Old fashioned toffee topped with chocolate and chopped nuts.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This really is the Best Toffee Ever, and it’s perfect for sharing with family and friends this holiday season! I have tried many, many toffee recipes over the years.
Quite a few of them have been complete failures (and I have a funny feeling it wasn’t the recipe).
I have never made toffee before. I’m more a baker than candy maker so this was my very first try for toffee. It was PERFECT! Everyone raved over this deliciousness. So much so, in fact, that I have to make more.
Angie
Luckily, I’ve learned a few things from my mistakes, and I’ve also found a tried and true toffee recipe, which helps make up for any “human error.”
Here are a few of my favorite toffee making tips:
- Use a medium to large, heavy pot. This is definitely one of those times it’s best to follow the advice of Julia Child and “always start out with a larger pot than what you think you need.”
- Melt the butter and sugar together over low heat, whisking the WHOLE time (the constant whisking is very important).
- Bring your toffee to a steady, but NOT a rolling boil, at medium to medium-high heat, and continue to whisk constantly.
- When your thermometer says 285 degrees, drop a bit of toffee into some ice water…it should be brittle. If so, it’s done!
Update: After sharing this recipe, I had several people tell me they don’t use a candy thermometer when making toffee. They just cook the caramel until it’s the color of peanut butter.
I tried it and it works brilliantly! I actually put a jar of peanut butter on the counter next to my pot for comparison. As soon as the toffee looks like the peanut butter, I pull it off the stove and pour it onto the baking sheet. It’s now my go-to method for perfect toffee every time!
Just made this and it is awesome! My first try didn’t come out very good because I didn’t cook it long enough.
I read the comments and someone said she took it off the stove when it reached the color of peanut butter. Thank you very much because the second try was perfection!
Wanda
That’s it! You’re ready to make some delicious toffee. And once you’ve perfected your toffee making technique, you’ll really be able to impress your family and friends with your delicious homemade candy.
It really is worth all that whisking and stirring!
Be sure to save this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Ingredients
- Butter
- Sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Chocolate chips
- Almonds
Best Toffee Ever
Ingredients
- 2 cups butter
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped almonds optional but recommended, toast almonds before adding to toffee
Instructions
- Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- In a medium to large heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and salt over low heat until butter is melted, whisking constantly. Bring to a steady (not rolling) boil over medium to medium-high heat, and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture has reached 285 to 300 degrees F (137 to 150 degrees C).
- Remove toffee from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. (If desired, you can sprinkle some of the nuts on the baking sheet before pouring on the toffee).
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top, and let chocolate soften for a few minutes. Spread the chocolate into a thin even layer. Sprinkle with chopped almonds.
- Refrigerate until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
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105 comments
Wanda Quinn
Just made this and it is awesome! I’m going to try it with pistachios next! My first try didn’t come put very good because I didn’t cook it long enough.I read the comments and someone said she took it off the stove when it reached the color of peanut butter.Thank you very much because the second try was perfection!
Danelle
Thanks Wanda! Toffee is tricky. I had to make it once or twice myself before I got it just right. I think that’s how it goes for most people….and I think the peanut butter comment was awesome. That has helped me get it just right too! And pistachios are a great idea!
K Chilano
I’ve made many different recipes for toffee before and thought I’d try this “best ever” recipe. Well, it did not work. I cooked the butter, sugar and salt exactly as specified to 285*. As soon as I removed from the heat and added the vanilla, the butter separated from the sugar and no amount of mixing made it blend together. I ended up with a full cup of melted butter after I poured it off of the toffee. Another thing. the sugar was still grainy. So I wasted a full pound of butter and 2 cups of sugar. FAILURE.
M
Same here! What did we do wrong? What a disappointment.
Iyla
I tried making this and the butter separated during the boiling process. I was whisking the whole time, not sure what happened. I couldn’t get it to come back together and had to toss it out. Any ideas about what could have gone wrong?
Danelle
Candy can be really finicky. I have had my toffee separate too, but I do have the most success with this recipe. If you were whisking the whole time, some other things that can cause toffee to separate are the quality of your saucepan–some can cause hot spots and it’s important for things to come to a boil at a steady, even rate. Along those same lines, you don’t want to heat things up too quickly. If you used medium heat, it might be helpful to try medium low next time. This article has some really good tips if you decide to try again, even some tips for saving toffee that has separated. http://candy.about.com/od/carameltoffee/f/separate_faq.htm Good luck!
K Chilano
I’m not going to waste any more time or ingredients on this recipe. I cooked it on medium-low setting and it was at a rolling boil while stirring constantly. Like I said, I’ve made toffee before and it was fine.