Ok, this is seriously one of my most loved and sought after deserts. I made this before but with beer in it, so here is the sans beer option. I made a giant amount for my sister’s wedding and it was great because I could make it in advance and have it just hang-out in the freezer for a few days until the wedding. Also, people went crazy for it. This is really the perfect combination of flavors and textures. It’s salty, sweet, smooth and crunchy all at the same time. It reminds me of a toasted marshmallow s’more with a salty kick at the end.

Ingredients:

¾ cup sugar

2 tablespoons honey (I used Julian Wild Berry Honey but any honey will do)

2 tablespoons water

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

70 % Chocolate and Sea Salt (for covering candy and decoration)

Instructions:

1. Prepare a cookie sheet with a silpat or that has been greased.
2. Add the sugar, honey, water and beer to a saucepan. You can stir the mixture but you shouldn’t really need to.
3. Cook the ingredients over high heat, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 300 degrees F.
4. When the candy reaches 300, pull the pan from the heat and whisk in the baking soda. This will cause the mixture to foam up so once it’s incorporated be quick to pour it onto the baking pan. You might need a spatula handy.
5. Don’t mess with the mixture once on the pan, otherwise the bubbles will pop and mess with the candy.
6. Let sit for 15 minutes then put the whole pan in the freezer.
7. In the meantime, melt the chocolate (I used two bars or 1 bag of chocolate chips) and get a cooling rack ready. The 2 lbs chocolate bars from Trader Joe’s also works perfectly for this.
8. Take the candy out of the freezer and smash into pieces (this is the really fun part). Then put the whole pan back into the freezer. The candy gets sticky and mushy if left in the open air for too long. Take a few pieces from the freezer and cover in chocolate and then sprinkle sea salt while the chocolate is still wet. Place on wax paper to dry. Once dry, place cooled candy into the fridge until ready to serve. Repeat on the remaining pieces of candy.

Fun Fact: Try using different types of sea salt, I used Chardonnay Smoked Sea Salt which went really well with the candy. Another fan favorite is the vanilla bean sea salt that you can either buy pre-made or make yourself. All you need is one or two vanilla beans and sea salt and let it sit and get incorporated with flavor. The sea salt is a nice pop to counter the sweetness of the candy inside, and the chocolate is cold but melts fast and has a smooth feeling on your tongue and counters the crunchy candy inside. It’s not terribly hard to make, but it can get time-consuming. Let me know how yours turns out!