Sticky Hokey Pokey

Asked by Unknown. Answered on 24th October 2015

Full question

I watched Nigella make Hokey Pokey on tv, and critically staying to the ingredient measurements, I tried it myself. The results, although tasty and enjoyable, were not as crunchy as the shop bought cinder toffee. I wonder what I did wrong, as the rest has melted into one lump, in the tin. Would it help to re-boil it, or should I just dump it?

Our answer

Nigella's Hokey Pokey (from Nigella Express and on the Nigella website) is made from sugar that is cooked to the "hard crack" stage and then has bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) stirred into it. The bicarboante of soda reacts to create bubbles and as the candy sets the bubbles should remain in the candy. However this candy is difficult to make in humid conditions as sugar tends to absorb water. From the description of the candy, particularly of it melting into one lump, makes us wonder if the candy has been made or stored in a humid area.

It is also possible that the sugar syrup mixture was not boiled for long enough and so the sugar did not cook to hard crack stage. In this case the candy will be soft and could deteriorate very quickly when stored. The boiling time can vary a little according to the size of the saucepan. A sugar/candy thermometer may help and the mixture should be cooked to 150-154c/300-310F. If you don't have a thermometer then let the mixture boil until it starts to turn a medium amber colour. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully dribble a little of the mixture from a spoon into a glass of cold water. The mixture should form a thred that can snap easily when you take it out of the water (let it cool a bit first). If the mixture forms a ball or a soft thread then it has not cooked for long enough. Boil it for a couple of minutes longer and test again.