Chocolate Angel Food Candy

Here's a little chemistry reminder for you: baking soda + vinegar = homemade volcano, remember? This recipe calls for these two ingredients, so get ready. Enjoy the forgotten science experiment at my expense based on my photos below. Let's just say I ended up with an overflowing, butt-looking, caramel colored dish in my kitchen. 

And can someone please teach me how to candy coat things? I swear, I always give up 1 minute in because it's just a never ending mess that seems not worth it. You can see that I just ended up drizzling chocolate over the candy on wax paper because it wasn't worth my time trying to figure it out. 

• 1 tsp butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp baking soda
• 1/2 lb dark chocolate candy coating, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp shortening, divided
• 1/2 lb milk chocolate candy coating, coarsely chopped

 Line a 9-inch square pan with foil and grease foil well with butter; set aside. In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and vinegar. Cook and stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 300 degrees. 

Such a lovely looking candy

Aaaaannnnnnddd it deflated

Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. Immediately pour mixture into prepared pan; do not spread candy. Cool. Using foil, lift candy out of pan. Peel off foil; break candy into pieces.

In a microwave, melt dark chocolate coating and 1/2 tsp of shortening; stir until smooth. Dip half the candies in melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Repeat with the milk chocolate coating, remaining 1/2 tsp shortening and candies. Store in an airtight container. 

Lots of little pieces leftover

NOTES: Make sure you grease the foil well. The foil came off surprisingly easy, but still, the more you grease it, the better. Also, don't think you can cheat the system and use an 8 x 8 inch pan instead. Learn from my folly. It was an overflowing mess. 

Keep an eye on your candy thermometer. Mine came out a little burnt tasting because I walked away for a minute toward the end. Don't let this happen to you. 

I have no idea how I was supposed to break the candy apart neatly. The recipe photo made it look all pretty and square-ish. Mine was random bits and pieces everywhere, which meant there were random bits and pieces leftover. Felt like such a waste. 

Makes 1 1/4 lb

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes plus cooling

Recipe from Taste of Home