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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
Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you can let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they, too, can make, enjoy, and love!
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!
I almost gave up after two hours. But I stuck with it for an absolutely delicious outcome. Think what happened is my electric stove I had exactly on Low when maybe it needed to be between Low and Medium. It is perfect. Shared of course!
Love the little tips that always make your recipes come out perfect!
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoy the recipes!
Love all your recipies. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I made two batches of this english toffee today and it came out perfectly delicious! Your step by step video was very easy to follow and was spot on. I only hope that there will be some left to give away as gifts this Christmas! Thank you for sharing a wonderful recipe!
Just made this. The house smells soooooo good. Now the hardest part!!!! Waiting for it to cool.
Easy and delicious!
I think you’re a great cook and I would like to taste some of the stuff that you do cook but you are in Iowa and I’m in Mississippi but I would pay you for it
Help! I was so excited to see your tips. I have made toffee successfully before, but honest it separates just as often as it is a success. My recipe was exactly the same as yours except the omission of the corn syrup, so I thought I had found the Holy Grail. I followed all the tips, but NO, I can’t believe it happened again at the very end, around 285 on my thermapen. So sad! I live at 5,900 feet, do you think that could have something to do with it?
Hi Caleb! Love all you do from decorating, cooking, baking, gardening, and being with your Mom. I’m going to try your toffee and peanut brittle recipes. Can you recommend an instant read thermometer, please?
Thanks! 🙂
I make English Toffee every year and give it away. Your recipe is very similar to mine. I make almond, pecan, walnut toffees. Thank you for sharing yours!!!