OKAY!! So this recipe is for toffee… duh. Not for toffee sauce though- it’s for the crunchy, buttery, hard crack candy. Boy, is this addictive- why wouldn’t it be though? It’s butter and sugar cooked together to a caramelized state… My idea of perfection.
While toffee and candy making in general may seem like something that is technical and hard to pull off- it’s actually incredibly easy. It all comes down to temperature. So you’ll need a kitchen thermometer- preferably something instant read! You can also use a candy thermometer as well. But if you’re gonna choose one over the other- opt for the multi-use kitchen thermometer. They’re affordable and you’ll use them across the board for sweet and savory recipes. I avoid doing the cold water method to test the stage of candy just out of accuracy sake (though if thats all you have access to- it gets the job done). I just find that while you’re putzing around with molten 300F+ sugar waiting for it to set enough to get a gauge of what stage its at you run the risk of your toffee/candy overcooking and possibly burning.
Anyways!!! Like I said earlier, this stuff is addictive as hell. You’ll definitely eat half a batch just in “quality control”. I primarily use this as an add-in for cookies- most recently paired with Reese’s Pieces and mini PB cups. You can also just top with tempered chocolate, nuts and some flaky salt- which during the holidays is a great add-in to cookie & treat boxes!
This recipe makes 1000 grams of toffee, which is enough for you to QC/snack on half and still have some left over to use in cookies if you so please!
Ingredients:
120 grams water
455 grams butter
425 grams granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions:
Start off by lining a sheet pan with parchment paper and non-stick spray.
Place your ingredients in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Make sure to put the water in BEFORE the sugar. This helps to ensure the sugar fully dissolves into the water and helps to avoid crystallization.
Stir the mixture until the butter completely melts. Then you’re just gonna leave it alone until the mixture reaches 240F.
Once it reaches 240F you’ll begin to stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture reaches 305F. The candy will go through some visual changes. It starts off looking like a pot of melted bubbling butter, eventually it will emulsify into a mixture that looks like melted marshmallow, which the longer it cooks and the hotter it gets will deep in color until it’s a nice amber brown.
When the mixture hits 305F CAREFULLY pour it out on the the parchment lined sheet pan.
* At this point, if you want to top it with some chocolate you’ll let it cool for 5 minutes to set a bit before adding the chocolate. You sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the top, let it sit until the heat from the toffee warms the chocolate. Then using a small off set spatula spread it over the toffee. Before the chocolate sets you can also top with nuts and flaky salt if you’d like! You can add as much or as little chocolate as you’d like… not like you’d listen to me if I gave you an exact measurement anyway- let’s be real LOL. You can also wait for it to cool completely and top with tempered chocolate… if you have the patience for that…*
If you was to keep it pure let it cool and set completely before breaking into pieces. For cookies I like smaller pieces and use a knife to rough chop. For snacking I will little just break off chunks with my hands- it’s thin enough to do so. Just depends what you have planned for your toffee!
Be sure to store in an air-tight container. Use some silica packets (if you’d like) to absorb any moisture- these can be purchased online!
So I made toffee the other day but I used brown sugar instead of white. Can you explain the difference between toffee with granulated or brown sugar?