Sponge Taffy

This is so much fun to make! I felt like a mad scientist in the kitchen, and the result of my experiment was so delicious!  I always loved sponge taffy as a kid and never dreamed I could whip this up in my kitchen in a matter of minutes.  It's pretty, it has a satisfying candy crunch and the deeply sweet bubbles melt in your mouth.  I like to take it a step further, and coat big, bite-fulls of sponge taffy in luscious milk chocolate.  Crunchie bar anyone?  It's almost an exact replica.  I used the small shards that remained after breaking up the sponge taffy, to create a yummy, and oh so pretty, golden flecked chocolate bark.

Sponge Taffy
Origin: Unknown

Notes:  You need a candy thermometer to make this recipe. The instructions say to boil the sugars to 300 degrees. When mine reached 300 degrees, it was only just starting to turn golden. I let it go for another 30-60 seconds until I saw that nice golden colour.
Have your baking soda ready and your pan prepared and close by, and get that hot candy out of the pot as quickly as you can, to prevent over cooking.
I have successfully doubled this recipe (from quantites listed below) and it makes enough to fill an entire baking sheet (18 x 26 inches).

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light/white corn syrup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon baking soda

Butter a baking sheet and set aside. Measure the baking soda and set aside.

Bring sugar, corn syrup and vinegar to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Continue to boil until the mixture reaches 300 degrees F.  If the mixture is still clear, continue to cook until the mixture starts to turn a golden colour (see notes above).  Immediately remove from heat and stir in the baking soda, mix well. The mixture will expand and bubble up.  Quickly and carefully pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

Let cool and break into pieces.

Chocolate Covered Sponge Taffy

Ingredients:

1 batch of  prepared sponge taffy, broken into bite sized pieces

2 cups good quality milk chocolate chips (I used Callebaut)

Melt chocolate chips using a double boiler.  Stir chocolate until smooth and completely melted.  Turn off heat, but keep the bowl of chocolate over the hot pot to help maintain the smooth melted texture while working.

Drop chunks of sponge taffy into the chocolate.  Using two forks, turn the taffy to coat and then tap off excess chocolate on the side of the bowl.  Transfer pieces to a baking sheet covered in parchment paper to cool and set.

Sponge Taffy Chocolate Bark

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups small, broken pieces of sponge taffy

2 cups good quality milk chocolate chips

Melt chocolate chips using a double boiler.  Stir chocolate until smooth and completely melted. 

Pour chocolate onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Scatter sponge taffy pieces and press them very lightly into the chocolate to adhere.

Transfer the tray to the fridge to cool for 45-60 minutes.  Break into pieces and serve slightly chilled.