Chocolate-Covered Sponge Candy

1. Grease an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with butter then line it with 2 pieces of parchment paper so that the paper hangs over all 4 sides. Then generously grease the paper with more butter.
2. Add the sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt into a heavy-bottomed, deep-sided, medium-sized saucepan.
3. Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture turns amber colored, about 10 to 15 minutes. (You can swirl the pan, but don’t stir.)
4. Once the mixture is amber-colored, turn off the heat and use a wooden spoon to stir in the baking soda and vanilla. (Be careful because the mixture will foam up. Don’t stir too much because you want the bubbles in the candy.)
5. Pour the candy into the prepared dish and don’t move the dish until the candy is fully set, about 1 to 2 hours.
6. Once set, break or cut the candy into about 1 to 2-inch-sized pieces. You will have smaller candy crumbs too. They are still delicious, so don’t discard them. Use the crumbs to garnish cupcakes, cake, ice cream, pancakes, waffles, yogurt, etc.
7. Melt the chocolate in a microwave (for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between and continuing for 30 second increments until smooth) or in the top of a double boiler. To coat the candy, gently brush off any small crumbs on the candy, dip it in the chocolate, and remove it with a fork to let the excess chocolate drip off. Place it on a wire rack or a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
8. Let the chocolate set before serving or packaging the candy.