The term "honey candy" can refer a number of sweet confections that use honey as one of the primary ingredients. The simplest form of honey candy is honey that has been heated to a certain temperature, allowed to cool, kneaded and cut into bite-size pieces that harden as they rest. Commercial candy makers sometimes create honey candy that has a sugary external shell and contains a small amount of pure honey on the inside. Some other types of honey candy exist, such as honey taffy that has been pulled, or candy bars that are made from honey processed with other ingredients to make it stable. Candies that use pure honey as a main ingredient are often sought out because of honey's effect as a lozenge and because of some of honey's nutritional aspects.
Honey primarily is made from sugar and water, so it can be treated much like any other sugar syrup. One of the most common ways to make honey candy is to heat the honey until it has reached the hard ball stage, meaning that if the hot honey is dropped into water, it will quickly cool to a semi-solid state. Candy that is made in this way usually has some other ingredients added, such as extra water, liquid flavorings such as vanilla, sugar, or even substances such as corn syrup to help stabilize the texture.
If honey is heated to the hard ball stage, then it can be poured out onto a surface or into a pan and allowed to cool so it can be handled. Once it has cooled, the honey can be bent and kneaded, incorporating air that can turn it a slightly cloudy color. After some time, the kneaded honey can be formed into a long ribbon or rope and cut into smaller, individual pieces. Using this method can yield a type of honey candy that is basically pure honey.
The commercial manufacturing of honey candy produces a much wider array of candies with varying degrees of honey in each. Hard candies with a solid, sometimes flavored, outer shell are often filled with small amounts of honey. Honey is sometimes used as a base for other ingredients, such as almonds. If the honey is heated and allowed to crystallize, then another type of hard candy can be made that resembles a lollipop. Honey also can be mixed with ingredients such as cream, milk or butter to create a pliable, chewy candy or gum.
