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New Zealand

Hokey pokey

Vegetarian

Golden, crunchy honeycomb toffee made by whisking baking soda into hot sugar and golden syrup. A New Zealand classic, eaten in shards or crushed through vanilla ice cream.

Hokey pokey is a New Zealand sweet, ready in about 45 minutes and made with sugar, golden syrup and baking soda. It serves 12 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
5 min
Cook
10 min
Rest
30 min
Total
45 min
Serves
12
Level
Easy
Calories
83

Ingredients

12 pieces

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Line a tray with baking paper. Put the sugar (opens in a new tab) and golden syrup (opens in a new tab) in a deep saucepan (opens in a new tab) (it will foam up a lot).

  2. Step 2

    Heat gently, stirring until the sugar (opens in a new tab) dissolves, then stop stirring and boil until it turns a deep golden amber, about 150 °C.

    Food safety: Molten sugar burns badly — keep children well away.

  3. Step 3

    Take off the heat, quickly whisk (opens in a new tab) in the baking soda (opens in a new tab) for a few seconds until it foams up, and immediately pour onto the tray. Do not spread it or it will deflate.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Leave to cool and set completely, about 30 minutes, then break into pieces.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Origin uncertainHoneycomb toffee is made in many countries under different names; 'hokey pokey' is the New Zealand name, best known as an ice-cream flavour.Also popular in New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom
Dish
Snack · Dessert · Sweets & confectionery
Cooking method
Boiled
Taste
sweet, buttery
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly · Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Sugar · Golden syrup · Baking soda
Techniques
Boiling

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

83 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 24 g · recipe makes 12

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 0%
  • Carbohydrate 100%
  • Fat 0%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy83 kcal341 kcal
Protein0 g0 g
Carbohydrate21.7 g89.2 g
Net carbohydrate21.7 g89.2 g
Sugars21.7 g89.1 g
Added sugars22.2 g91.1 g
Fibre0 g0 g
Fat0 g0 g
Saturated fat0 g0 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium218 mg894 mg
Salt equivalent0.5 g2.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
5 mg
Calcium
1 mg
Iron
0.3 mg
Magnesium
1 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
0 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Golden syrup: Cane syrup (FDC 167743) used as a stand-in for golden syrup (partially inverted refined cane-sugar syrup).
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Common mistakes

  • Over-whisking after adding the soda knocks out the bubbles.

Serve with

  • Crush into softened vanilla ice cream for hokey pokey ice cream, or dip in melted chocolate.

Storage

  • Airtight tin up to 1 week; it turns sticky in humid air.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The body of the dish

Gravy, sauce & base

Used in steps 1, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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