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Close-up of homemade sponge candy broken into airy golden pieces, some dipped in chocolate, ready to eat on a wooden cutting board.

Old Fashioned Candy:

Olivia Carter
Old fashioned sponge candy is that addictive, crunchy honeycomb treat with caramel vibes – light, airy, and way better than store stuff. No fancy setup needed, just pure kitchen fun that'll wow your crew.
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5 minutes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Cool Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 25 minutes
COST 3-5 – sugar and corn syrup are dirt-cheap steals.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword old fashioned candy
Servings 16 pieces
Calories 200 kcal

Equipment

  • heavy saucepan
  • wooden spoon
  • greased 9x13 pan with parchment

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup Granulated sugar
  • 1 cup Light or dark corn syrup
  • ½ cup Unsalted butter
  • ⅛ tsp Sea salt
  • 3½ tsp Baking soda
  • 2 tsp Vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Butter up that 9x13 pan and line it with parchment – no sticking nightmares.
    A 9x13 baking pan greased and lined with parchment paper, ready for making old fashioned sponge candy.
  • Dump sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt in the saucepan; stir over medium heat till it boils smooth.
    Sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt combined in a saucepan before cooking sponge candy.
  • Let it rip without poking – hit 300°F or the hard-crack water test (brittle threads, baby).
    Candy mixture boiling in a saucepan during the hard-crack stage test using cold water.
  • Yank off the heat, stir in baking soda and vanilla – watch it explode like a science fair volcano!
  • Slosh into the pan quickly; ignore it for 6 hours to harden.
    Hot sponge candy mixture poured into a lined pan and left to cool and harden.
  • Smash into chunks – chocolate dip optional for extra "whoa."
    Homemade old fashioned sponge candy broken into pieces and ready to eat.

Notes

Don't skimp on baking soda – it's the crunch wizard; measure it right or flop city. No thermometer? Ice water snap test saves the day. Jar it airtight; humidity turns it chewy, sad in days. Mix in molasses for moody flavor or dunk in chocolate – your call, candy boss.

Nutrition (Per Serving, ~1 oz piece; 16 servings)

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Calories 150-200 kcal
Total Fat 6g
Sodium 300mg
Total Carbs 30g
Sugars 28g
Protein 0g