History

Buffalo sponge candy traces to Fowler's Chocolates, which has made it since 1910, with Watson's Chocolates (1946) and Parkside Candy (1927) the other canonical makers. The chocolate-covered honeycomb toffee is a Buffalo-Niagara regional confection that rarely shows up outside Western New York, anchoring the city's gift-shop and holiday-confection trade.

Common allergens: Dairy (milk chocolate), Soy lecithin (in chocolate)

Make it at home

Yield Makes about 1 lbHands-on 20 minTotal 1 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda, sifted
  • 12 oz dark or milk chocolate, tempered or just melted

Method

  1. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment, allowing overhang.
  2. Combine sugar, corn syrup and water in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium without stirring until the syrup reaches 300 F (149 C) on a candy thermometer (hard-crack stage).
  3. Remove from heat immediately. Quickly whisk in the sifted baking soda. The mixture will foam dramatically.
  4. Pour into the prepared pan without spreading. Let cool completely, about 1 hour.
  5. Break the cooled honeycomb into bite-sized pieces.
  6. Dip each piece in tempered chocolate, transfer to parchment to set, and store in an airtight container with a desiccant.

Tip from the editors. Sift the baking soda or it clumps and you get pockets of bitterness. Work in a well-ventilated kitchen because the sugar is screaming hot.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat sponge candy

Sponge candy in Buffalo

Fowler's Chocolates ★ 4.6

Mon-Sat 10:00-20:00, Sun 10:00-19:00Walk-in onlySponge candy, chocolates

Fowler's Chocolates on Niagara Falls Boulevard is the original maker of Buffalo sponge candy, in business since 1910 and a city signature confection.

Worth the queue: Original sponge candy

2468 Niagara Falls Blvd, Tonawanda, NY 14150

Parkside Candy ★ 4.6

Mon-Sat 11:00-18:00; Sun 12:00-18:00

Why locals love it: A 1927 oval Adam-period soda fountain on Main Street that visitors walk past, with phosphates and homemade sponge candy.

Tip: Order the chocolate phosphate at the soda fountain counter. Buy a box of sponge candy on the way out.

3208 Main St, Buffalo, NY 14214

More cities are in research. Want sponge candy covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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