Easy Homemade Toffee
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An unbelievably easy peasy, no-fuss, homemade toffee recipe (even for you first-timers!). So perfect for the holidays!
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Need an easy budget-friendly holiday gift for neighbors, teachers, friends and family? Some candy to munch on for all of December? I have you completely covered with this easy homemade toffee recipe.
But never made toffee before? Don’t have a candy thermometer? Don’t you worry, I got you. With the ins and outs, dos and donts, tips and tricks, a step-by-step video guide, you’ll be making so much toffee in no time!
what is the difference between toffee and caramel?
- Both toffee and caramel are made from sugar and butter, but toffee is cooked at a much higher temperature than caramel, resulting in a hard and brittle texture known as the “hard-crack” stage.
- Caramel has a creamier, thicker consistency and typically does not contain butter, yielding a soft and chewy end result.
Ingredients
Almonds
We love whole almonds but you can improvise with your favorite nuts such as walnuts or pecans.
Butter
A quintessential toffee ingredient! We always recommend using unsalted butter as it allows for more control and consistency. You can of course replace unsalted butter with salted butter in a pinch, reducing the amount of salt indicated in the recipe, and adding to taste.
Sugar
Granulated sugar is a must. We do not recommend using brown sugar as the molasses in the brown sugar has a higher chance of burning and scorching.
Vanilla extract
For added flavor! You can omit if needed, but the subtle notes of vanilla flavors certainly takes this toffee to the next level.
Salt
A little bit of salt allows the other flavors of the toffee to shine through.
Chocolate chips
Semi-sweet chocolate chips are perfect here, melting their way over the hot toffee.
Pecans
An added crunch as a finishing touch! But you can also use almonds, pistachios or walnuts.
tips and tricks for success
- Patience. Making toffee is a labor of love. Do not try to rush the process and increase the heat for faster results.
- Use a heavy saucepan. A heavy bottom saucepan is key for even heat distribution. A thin bottom saucepan tends to heat too fast, causing separation and burning.
- Avoid abrupt temperature changes. A sudden drop or increase in temperature can cause separation. We want to keep the temperature consistent and steady.
- Use a jar of peanut butter as a color guide. Known as the “peanut butter trick”, it is helpful to have a jar of peanut butter handy in order to cook the hot toffee until it resembles approximately the same color as peanut butter.
Storing and freezing HOMEMADE TOFFEE
- At room temperature. Leftover toffee can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week with layers separated by wax paper to avoid from getting sticky.
- In the refrigerator. Leftover toffee can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 weeks with layers separated by wax paper to avoid from getting sticky.
- In the freezer. Leftover toffee can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. To freeze toffee, place the leftover toffee pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet (making sure the pieces are not touching), covered, and place in the freezer until frozen. This can take a few hours or overnight. Once frozen, transfer the frozen toffee pieces into freezer bags, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Easy Homemade Toffee: Frequently Asked Questions
We recommend using a heavy saucepan for the best results possible, and to avoid any abrupt temperature changes during the cooking process. In some cases, separated toffee can be salvaged by removing from heat and whisking vigorously and constantly.
We recommend using whole almonds but pecans, pistachios or walnuts will also work very well here.
A candy thermometer is not necessary here. The beauty of this recipe is its ease and simplicity!
This is a handy trick to help cook the toffee mixture until it resembles the color of peanut butter.
Homemade toffee can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week (away from heat) or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, letting it come to room temperature prior to serving.
Here is a foolproof step-by-step video guide for a stress-free toffee!
Easy Homemade Toffee
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Spread almonds in an even layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until toasted, about 10 minutes; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar vanilla and salt over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until butter has melted and mixture is almond brown in color, about 10-15 minutes.
- Immediately spread the hot toffee mixture evenly over the almonds. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. After 1-2 minutes, spread the chocolate chips in an even layer until smooth. Sprinkle with pecans.
- Let cool completely, about 2 hours. Break into pieces.
Did you make this recipe?
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I was wondering if there was a way to make this by substituting something for the sugar? Thanks for any input.
Christina, toffee is a type of candy made by caramelized sugar so unfortunately, I just don’t think there really is an appropriate substitute for sugar. Sorry!
I just made this….. soooo good! Thank you for the recipe. Your photos are very nice, too.
Well, I got it made.
Took a little longer than the 10-15 minutes, and it did separate, but I followed the suggestions of some of the other commentators and just poured off the oil that separated out and went on like nothing had happened.
I believe I read a few people asking how they’d know when it was an “almond color.” I solved that by leaving an almond out next to the burner, so I’d have something to compare with.
One thing that happened with me that wasn’t clear in the recipe, and that’s the almonds and what to do with them. I toasted a cup of whole almonds, then ran them through the food processor, so I’m sure they ended up far, far finer than intended. Still, I spread the toffee over them, so between the waxed paper and the almonds, I doubt I’ll have any trouble with sticking. What the fine grind of my almonds did, though, was leave me with a whole lot more almond than I really needed for the toffee. By the time I got the chocolate melted on top, I still had all sorts of almond left on the periphery of my pan, so rather than using pecans for the top, and wasting all that extra almond, I’ll have almond top and bottom. Not exactly what the recipe calls for, but it’ll work, and it’ll eat just fine.
And once the leftover toffee hardened in the pan, rather than trying to chip it out, I just filled my pan with water up past where everything had stuck – even what was on the sides from the stirring – and boiled it all away. That trick might have already been suggested, but I didn’t remember reading that. Nevertheless, there was no trace of toffee left in the pan after that.
So, anyhow, there it is. I still have about an hour before it’s supposed to be ready. I can hardly wait to see how it turns out.
Thanks for the recipe. English toffee is possibly my favorite candy, and I’ve never tried making it myself before. All I’ve ever heard is how touchy toffee is to make, but aside from the constant stirring, it was pretty painless.
After about 6 tries of trying to do it in a pan over the stove, and it not working out (even with a candy thermometer) the way I wanted, I decided to try making it in the microwave, which I had done before, but had forgotton.
I did put it in the microwave and cooked for 7 minutes, not stirring until the 7 minutes were up. Then I put on two more minutes and stirred after the first minute, and 2nd minute, and then poured it over my nuts. I was happy this time. :))
If you don’t have waxed paper to lay on the pan, sprinkle olive oil then powder sugar. I did it and it didn’t even stick to the cookie sheet. Whoop whoop; -) the toffee is wonderful
This is not only the easiest to make, but also the best tasting toffee ever! I have tried a couple of other recipes that require a candy thermometer, but the butter/sugar mixture had such a small window of readiness that it often hardened before I could pour it all onto the cookie sheet. I was skeptical about whether I would be able to determine when the right almond brown color had been reached, but it worked! Perfect the first time. My husband and I taste-tested it for breakfast with our coffee this morning. Made it for a gift, but we are definitely holding a stash back for us. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Well, that was huge success!! While I didn’t add almonds I did mix 1 cup sugar with 1 up (2 sticks) no salt butter until my arms fell off! Hahaha! Thank you for sharing such an easy-to-make toffee recipe. My husband is thankful for the delicious flavor & I am thankful for an easy peasy recipe that really only takes 20-ish minutes of stirring (continuous) & an hour-ish to cool. I poured my mixture in a very large baking sheet w/o parchment paper & once cooled, it easily released.
It did not work for me… separated after 25 minutes of stirring constantly at medium heat on a gas stove… think my heat was set too low (I see from the directions and comments it should not take that long)… I am going to try again at a higher heat…
I think I too had the heat set too low (I cook with gas, flame, not electric). After 2-0-25 minutes, I turned the heat up a bit & the mixture which was separated finally came to gether & the mixture began to brown beautifully. Try again. Toffee is like cheesecake; easy peasy. Once you get it, there will be no stopping your creativity!
My didn’t harden. Instead it is soft. what did I do wrong
Elena, please refer to the FAQ located below the recipe for troubleshooting tips.
Hi there do you know the ingredients in uk terms we use grams, tablespoons etc haven’t a clue what weight a cup of butter would be thanks debs
Debbie, please feel free to use online resources to calculate ingredient conversions.
What size pan do you reccommend?
I recommend using a large baking sheet, or a large jelly roll pan.
This looks so delicious! My dad loves toffee, so this will be so great and convienient without a candy thermometer.
I only have about 3/4 cup of chocolate chips, so I was wondering if I could use dark chocolate chunks? About how many would you say to put in? (They about the size of Hershey bar rectangles.)
Also, whole almonds seem sort of painful to the tooth. Do you really reccommend whole ones?
Yes, I really recommend the whole almonds. As for the dark chocolate, you can certainly try substituting this but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. Using a substitution may also result in a mediocre outcome.
I was searching pinterest for something to make my husband as an apology for being a big grouch to him this morning and came across this recipe. He adores toffee and I happened to have all the ingredients needed except pecans, but I just used almonds. (Thank goodness because he had to take my car to work today due to a flat tire.) I followed your recipe to the letter and it came out perfect. I might have let the sugar caramelize a little too much, but I still find it yummy. I’m super proud of myself for this and can’t wait for him to try the toffee. Thanks for the recipe, I’m positive it will be used often!
love your site.. Thanks for sharing… I love toffee… This could be bad;)
I don’t consider myself a baker but I did try this recipe and have to say that it came out perfect the first time !! No issues with butter and sugar seperating either. Will definitely make again 🙂
For anyone having difficulty with the butter separating from the sugar mixture; make sure that you don’t make this recipe with frozen butter. Pour up the mixture anyway and use paper towels to absorb excess butter in pan. Hope this helps.
I don’t comment much on blogs, but I must confess I have a crush on your blog! I made this toffee (along with several other of your recipes “terryki salmon and siracha cream sauce” was to die for!) and it was amazing! We made the toffee in addition to our Christmas cookies and my husband fell in love with me all over again. It was easy, damn delicious, and an encore is in the works tonight. Thanks for your recipes, great photography, and love of food!
I must not have known what “medium almond” color is since mine never set well after 15 minutes. I ended up putting it in the mixer with 2 eggs, 1 tsp of baking soda and 3 cups of flour and made an excellent batch of cookies.
LOVE this recipe!!!! My candy thermometer broke last night (Dec 23!!) right before I was getting ready to start making toffee and peanut brittle. I searched pin interest and found this recipe. I would suggest to others to use a heavy bottom sauce pot and a wooden spoon to stir. Mine came out perfect and it’s probably because I know the color it is suppose to look like when it’s done because of years of making it with a candy thermometer. As stated it should look almond brown. One batch took 12 minutes while the other took 13 minutes. I would suggest NOT to double the recipe if this is your first time making toffee. I added broken up pretzels to one batch and crushed oreos to another. I have sent this recipe link to my family and friends!!!
Thank you for such a great recipe!!
Damn delicious doesnt even begin to describe this! I stopped at the grocery store to buy a candy thermometer for a different recipe…there were none to be found. Luckily I came across this recipe. Absolutely perfect and so easy. I did start to panic around the 10 minute mark of stirring but that’s when the magic happened and now my beautiful toffee is cooling. The only reason I know it’s so good is because I cooled a little on a spoon to check it out 🙂 Going to make a second batch and sprinkle some sea salt on the chocolate. Now I need to figure out where to hide this before hubby gets home!