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In the world of candy making, toffee is the pinnacle. And English toffee is rich and buttery, has a good crispy snap, and yet is somehow easy to eat. The defining factor of English toffee is the thick layer of chocolate slathered on top with a generous dusting of toasted nuts. Hungry yet?
At its base, toffee is just a mixture of butter and sugar. And even though it seems like a simple ingredient, the amount of butter makes a huge difference and is what distinguishes a toffee from a brittle. There is more butter in toffee, which is what gives it its more pliable texture when compared to brittle.
The mixture is slowly cooked together until a hard crack temperature is reached, at 290°F. The ingredients are simple, but the results can vary, depending on the execution.
Over the years, I’ve had lots of problems with toffee. The process is easy – how hard could a combination of butter and sugar that’s heated to a hard crack stage really be? But on the way to this temperature, I’ve often had the mixture separate. Soon after the butter and sugar would start to boil, the butter would separate from the sugar, and the result would be an oily mess. No, thank you!
For years, this perplexed me! Sometimes it would work, and other times it wouldn’t. After trial and error, I’ve discovered there are a few things that lead to toffee failure:
- One of the major culprits can be abrupt temperature changes. A constant, even heating environment leads to the best results.
- The use of a thin saucepan as opposed to a heavy-bottom variety. Thin pans do not heat evenly and do not cook the toffee well. I know it can seem trivial to read a recipe that urges the use of a heavy-bottom saucepan, but in the case of toffee, it’s very important.
After years of trying different tricks, the best thing I’ve learned is to add corn syrup. A little corn syrup doesn’t add moisture but does help stabilize the mixture. It helps the mixture heat up evenly and cook properly. Now, every time I make English toffee, it comes out perfect as long as I follow these three steps:
- Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
- Heat it up slowly.
- Add a little corn syrup.
More Christmas Candy
- Chocolate and peanut butter fudge
- Grandma’s peanut brittle
- Peanut clusters
- Chow mein candy
- Make sure to check out all of my holiday baking recipes
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English Toffee
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp light corn syrup
- 6 oz dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Butter a 9×13 baking sheet pan. Set aside.
- Have an instant-read thermometer ready or fit saucepan with a candy thermometer.
- In a heavy-bottom four-quart saucepan, combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup. Over low heat, bring to a boil, stirring slowly. Continue to boil until the mixture reaches 290°F, 15-20 minutes. It will be a light amber color and smell like caramel and butterscotch.1 cup salted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 tbsp light corn syrup
- Remove from heat, add in the vanilla, and pour into the prepared baking sheet pan. Let cool for one minute and sprinkle with ¼ cup chopped nuts over the entire mixture. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let sit until melted, about two minutes. Spread the chocolate evenly with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with remaining chopped nuts. Let cool completely, about four hours.1 cup chopped toasted pecans, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 6 oz dark chocolate chips
- Once cooled completely, break into desired pieces. Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to one month. If in a warm climate, store in the refrigerator.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
So sad…first try making toffee…the butter separated from candy. What did I do wrong???
I made English toffee today, but as soon as I poured it into the prepared cookie sheet the butter separated. It did harden, but it’s too thin and messy. I used an All Clad saucepan, but I have a glass electric stove, so after waiting for it to boil on low for more than 40 min, I raised the temp to med. Could that be the problem? Also, I used dark Karo syrup instead of light.
All your other recipes always turn out great. Help!
Thank you what a great receipt Merry Christmas
This recipe was FABULOUS! I couldn’t stop eating it. I had to because I didn’t want to break a tooth! Love your videos! You always make me laugh & smile! Thank you and keep making more!!❤️
In your recipe details it says 290 but above that in your story it says 310. I followed the instructions for 2 batches at 290
Both batches are soft 😩
I too found 290 is not the right temp. It should be 300 to 310. Or better yet drop a little in cold water to do the hard crack test.
I love your recipes!!!
I made your English Toffee today after watching the video a few times and I must say that my husband and I think this is the best toffee ever. Going to do the peanut brittle tomorrow and then the sponges, That one is my favorite, Thank you for the reicpes
I just tried this recipe and it turned out FABULOUS!! Thank you!
I just made this and had some difficulty but it still turned out great. The butter separated from the sugar before it came to a boil and it took almost 2 hours for it reached 290 degrees. I was able to mix the butter into sugar to save the recipe. For future attempts, how often should this be stirred? Should it be stirred continuously until butter/sugar/corn syrup are thoroughly combined? Should it be stirred periodically until it reaches the desired temperature? Any hints you have are greatly appreciated! I enjoy your videos and your spirit!
Perfectly easy and perfectly delicious!
I tried this recipe after seeing your video. It was great and I will be using this again. Thank you!