We adapted this recipe from the Irish food authority Darina Allen’s book The Complete Book of Irish Country Cooking (Penguin Studio, 1996).
Yellow Man (Irish Honeycomb Candy)
A toffee, or honeycomb-like confection, yellow man is a traditional candy of Northern Ireland made during Lammas, a harvest festival.
Yield: makes 1 pound
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. butter
- 1 (16-oz.) bottle light corn syrup
- 1 1⁄4 cups light brown sugar
- 2 tsp. white vinegar
- 2 tsp. baking soda
Instructions
- Butter an 8 1⁄2” x 12″ baking pan with 1 tsp. of the butter and set aside. Melt the remaining 2 tbsp. butter in a medium, deep saucepan over medium-high heat. Add corn syrup, sugar, vinegar, and 2 tbsp. water and stir until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking sugar mixture, without stirring, until temperature reaches 300º on a candy thermometer, 10–15 minutes.
- Working quickly, remove saucepan from heat, carefully sift in baking soda, and vigorously whisk (hot syrup will bubble up in pan) until baking soda is completely incorporated, about 5 seconds. Immediately pour into prepared pan. Set aside until candy is hard and completely cool, about 30 minutes, then break into pieces with a hammer. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.