Sweeter than Sugar

• Depending on the variety, honey can be up to 50 percent sweeter than sugar. When adapting a standard candy recipe to use honey, use 25 to 50 percent less honey than sugar. For example, if the recipe calls for one cup of sugar, use 1/2 to 3/4 cup of honey. You might need to experiment, as the sweetness of honey can vary depending on the variety.

Reduce Other Liquids

• Honey is between 18.6 and 20.0 percent water. When adjusting a standard candy recipe to use honey instead of sugar, reduce the other liquids in the recipe by 20 percent. For example, if you are making caramels, which call for 8 ounces of heavy cream, reduce the cream to 6.4 ounces to compensate for approximately 1.6 ounces of water in the honey.

Nutrition Information

• While honey does add subtle flavor notes to candy, it is not necessarily healthier than regular sugar. One tablespoon of honey contains 64 calories and 17 grams of carbohydrates, while the same amount of white sugar has 48 calories and 13 grams of carbohydrates.

When to Avoid Honey

• You should not give honey to children under one year old. Honey can harbor C. botulinum spores. These spores can thrive and grow in infants' lower intestines, producing the botulism toxin. Young children are particularly susceptible because their intestinal bacteria are still developing. Older children and adults can ingest C. botulinum without concern. If you are making candy that might be sampled by a very young child, it is best to be safe and use regular sugar.