Sugar temperatures
- Soft ball, about 115 °C: fudge.
- Hard crack, about 150 °C: honeycomb, toffee and boiled sweets.
- A sugar thermometer makes it much easier — and safer.
Easy honeycomb
- Line a tin with baking paper.
- Heat 200 g caster sugar with 5 tbsp golden syrup, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Boil without stirring until it reaches about 150 °C and turns a deep amber.
- Take off the heat, quickly whisk in 1 heaped tsp bicarbonate of soda — it will foam up.
- Pour into the tin, leave to set, then break into chunks.
No-cook coconut ice
Mix 250 g icing sugar, 200 g desiccated coconut and a 397 g tin of condensed milk. Press half into a lined tin, colour the rest pink, press it on top and chill until firm.
Hot sugar causes serious burns. Keep children well away from the hob and never touch or taste sugar while it is hot.