What is hokey pokey ice cream?
If you’re a Kiwi, Hokey Pokey needs no introduction! For the rest of the world though, those words are just hocus pocus. Hokey Pokey ice cream is one of the most popular ice creams in New Zealand, perhaps second only to plain ol’ vanilla ice cream. It’s a quintessentially Kiwi treat where rich creamy vanilla ice cream is mixed with crunchy bits of honeycomb toffee (i.e. hokey pokey). It’s incredibly tasty and incredibly addictive, so much so that they even have rehab centers in NZ to treat those with hokey pokey addictions. Actually, that’s a lie. I made that last bit up. But you know what I mean. Whether you call it Hokey Pokey or Honeycomb or Sponge Candy, those who have tried it will attest to the fact that it’s one of a kind! It goes without saying though, that you won’t find this on a weight watchers diet plan. It is a sweet indulgence, but one that your taste buds will remember even after they have forgotten everything else. As a child, this was (and still is) one of my favorite ice creams. Several years ago I used to work as a Barista in a movie theater in NZ. Part of my duties was rolling ice cream and one of the many awesome perks I had with this job was that I (along with others working there) was allowed to have free ice cream (another couple of my favorites were mint chocolate chip ice cream and cookie dough ice cream!). Now that the statute of limitation has (probably) expired I can confess that what I often used do was keep aside (for myself of course) a hokey pokey ice cream in a cone that had plenty of extra bits of crunchy honeycomb. Another memory I have as a 3 year old was of my parents buying me a Violet Crumble chocolate (chocolate coated honeycomb candy) and I remember accidentally leaving it in the garage. When I remembered and checked on it a few hours later, it had turned into melted, soggy sugar, which as a 3 year old, was devastating! So I learned that Hokey Pokey must be stored away carefully – in a dry, air tight container and even then it can get sticky – which is why it works so well crushed up in ice cream or slathered in chocolate (dark chocolate is even better).
Recipe notes
It’s so easy to make the hokey pokey (i.e. honeycomb) and it doesn’t take too long at all. I always make small batches so that I get to eat it while it’s still crunchy and don’t over-indulge! I’ve shared a fantastic recipe on how to make honeycomb candy, so you can check out that recipe post for all the nitty gritty. You can dunk pieces of hokey pokey in melted bittersweet chocolate as well and store them in an airtight container. These have a short shelf-life as they tend to stick together. I store large pieces in an air tight container with parchment paper between each piece/layer. This honeycomb (in ice cream) is not at all like regular caramel. The golden syrup and the crunchy bits totally enhance the flavor, color and texture!
More homemade ice cream flavors you’ll love
Chocolate ice cream Cereal milk ice cream Butterscotch ice cream Cookie dough ice cream Lemon ice cream Strawberry shortcake ice cream Ube ice cream Date and tahini ice cream Margarita ice cream Galaxy ice cream Cherry ice cream
