Gooey Chocolate Honeycomb

So. The autumnal series of posts thing, well, it didn't quite work out. Technical difficulties and school, really, stopped that. I know that October is over, but I'm still going to pretend it's autumn and not slowly descending into frosty winter.

I'm just going to show you how to make honeycomb for those kind of days where you're shut inside in the warmth, the fire on, with a baggy jumper on with your sleeves bundled around your hands.

Honeycomb, I find, is a sweet, gooey treat that can be stored and eaten especially at this time of year. Its title is deceiving, as it actually contains no honey at all, but is nicknamed so for its distinctive air holes that are similar to the honeycomb patterns bees create. It is actually pure caramel, so if you're looking for something low in sugar, this isn't your recipe! 

Gooey Chocolate Honeycomb:

You will need:

A deep saucepan

Butter (for greasing)

Greasing paper

200g of caster sugar

5 tbsp of golden syrup (maple syrup is too thick a consistency I find, so golden syrup is best)

1½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda 
Dark chocolate bar (chopped)
Double boiler OR light, non-plastic bowl

Firstly, you need to find a tray - I used around a 30cm rectangular tin. Line greasing paper on the tray you pick, making sure it fits the perimeters of the tray. Next, grease the tray using a block of butter (it can also be margarine) and cover the paper. The idea of this is so the honeycomb doesn't stick, so add more butter than needed rather than less just to be safe. I'm not told greasing paper tastes very nice!
Select a deep saucepan and pour in the caster sugar and the golden syrup. Stir steadily over a low heat until all of the sugar grains have disappeared, otherwise your honeycomb will be grainy in texture.

Once the sugar has melted, turn up the heat a little and simmer until the caramel turns a golden brown. This shouldn't take long, and make sure to not let it get past this colour as it will crystallise. As soon as the golden brown colour is achieved, turn the heat off quickly and tip the bicarbonate of soda into the mixture - it should froth (this is a good sign!). Make sure when measuring the teaspoons that the bicarbonate of soda is flat and level to the spoon's height in order to not put in too much. If you put in too much bicarbonate of soda, it results in a bitter taste once the honeycomb has hardened that ruins the initial flavour (I've made this mistake in the past!).

Once the bicarbonate has been stirred in, pour the mixture onto your tray (be careful as it will be very hot). It may not fill the tray completely, which is fine - don't be tempted to spread it out, as it will break its thickness very easily and result in uneven chunks. If it isn't spreading out at all, tip the tray back and forth and let the mixture spread by itself; if you opt by this method, be sure to tip it not very long after it has been put onto the tray, otherwise it will quickly stick.
Now comes the even simpler part: you wait.
If you plan to eat it a little later on, I'd say leave the honeycomb at room temperature for around 1hr 30mins - 2hrs, and if it is still liquid, put it in the fridge and frequently check on its condition. 
If you want to eat it quickly, put it in the fridge for around 10min, but keep checking on its condition.
Be aware that the honeycomb shouldn't be completely hardened,  and still quite sticky and bendy. A good way to tell is to bend one side of the honeycomb slightly upwards. It should bend quite far and not break.

At this stage, you can either wait for the honeycomb to cool and then make the chocolate, or make the chocolate whilst the honeycomb cools, depending on when you want to serve it. In my case I made

the chocolatey covering whilst the honeycomb cooled. Place chopped chocolate into a double boiler over medium-low heat OR get a pot of lightly steaming water (this can be boiled in a kettle) and pour 

into a pot. Place the bowl into the pot, making sure that no water enters, and place the chopped chocolate inside. Put the pot on a medium-low heat and make sure to constantly stir the chocolate around the bowl as it melts. If you don't, the chocolate will easily burn and the taste will be ruined.

Unfortunately, when I made it the lighting was awful as it was in the evening,
so these pictures are from the internet. But mine looked virtually the same.

Continue to stir until the chocolate becomes smooth and shiny (ensure all chunks have melted) and then take off the heat and wait to cool. While it cools, break up the now-cooled honeycomb with a rolling pin (I myself used a pestle - the rounded stick - from a mortar and pestle) by basically bashing it in the centre until it cracks.

Once in pieces, you have dippy gooey chocolate honeycomb pieces!

Enjoy.