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    You are here: Home / Desserts / Candy / Toffee Recipe

    Toffee Recipe

    December 3, 2018 By Sam 113 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Perfect Toffee

    How to make perfect toffee candy at home! Today begins a week of candy recipes, and we’re starting with a classic favorite!

    If you’re feeling intimidated by the thought of making your own candy at home, don’t be! I walk you through the whole process in my toffee recipe and I’ve included a how-to video. You’ve got this! 

    Freshly broken toffee pieces

    Today I’m kicking off a week of candy recipes! Every day this week I’ll be sharing a great (giftable!!) candy recipe, and today we’re starting with this perfect Toffee Recipe. What more could you ask for on a Monday morning 😉

    For the longest time, candy making intimidated me. Aside from my family’s favorite chocolate fudge (and thermometer-free treats like potato candy), I preferred to keep my distance and stick to cookies and cakes. I’m also not terribly patient, so the temptation to bump up the heat on my stovetop to speed up the process was real, and often my most fatal mistake. So many ruined batches of candy made their way through my kitchen, so I know firsthand how frustrating and discouraging a failed batch of toffee can be!

    Today I’ll be sharing plenty of tips so you can make your own perfect toffee at home. Some of these you’ll see reiterated in the next few days as they’ll apply to other candy recipes as well. Let’s jump in.

    Toffee Candy on marble slab

    Tips for Making Toffee

    Have all of your ingredients ready before you begin

    You’ll probably see this tip repeated in just about every post this week. That’s because with candy, this step is very important. Once your toffee reaches 305°F, it’s time to move. You need to immediately remove it from heat, add your vanilla extract, stir, and pour it into a pan, What you don’t have time to do is go scrambling to your spice cabinet to measure out your vanilla, find that rogue measuring spoon in your kitchen drawer, line your pan with parchment, chop your almonds… you get the idea. Be prepared and set yourself up for success from the beginning.

    I also recommend reading through the whole recipe at least once and even watching the video before you begin.

    Patience is key

    You’ll notice that this recipe has you cook your toffee over medium heat. You’ll also notice while you’re cooking it that it’s taking a while. Ten or more minutes may go by and your candy thermometer is still creeping along at a snail’s pace.

    You’ve got other things to do, I get it, but whatever you do, do not try to speed up your toffee making process by turning up the heat! What’s likely to happen if you turn up the heat is you will probably scorch your mixture and burn your toffee. Then you have to start all over again.

    Invest in a decent candy thermometer

    Investing in a good candy thermometer was a game changer for me. I use this inexpensive digital candy thermometer that I bought off of Amazon (affiliate).

    Now some people will argue that they can make perfect toffee just fine without a candy thermometer thank-you-very-much, and I have no doubt that’s true. Some people will use the hard crack test (drizzle a small bit of the syrup mixture off a spoon into a cup of cold water. If it forms threads and even cracks, it’s done — this is actually a great test to use along with your candy thermometer reading) or will be able to judge when their toffee is finished just by looking at the color of it (the deep caramel color is a great indicator). However, for most of us, a candy thermometer is a critical tool for making perfect candy and I highly recommend using one.

    Don’t get discouraged!

    Did your first batch not turn out perfectly? It’s OK and it happens to the best of us. The only way to overcome this is try again and practice, practice, practice. Fortunately I have plenty of recipes coming your way this week to help you get familiar with your candy thermometer and develop a knack for making candy in your own kitchen.

    Ingredients for toffee: sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, chocolate, almonds

    What Ingredients do I Need for Toffee?

    • Butter
    • Sugar
    • Water
    • Salt
    • Vanilla Extract

    And then optional ingredients include:

    • Nuts (I use almonds)
    • Chocolate (for topping)
    • Flaky sea salt

    Don’t forget that you will also need a candy thermometer!

    How Long Can I Store Toffee?

    If stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, your toffee will keep for several weeks. A stack of broken toffee

    Whew, that was a lot! Sorry for talking so much but hopefully you’ll find these tips to be helpful when you try your hand at making your own toffee! And if you make it and want to share a picture, please tag me on Instagram (@sugarspun_sam and #sugarspunrun) or share a picture in my free Facebook Baker’s Club! I just may be doing a few more fun giveaways in the Facebook group this month, so stay tuned!

    Enjoy!

    Free E-Book

    Treat yourself to a FREE E-BOOK!


    How to Make Toffee

    Toffee pieces

    Toffee Recipe

    A great classic Toffee Recipe! 
    Be sure to check out the recipe VIDEO at the bottom of the post!
    4.87 from 29 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Candy
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Cooling Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
    Servings: 40 pieces
    Calories: 96kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup coarsely chopped almonds*
    • 1 cup (2 sticks ) unsalted butter cut into pieces (226g)
    • 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
    • ¼ cup water (60ml)
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
    • 1-2 Tablespoons finely chopped almonds for topping, optional
    • Flaky sea salt for topping, optional

    Recommended Equipment

    • Candy thermometer
    • Pastry brush
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper and scatter coarsely chopped almonds evenly over the bottom. Set aside.
    • Combine butter, sugar, water, and salt in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Meanwhile measure out your vanilla extract and have it ready nearby.
    • Stir ingredients frequently over medium heat. During this time (only before boiling), use a wet pastry brush to brush down the sides where any sugar may settle on the side of the pot to prevent sugar crystals. Continue to stir frequently until mixture comes to a boil (this may take a while, have patience and do not turn up the heat or you will ruin your toffee).
    • Once the mixture comes to a boil, attach your candy thermometer. Make sure that the point of the candy thermometer is not touching the bottom of your pan.
    • Continue to stir occasionally, the mixture will slowly thicken and will turn a more yellow hue as it cooks, and cook to hard crack (305°F/151°C).
      Candy thermometer in toffee mixture
    • Once toffee reaches 305°F/151°C, immediately remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract (careful, it bubbles and steams a bit).
    • Pour mixture evenly into your prepared pan over the almonds. Allow to sit for 5 minutes and then sprinkle chocolate chips evenly overtop the mixture. Cover with foil and allow to sit another 5 minutes, then remove the foil and use a spatula to gently spread chocolate chips evenly over your toffee.
    • Immediately sprinkle with additional finely chopped almonds and flaky sea salt, if desired. Allow to cool completely at room temperature before breaking and serving.

    Notes

    *You can substitute a different nut or leave them out entirely. You can also toast the nuts first, if you prefer.
    This is the candy thermometer that I use (affiliate)

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1piece | Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 16mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 158IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

    This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase anything through these links I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Please view the disclosure policy for more information.

    Previous Post: « Peanut Butter Blossoms
    Next Post: Honeycomb Recipe »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Susan

      April 01, 2021 at 6:48 pm

      At around 280 degrees, my butter seemed to separate from the toffee and it stayed that way. Any thoughts and suggestions?

      Reply
      • Sam

        April 03, 2021 at 4:05 pm

        Hi Susan! This can happen if it’s heated too quickly. 🙁

        Reply
    2. Laura ODonoghue

      March 16, 2021 at 4:17 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve made this recipe 6x now! Comes out perfect every time. Trick is- keep stirring often! I use milk chocolate and pecans. After it’s completely done I put it directly into fridge ( covered) and leave overnight. This way it’s still crunchy but not “stick to your teeth like super glue crunchy.”. This is a fabulous recipe! Love it. Get so many compliments – everyone is addicted! Just have to have patience and sometimes have to adjust heat so it’s just a low simmer. Then wait for it to reach 305 on candy thermometer. .

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 18, 2021 at 11:05 am

        I’m so glad you enjoy it so much, Laura! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Sharalee

      March 16, 2021 at 9:00 am

      For those saying that the cooking temperature is too high that may be the case for your altitude. When cooking candy at different altitudes the higher the altitude, the lower the temperature that you would cook the candy. To calculate your temperature for candy making bring a pan of water to a rolling boil and check the temperature of the water. Water boils at 212 F so if your boiling point is 205 F then you would subtract 7 degrees from whatever stage of candy making that you are doing. Hard crack is 300-310 so minus 7 degrees would be 292-303. The temp I cook Toffee to is about 280 degrees any more and it will burn. We live over 6000 feet above sea level though.

      Reply
    4. Pam

      February 06, 2021 at 10:46 pm

      I feel that you temp is a little high. My sugar was burnt although I cooked slow. In researching other recipes most were between 285 and 300 degrees.

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 07, 2021 at 10:21 am

        Hi Pam! The recipe is correct as written, toffee ought to be cooked to hard crack for best results and in my own research I found this temperature yielded the best results. Candy can be a little tricky though so I feel your pain regardless!

        Reply
      • Paula

        February 11, 2021 at 2:44 pm

        5 stars
        I make toffee a couple times a year trying different recipe versions..
        I substituted 1/2cup of butter for canna butter, and pretoasted my chopped walnuts then cooked according to the recipe and let me tell you..WOW! In my humble opinion, its thee best recipe I’ve tried for toffee thus far! I didn’t feel like 305• was too high at all! Maybe because I had room temp butter? . Definately saving.

        Reply
        • Sam

          February 11, 2021 at 9:42 pm

          I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Paula! 🙂

    5. Laura

      January 03, 2021 at 6:26 pm

      How long does it take the chocolate to firm up after the toffee cools down?

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 03, 2021 at 9:40 pm

        Hi Laura! There are a lot of variables at play here. Mine typically firms up completely within an hour or two. 🙂

        Reply
    6. Lois

      December 30, 2020 at 4:59 pm

      I just made this for the first time ever! It’s cooling, we’ll see how I did in an hour or two.

      Reply
    7. Jen

      December 23, 2020 at 9:29 pm

      5 stars
      I made this for the first time today and it turned out perfectly!!! Thank you for the detailed instructions and video – very helpful!! I highly recommend this recipe (it really helped to watch the video prior to starting). Thank you!

      Reply
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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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