Honey Treats
December 15, 2009 8:07 PM Subscribe
Help me come up with candies and/or baked goods based on honey and/or comblike structures!
This Christmas, I'm getting my sister a crocheted skunk doll, partly because she loves stuffed animals, and partly as an inside joke. Earlier this year, we had yellow jackets, and the ones under the ground were eaten by a skunk after we poured peppermint hemp soap down the holes, who left bits of comb on the yard. My mom and I were thrilled an animal took care of it for us, but my younger sister said that skunks were gross animals and that she didn't like having one near the house, voicing a lot of her concerns through her stuffed rabbit.
To complete the joke, I'd like to bundle the skunk with some kind of honey candy or other treat that's either based on honey and/or comb-like. I thought about comb honey, but that's not quite what my sister would like to eat (she's high-functioning autistic, so some more exotic textures like beeswax are daunting) and it's surprisingly expensive. If anyone has any suggestions for a treat that would be stable overnight under the tree (ie it won't melt/go stale), I'd like to hear it.
Bonus points if it can be quickly and covertly made, especially well in advance.
This Christmas, I'm getting my sister a crocheted skunk doll, partly because she loves stuffed animals, and partly as an inside joke. Earlier this year, we had yellow jackets, and the ones under the ground were eaten by a skunk after we poured peppermint hemp soap down the holes, who left bits of comb on the yard. My mom and I were thrilled an animal took care of it for us, but my younger sister said that skunks were gross animals and that she didn't like having one near the house, voicing a lot of her concerns through her stuffed rabbit.
To complete the joke, I'd like to bundle the skunk with some kind of honey candy or other treat that's either based on honey and/or comb-like. I thought about comb honey, but that's not quite what my sister would like to eat (she's high-functioning autistic, so some more exotic textures like beeswax are daunting) and it's surprisingly expensive. If anyone has any suggestions for a treat that would be stable overnight under the tree (ie it won't melt/go stale), I'd like to hear it.
Bonus points if it can be quickly and covertly made, especially well in advance.
Your location suggests you're in NJ, which means you might be able to find an Italian bakery that sells strufoli/pignolati. They're small balls of fried dough that are coated in honey and mashed together into a shape that roughly resembles the pine cones that Jesus played with as a child (hence the pignolati name). They're traditional at Christmas time among Napolitans and Sicilians. You could make them yourself, but they're challenging even to experienced cooks who've been making them for years (you have to mold them with your hands while they're hot hot hot) -- neither quick nor covert. Buying them would be a much better choice, and you could probably get them boxed nicely to put under the tree.
posted by katemonster at 8:16 PM on December 15, 2009
posted by katemonster at 8:16 PM on December 15, 2009
Cadbury Crunchies are delicious, and you can usually get them at Cost Plus.
posted by carrienation at 8:45 PM on December 15, 2009
posted by carrienation at 8:45 PM on December 15, 2009
Best answer: Chocolate honeycomb candies are amazing.
posted by runningwithscissors at 9:19 PM on December 15, 2009
posted by runningwithscissors at 9:19 PM on December 15, 2009
Best answer: There are also these honey straws, you can usually find them in health food stores or tea shops.
Here's a recipe for something called honeycomb treats at instructables if you're really set on making something yourself. It doesn't actually have any honey in it though but looks like it would be fun to try.
posted by BoscosMom at 9:38 PM on December 15, 2009
Here's a recipe for something called honeycomb treats at instructables if you're really set on making something yourself. It doesn't actually have any honey in it though but looks like it would be fun to try.
posted by BoscosMom at 9:38 PM on December 15, 2009
The recipe in BoscosMom's honeycomb treats link is pretty much how I make honeycomb: caramel + golden syrup (or corn syrup) + baking soda. It works like a charm.
posted by bakerina at 10:00 PM on December 15, 2009
posted by bakerina at 10:00 PM on December 15, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! Great choices all around. I pass by an Italian bakery every day on my way to college, so I might pick up some strufoli as a dessert for tonight or so.
As for what I'll do, since my sister will be in school durring the day, I'll make honeycomb candy. It's exactly what I was hoping I could make.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:24 AM on December 16, 2009
As for what I'll do, since my sister will be in school durring the day, I'll make honeycomb candy. It's exactly what I was hoping I could make.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:24 AM on December 16, 2009
Another idea is the Post Honeycomb cereal. Just giving her a plain box would work, or you could use it to make something like rice krispies treats (the ones with the marshmallows) or haystacks (the ones that use melted butterscotch chips and/or peanut butter to coat it). There are various recipes for snack mixes out there too.
posted by CathyG at 7:30 AM on December 16, 2009
posted by CathyG at 7:30 AM on December 16, 2009
My girlfriend makes a beehive-shaped honey cake covered in marzipan bees that is ridiculously delicious. You can still get that issue of Martha Stewart Living from Amazon.
posted by nicwolff at 8:18 PM on December 16, 2009
posted by nicwolff at 8:18 PM on December 16, 2009
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posted by Mizu at 8:15 PM on December 15, 2009