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
Anna Goodenough
I made this the other night. It was so good! The flavor was the best toffee I’d ever had for sure! My texture was off though. I used a candy thermometer and brought it up to the right temp, but when it hardened, it was still kind of soft. It was firm enough to pick up, but it kind of melted in your mouth. It was still amazing, but definitely not toffee texture. I talked to someone else who is really good at making toffee and she said that she doesn’t even use a thermometer. She just cooks it until its the color of peanut butter (mine was lighter in color than peanut butter for sure). I will try that next time (or maybe I just need to buy a new thermometer?).
Donna Schroer
I’ve been making toffee for over 60 years, using a similar recipe but no vanilla and I spread pecans over my baking sheet & then drizzle the hot toffee over those. The thinner you can spread the toffee, the easier it is to break up & the more brittle it will be. I didn’t use a thermometer for years but watched for the color to darken & allowed about 15 minutes for cooking. If I do use a thermometer I go closer to 300 degrees & just on the verge of burning. My coated Circular pan works better than my old stainless steel as it doesn’t burn as easily. CONSTANT stirring is only necessary towards the end so it doesn’t burn. I also add chopped pecans over the chocolate after it’s spread & then frost the other side after it’s cooled with melted chocolate & the ground nuts. A baking pan would make the toffee too thick & not easy to work with. I like to use some peanuts or cashews in place of the pecans once in awhile. This is great for gift giving but just remember NOT to pour it too soon!!!! Also, too big a pan would be too hard to handle for pouring. I have always used a 3 qt size & it gets close to the top but with careful heat & stirring it works. I yours failed you are not alone. About half the people I give the recipe to get it right the first time & if it’s soft or sugary you have not cooked it long enough. Better to burn a little than pour too soon! Good Luck!!!
Angela Pelletier
hi, I heard someone saying to use brown sugar instead of regular sugar. Is that correct? mine didn’t get that brown color and the butter separated from the sugar, what did I do wrong?
Donna Schroer
I’ve always used white sugar. Sometimes the butter & sugar DO separate toward the end of cooking but if you just continue to cook it wii go back together again. I’ve been using a higher heat the past few years & it hasn’t been separating. Not sure if this is why. I also use a bit more than the 2 cups of sugar & add a TLB of water to the pot. You MUST get it to the darker color & even if there is a little butter on top when you pour it, it shouldn’t make a difference. My sister blotted hers with a paper towel.
Danelle
Glad you liked the flavor Anna. I’ve always thought candy making is tricky and I often have to make a recipe a few times before I get it right. I usually err on the other side and burn it though! I know there are ways to test your thermometer to make sure it’s accurate (I’m sure you could find a tutorial on Google). Altitude can also be an issue. Dropping some in ice water is also a helpful trick. I’d love to know any tips you come up with if you make it again.
Sherry
Mine turned out to thin and not as dark., I did use thermometer .. You called for a large baking pan think a 9x 13 would be better to make it thicker .. It did not harden as much either.,
Danelle
You could certainly use a 9×13 pan Sherry. Candy making can be really tricky sometimes. For me it works to take it off the heat right at 285, but you might need to go to 290. All kinds of things can make a difference, like altitude, and candy thermometers can vary too. I definitely recommend dropping some of the toffee in ice water when it reaches 285. That should give you a pretty good idea of what the final product will be like. If it’s too soft, you can always keep cooking it a little bit longer. Hope that helps. There are also some helpful comments above this in the thread too. I find I often have to make a candy recipe more than once to get it just right for my climate/altitude/thermometer, etc. Good luck!
Danelle
There really isn’t a set size of pan you need to use Sherry. You can make the toffee as thick or thin as you would like. I use a large cookie sheet, just to make sure I have plenty of room, but I don’t spread the toffee all the way to the edges. I just spread it until it’s the thickness I like. If you want to spread the toffee to the edges of the pan and make a perfect rectangle, I think 9×13 would be a good size. Mine looks more like a big blob before I break it into pieces. So there really isn’t a correct thickness, just whatever your personal preference is.
Sherry
What size pan makes it the correct thickness?
Margaret
It is probably an altitude problem. Use the ‘thread test’ recommended above the recipe (drop a drip in ice water and see if it is the texture you want), which is more reliable. To ‘set’ your thermometer to YOUR altitude, boil water and see what temperature your thermometer reads. 212 degrees F (100 Celsius) is at sea level. Use your ‘difference’ from 212 to always adjust your cookbook recipes that much higher. However, internet recipes are at the author’s altitude, and so you should use the thermometer as a guideline … “oh, goody, can almost stop stirring” … and the test, or visual as the proof. http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/sugar-stages.html
Lisa M Steele
thank you! I live at 10,000 feet and am worried about this!
Anna
Do you add almonds to the toffee mix before adding the chocolate chips? Looked like there was some mixed in in the picture.
Danelle
You can add some into the toffee if you like Anna (right before you pour it onto the baking sheet), which I do sometimes, or you can just sprinkle them on top. Either way is fine.
Lisa
I am a toffee addict – especially during the holidays and I’m super excited that I have everything needed for this recipe so I can try it tonight!