Traditional Cinder toffee

Cinder toffee is a traditional British confection, also known as honeycomb, puff candy, or sea foam, recognized for its light, rigid, and aerated structure. It has a very crispy, crunchy texture that melts in the mouth, often described as having a caramelised, slightly bitter, and buttery flavor. 

Here is a detailed description of cinder toffees:

Texture and Appearance

• Aerated & Sponge-like: The interior is filled with tiny, airy bubbles, giving it a honeycombed, sponge-like, or "cinder" appearance.

• Crisp and Brittle: It is hard and snaps easily when broken, yet it has a delicate, light, and almost fragile feel compared to traditional chewy toffees.

• Appearance: It is typically golden-brown in color, though it can be darker depending on the type of sugar used. 

Flavor Profile

• Rich Caramelization: It has a deep, intense, and sweet caramel flavor, stemming from heated sugar and syrup.

• Bitter-Sweet Balance: The caramelization, combined with the bicarbonate of soda, often provides a slight, pleasant bitterness that balances the intense sweetness. 

Ingredients and Production

• Core Ingredients: Cinder toffee is made by boiling sugar (often brown sugar, caster sugar, or demerara) with syrup (golden syrup, glucose syrup, or treacle).

• The "Magic" Ingredient: Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) is added at the end, which reacts with the hot sugar mixture to create carbon dioxide gas, causing the candy to foam up dramatically.

• Production: The mixture is poured into a pan to cool and harden, after which it is broken into irregular, rustic shards