Homemade English Toffee
Crunchy, buttery toffee topped with melted chocolate, this delicious Homemade English Toffee is so easy to make and incredibly delicious. The perfect Christmas candy.
While Laurie will try to make the argument that nothing says Christmas like my mom’s Sherry Cake. I say that Homemade English Toffee is Christmas. For as far back as I can remember, I helped my mom make this buttery chocolatey bit of candy goodness. It’s a very simple recipe that I guarantee everyone will love. The best part is you can make a couple of batches and give out tins of English Toffee as Christmas gifts. Just make sure you keep some for yourself.
How to Make the Toffee Mixture
Step 1: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on Medium-High heat. We use Salted Sweet Cream butter for Homemade English Toffee. You can use margarine if you prefer but the Toffee will taste a little bit differently.
Step 2: Add the sugar to the melted butter and stir until it is fully incorporated with the butter.
Step 3: Now the fun part begins. You need to bring the mixture up to a boil while continuously stirring so you don’t burn the candy mixture. The good news is that you don’t need a candy thermometer to make this toffee. You just need to cook the sugar and butter mixture until it turns the color of peanut butter. It should take about 10-15 minutes depending on your stove. So start stirring! First, the candy mixture will reach a boil. We keep the burner on Medium-High. If you have the burner too high, you can burn the mixture. Keep stirring! Next, the mixture will start thickening up. Keep stirring! About halfway through the cooking process, the mixture will start darkening up. But it’s still not the color of peanut butter. Keep stirring! Now is a good time to get out a can of peanut butter. We’ve been cooking and stirring for about 10 minutes at this point. Still not done. Keep stirring! This is what the mixture should look like – a medium tan color very similar to peanut butter. Stop stirring and take the candy off the heat.
Assembling the English Toffee
Step 4: Distribute the chopped nuts evenly in a large cookie sheet. You do not need to prepare the cookie sheet in any way. There is plenty of butter in the candy mixture, it will not stick to the pan once it is cooled. We used Pecans for this batch. But we have used walnuts. And we have made it without nuts at all. It still tastes amazing whichever way you would rather where nuts are concerned. The same thing goes for how finely or rough to chop the nuts. We usually go somewhere in the middle between finely chopped and a rough chop.
Step 5: Immediately pour the candy mixture into the cookie sheet with the nuts. Try to pour it evenly over the whole cookie sheet. Here is what it will look like. The candy mixture doesn’t have to go all the way to the edges. Let it set up for a few minutes – about 5 should do it.
Step 6: Sprinkle the semi-sweet chocolate chips onto the top of the still-hot candy. The chocolate chips will start to melt. Wait until the chocolate chips are mostly melted. They will look like this.
Step 7: Now you can use a knife to spread the chocolate over the toffee mixture.
Step 8: If you like nuts, you can also sprinkle some finely chopped nuts on top of the melted chocolate. Or you can decorate the Toffee with Christmas sprinkles, as we did here.
Step 9: Let the Homemade English Toffee cool and harden for a couple of hours. Then you can break it up into pieces. Use the tip of a knife (as shown above) to start breaking up the candy into pieces. The pieces don’t have to be uniform. In fact, it looks best on a plate when they are not.
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Homemade English Toffee
Crunchy, buttery toffee topped with melted chocolate, this delicious Homemade English Toffee is so easy to make and incredibly delicious. The perfect Christmas candy.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Butter (Sweet Cream, Salted)
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup Chopped Nuts (Optional - Can be walnuts or Pecans)
- 1 package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (12 oz.)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on Medium heat. We use Salted Sweet Cream butter for Homemade English Toffee. You can use margarine if you prefer but the Toffee will taste a little bit differently.
- Add the sugar to the melted butter and stir until it is fully incorporated with the butter.
- Bring the mixture up to a boil while continuously stirring so you don’t burn the candy mixture. The good news is that you don’t need a candy thermometer to make this toffee. You just need to cook the sugar and butter mixture until it turns the color of peanut butter. It should take about 10-15 minutes depending on your stove. First, the candy mixture will reach a boil. We keep the burner on Medium. Just hot enough for a boil. If you have the burner too high, you can burn the mixture. Next, the mixture will start thickening up. About halfway through the cooking process, the mixture will start darkening up. Now is a good time to get out a can of peanut butter. When it is ready, the mixture will be a medium tan color very similar to peanut butter. Stop stirring and take the candy off the heat.
- Distribute the chopped nuts evenly on a large cookie sheet. You do not need to prepare the cookie sheet in any way. There is plenty of butter in the candy mixture, it will not stick to the pan once it is cooled. Both Pecans and Walnuts are good choices.
- Immediately pour the candy mixture into the cookie sheet with the nuts. Try to pour it evenly over the whole cookie sheet. The candy mixture doesn’t have to go all the way to the edges. Let it set up for approximately 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the semi-sweet chocolate chips onto the top of the still-hot candy. The chocolate chips will start to melt. Wait until the chocolate chips are mostly melted and then use a knife or an offset spatula to spread the chocolate over the toffee mixture.
- If you like nuts, you can also sprinkle some finely chopped nuts on top of the melted chocolate. Or you can decorate the Toffee with Christmas sprinkles.
- Let the Homemade English Toffee cool and harden for a couple of hours and then you can break it up into pieces. Use the tip of a knife to start breaking up the candy into pieces. The pieces don’t have to be uniform. In fact, it looks best on a plate when they are not.
Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!
This is the exact same recipe I grew up making with my mom every year at Christmas. It was and still is my favorite Christmas treat. I lost the index card with the recipe in my mom’s handwriting- I still feel a twinge of heartbreak over that loss. Listed in the ingredients was 6, 5 cent Hershey bars – instead of chocolate chips. Â I forgot the butter/sugar ratio – how I came across your recipe- the first one I found that had only butter and sugar in the recipe like my mom’s- the others had corn syrup and cream of tartar???!!! Â Thank you- and Merry Christmas.
These turned out great! The secret is stirring and stirring, especially when the butter and sugar haven’t mixed well yet. We freeze these in the freezer and pull out all season. We also use milk chocolate chips(so yum!) I’ve never had a problem with generic butter either. It’s all about stirring with a whisk until it’s more gooey. Then I use a wooden spoon.
Can you use unsalted butter in this recipe as well?
Sure!
Directions were perfect and this treat was sooo yummy!!!!
Sounds too easy.
I will try with dark chocolate and sprinkle just a touch of sea salt on top. Generally this dessert runs me 80 cents each 1½ x 1½ inch piece.
What size pan do you put it on to cool? Can’t wait to try it
A regular cookie sheet. It doesn’t have to go all the way to the edges.
I Made it and it was delicious! I used margarine (like you said I could) and it did actually turn out perfectly! I am adding the toffee to a cookie recipe! So cool! I made toffee!!!!!
How do you store your toffee and how long does it keep? Is it shelf stable or does it require refrigeration? I’ve wanted to mail some in the past but I don’t know how it last or how long it keeps. Thanks!
We usually store ours in an air tight container. It would last for weeks but we always eat it quicker than that!
I only cooked half the recipe. After the mixture turned to the peanut butter color, I took it off the heat and continued stirring for another 2 minutes. I had no problem with separating butter. Also I put parchment paper on the cookie sheet.Â
It’s cooling now. Can’t wait to try it.
You have a wonderful blog….. I’m soo glad I came upon your blog via Google. Your recipes & photos are awesome, great job! Have a happy Christmas & New Year! Blessings!
I used this recipe minus the chocolate and nuts and made toffee popcorn. EVERYONE loved it. This recipe covered 5 bags of microwave popcorn. Careful not to get unpopped kernels in. Mixed it in large metal bowl spread it out on nonstick foil and used 2 forks to pull it apart before hardening. Then I broke up any large pieces and put in containers. Not sure how long it will keep because had a a large group and it vanished in a couple of hours
Yum! That sounds delicious. We are going to try that!
Merry Christmas to everyone! My question is about the after. I see you put colored candies on top. Do you put them on immediately after spreading cohocolatw or wait and how long?
Hi Debbie – we waited about 5 minutes after we spread the chocolate.
Hi Nancy I have been making a very similar candy for over 40 yrs. It originally came from a newspaper clipping in England. We use almonds unblanched in the pot and blanched after it is cooked. I have to agree that your description of the colour or spot on. Thanks for sharing
I’ve tried many a toffee recipe this year. This one was the best! The peanut butter-colour was the easiest and best way to know when it’s done. First time I did it I stirred with a spoon and butter never fully incorporated. It still worked, I just poured the excess butter off 😉 Did it next time with a whisk and it worked perfectly.
Yay!! I am so glad you like it. This is something we make every year at Christmas.
I wonder how Christmas M&M would do with this recipe?? Wondering out loud…
Hmmmm, that’s an interesting idea. If you try it, let us know how it turns out.
My butter also separated. I’ve made lots of candy over the years and I think Inknow what happened. The mixture was thick and a golden brown color but not exactly the color of the peanut butter. I should have pulled it off the burner then.
I have learned that if you stir with a wire whisk its much easier and mixes much better … Love your blog
That’s interesting, Sue. We will have to try that this year.
The butter separated on mine too. Had butter running all over the pan. Not sure how it will taste.
Hi Sandi! Sorry to hear that the butter separated. Here is a page that explains the various reasons why that happens. http://candy.about.com/od/carameltoffee/f/separate_faq.htm It mentions not stirring enough and that is what our Mom always told us. You really have to stir the toffee mixture constantly. Hope the English Toffee still tastes good.
hi! I´ve done two batches of the toffee, but it has come out well, it tastes great but its a bit of a hassle since the butter is not mixing well with the sugar. what can i do? and algo how many grams of butter do you use? thanks a lot!
Hi Roxana – It would be 452 grams of butter. Was the heat high enough? Can you explain more about the sugar not mixing. What is it doing exactly? Are you constantly stirring during the heating process? Sorry for all the questions.