next batch in a 9×13 pan though so it’s not so thick.
We’ve always called this stuff “sponge toffee”, and it’s just like the inside of a Crunchy bar. Terrific recipe, it worked out just perfectly. It didn’t take too long to do, either. The kids loved it! Be very careful when pouring this out and cleaning the pot…it gets *extremely* hot!