Old Fashioned Sponge Toffee

Each year just before Christmas my Mom made a batch of old fashioned pull toffee.  I was able to help with the pulling once the candy cooled enough for my small hands to handle.  It's the only candy my Mom ever made.  I recall she tried making fudge a few times but it never worked so she gave up.  I started candy making while still at home and have continued to make different candies over the years.  Most of the candy I make is for special occasions  and gift giving. 

Candy making is a lot of fun as you can easily make candies you can't buy in the grocery stores.  Homemade candies are inexpensive to make.  They are sure to delight!  Aside from working with hot sugar that can give a very nasty burn, the biggest problem in candy making is the weather.  It is best to make candy on a dry, low humidity day as high humidity will cause the candy to fail.  The reason being the sugar absorbs the moisture from the air which causes the candy to set up improperly.  Other than those two factors, candy making is quite easy to do.

When I was growing up we had two tiny variety stores in our very small town of less than 2,000 people.  My friends and I knew who made all the great homemade candy but the variety stores had candy that wasn't homemade.  One of my favourites was old fashioned sponge toffee.  This crispy delight was meant to be broke into uneven pieces to be enjoyed.  If I was careless and didn't wrap the left over chunk well, by next morning it would be nothing more than a thick, gooey syrup.

Old fashioned sponge toffee gets its name from its appearance that resembles a sponge.  The candy is hard and brittle yet melts in your mouth.  I have seen sponge toffee presented with melted chocolate for dipping but it is delightfully yummy without the chocolate!

Old Fashioned Sponge Toffee

1 c granulated sugar
1 c corn syrup
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp baking soda

Combine sugar, corn syrup and white vinegar in a large sauce pan.  Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved then continue to cook on medium to 300ºF (hard crack stage).  Remove from heat and quickly stir in the baking soda.  Pour the frothy mixture into a buttered pan.  Allow to cool then break into pieces.