Warning: these cookies are addictive. If I have to confess, I ate two of them the day I made them despite repeatedly telling myself I could stop at one. The edges of these are insanely crispy but, once you reach the inside, there’s that perfect chocolate-y chew. Combine that with the crunch of the honeycomb candy on top and the textures of this are unbelievable.
The cookie itself is made with both dark cocoa powder and melted bittersweet chocolate, a combination that took three tries to get right. My first batch of these used too much cocoa powder and resulted in an insanely dense cookie. They were still edible, but I knew they could be better. I cut the amount of cocoa powder in half the next time I made them, but they still weren’t as good as I knew they could be. That brings me to this version–the combination of melted chocolate and cocoa powder adds a lightness and an extra layer of depth to these cookies. There’s a richness to the flavor instead of a dry bitterness and they’re better than I ever dreamed they could be.
Of course, milk chocolate chips are folded into the dough, adding that sweetness that every double-chocolate cookie needs.
As good as chocolate is, the real star of these cookies is the honeycomb. No, not the kind that comes from bees. I don’t have an apiary in my backyard where I harvest honeycomb for bakes. I’m talking honeycomb toffee. In some parts of the UK, it might also be known as hokey pokey, cinder toffee, or sponge toffee. It’s incredibly crunchy with a sticky, chewy inside and a slightly bitter taste. Put some of this into the cookie dough and it dissolves, infusing the cookie with the flavor of the candy.
The process of making this candy is similar to that of making caramel. Now, that might seem quite daunting at first–there are so many ways to ruin caramel or have your sugar seize on you!–but if you just let the golden syrup (or honey) and sugar melt, occasionally picking up the pan to swirl it around, and you should be fine. You melt the sugar and syrup and let it boil until your candy thermometer reads 300°F/150°C (about ten minutes or so once melted, the caramel will be a dark amber color–when you start to fear that leaving it any longer might make it burn, that means it’s probably ready). Then, you take it off the heat, add some baking soda, and watch the magic happen as you whisk. Bubbles form and the color and texture of the candy completely changes. It’s like one of those super fun science experiments–you know, the one where you put a Mentos into a bottle of diet coke–except this doesn’t actually explode all over you!
(I found my golden syrup at World Market, but if you can’t find it you can easily substitute it for honey. Some recipes use honey and corn syrup if you feel so inclined, but a lot of people don’t like using corn syrup, so it can easily be omitted.)
You have to move quickly when you’re making the honeycomb, so I suggest you have everything prepared before you get started. I usually line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper and measure out my baking soda ahead of time. When you finish incorporating the baking soda, immediately pour the candy mixture into your lined pan and leave it until it hardens–this will usually be at least 30 minutes, if not longer.
Also, it’s important that you use a large pot when making the caramel. It will feel a bit silly, but once you add the baking soda and the mix begins to grow, you’ll be happy that it didn’t end up all over your stove top!
Once the candy hardens and you smash it up, the real test is keeping yourself from eating it while you make your cookie dough. It’s okay if you can’t resist though, the quantities here definitely leave you with plenty of extras to snack on.
I mentioned that I found it hard to keep my hands off of these, but I should also let you know these received a ton of praise from everyone I had try them. The chocolate and honeycomb combination isn’t new, but it sure is a winner.
I’d love to know what you think if you make these! Could you keep your hands off them?
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Passive Time | 30-120 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 150 grams granulated sugar 3/4 cup
- 150 grams golden syrup (or honey) 1/2 c + 1 Tbsp
- 2 tsp baking soda
Ingredients
Honeycomb
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- Line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper and gather all of your ingredients for the honeycomb. Place the sugar and the golden syrup (or honey) in a large saucepan over medium heat and leave it to melt, occasionally swirling the pot to help the contents melt evenly.
- With a candy thermometer (or your best judgement), let the mixture boil until it reaches hard crack stage 150°C/300°F. If you don't have a candy thermometer, this should take about ten minutes. The bubbles will get larger and pop at a slower rate once it gets closer to the right temperature, and your caramel will reach a deep amber color. It might seem like you're waiting too long to remove it from the heat, but it takes a bit longer than you anticipate to reach the right temperature.
- Remove the caramel from the heat and immediately whisk in the baking soda. The mixture will bubble up in your pot. Once it's completely incorporated, pour the honeycomb out into your pre-lined baking pan. Leave to harden, at least 30 minutes. Once hard, use a knife or your hands to break the candy into pieces.
The honeycomb in your dough might 'explode' out of your cookie a bit. That's totally fine--it just means you have big pockets of honey goodness throughout. While the cookies are still warm and cooling on the baking sheet, you can just cut or peel away the melted bits, leaving you with a round cookie instead of a wonky one!