This is the best English Toffee recipe I have ever had, it’s easy and has the perfect crunch. It is so good with chopped peanuts or almonds in the center.
English Toffee
This is English Toffee recipe is the best! It comes out perfect every time and has just the right amount of crunch. Not too soft and not so hard it breaks a tooth. This version is from my mother-in-law who has English Toffee making down to an art! My husband made up this batch, and I think it was gone within 24 hours. We couldn’t stop sneaking pieces of it. It tastes just like Almond Roca candy to me, which I love!
I like to make this in either a 9×13 pan or in the center of a cookie sheet. If you want to make enough English toffee to fill an entire cookie sheet, I would suggest doubling the recipe. This size batch is perfect though because it doesn’t fill the entire cookie sheet. It makes a big circle of toffee in the center, which makes it much easier to break the toffee apart after it cools and hardens.
Candy: A Sweet Gift
There is something so delightful about the holiday tradition of exchanging gifts with friends and neighbors. Unfortunately, that tradition can also be a bit stressful. What can you get that will please everyone? Is there truly something that is one size fits all? Well, we think food is the perfect one size fits all gift. And this English Toffee is one of several delicious options. It couldn’t be simpler: just make up a big batch and deliver it to your friends. Believe me, once they taste it, they’ll be salivating over your friendship… and looking forward to many more years of knowing you.
English Toffee serves as a great staple in any holiday candy gift basket or goodie plate. But if you want to add a little diversity to the Christmas candy creations, you can try some of these other great recipes:
- Chocolate Cherry Mice will doll up your candy plate in a hurry. These traditional chocolate covered cherries are made even better by adding the mouse face, making them even more fun to eat.
- White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Brownies are a trio of flavors that you just can’t beat. Chocolate brownies, white chocolate frosting and peppermint. Perfect.
- Chocolate Dipped Cream Cheese Butter Mints are the perfect after dinner mint. Cool and chocolatey with a hint of mint.
- Mom’s Homemade Christmas Caramels are the chewy deliciousness that Christmas is made of. It just doesn’t taste like the holidays without them.
How to Make English Toffee
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup almonds or peanuts chopped (optional)
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips (we like milk chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until butter and sugar are dissolved together, then bring to a rolling boil.
- Cook and stir until the mixture turns a carmel brown and reaches the crack stage (we used a candy thermometer and it was around 310 degrees).
- Pour toffee over a handful of your favorite nuts on a cookie sheet lined with cooking spray.
- While the toffee is still hot, gently sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.
- When the chocolate chips begin to melt, smooth them out over the toffee.
- Cool completely before breaking into pieces.
Shelli says
WOW! JUST made this cause family was craving something sweet and salty. Followed recipe exactly and I dont even have a candy thermometer and it came out amazing!! I want to eat it all. Lol
Martha Simmons says
How much is a portion. Asking for a diabetic guest that will allow a treat during the holidays.
Echo Blickenstaff says
When we make this, each batch is broken into 12-15 pieces, so it’s hard to be exact. The recipe nutritional information is for 1/12 of a batch. If you can try to break the toffee as evenly as you can into 12 pieces, the nutritional information should be pretty accurate for your diabetic guest. Thank you for asking!
Bonnie says
I learned to make a very similar toffee at a professional candy making class. Find liquid lecithin and add about one teaspoon after all ingredients come to a boil. Lecithin is an emulsifier and will make a difference. If butter separates, you’re probably cooking on too high heat……vigorously stir in ‘white ‘ foamy part and all should be well.
Recipe is easier if you use a couple of wooden spoons…..change spoons/take wet paper towel around top of toffee to rid of any stray sugar crystals.
Candy will take longer if you make it on a rainy day ~ I put coarse salt lightly on top ~
This is an easy recipe…..just don’t rush it …..
Echo Blickenstaff says
Thank you so much for all of these great tips! I am going to add your comment to our recipe notes.
Andy says
I boiled my toffee for a good 20 min but its soft. It did not crack. Tastes great but i have had to pull it apart. What did I do wrong
Favorite Family Recipes says
Were you using a candy thermometer to check the temperature?
Karen Hilliard says
This is delicious! I didn’t have a candy thermometer, so I guess I got lucky with a lazer thermometer. It turned out perfectly, I used salted, roasted pistachios in the recipe this time. Next time I’m going to skip the chocolate and used salted, roasted peanuts instead.
Thank you,
Cindy says
How come your recipe doesn’t mention when to add in the salt nor the vanilla?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thanks for bringing that to our attention! I have edited the recipe to reflect the correct instructions.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
This is such a delicious recipe! Can’t wait to try it!
Gina says
5 stars!! Delicious!
Brook Howe says
The only problem with this dessert is having to share it with the family! Wow!
mae Unruh says
Use C and H. sugar not Good Value, Walmart brand name.
Mae says
I am an old timer in making old english toffee, Quite a number of years ago, I had problems with the butter separating while cooking. Believing it was butter, I tried, expensive, cheap, salted or unsalted it made no difference, Early this year I heard a lady remark she had problems making pudding and now had problems, I doing her research found she was using Good Value Sugar Walmart brand and reverted back to C and H sugar and could make the pudding again. I needed to wait until colder weather and successfully have made Old English Toffee by using C and H sugar this year in 2019!
Sandy says
I notice a difference in some recipes when using beet sugar. It tastes the same as sugar cane, but it doesn’t cook the same. Check the label for pure cane sugar.
DOUCE MASSENKOFF says
In the instructions, point 5, you say “spread over the toffee” There is no toffee in the recipe.
Favorite Family Recipes says
I would say roughly 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Hope this helps! I will fix it so it is in the ingredient list.. thanks for the catch!
Nia says
Hello.
Do you use unsalted butter or salted?
Can’t wait to make it! ????
Favorite Family Recipes says
I like to use salted 🙂 but others may say unsalted is better. Totally up to you.
Cindi says
Help! I just made this, and a few minutes after coming to a rolling boil the butter separated and never mixed back in. Do you know what I did wrong that caused this? I followed the instructions to a “T”. Thanks for any help.
Favorite Family Recipes says
You may have heated it too quickly. I’m not exactly use what could have gone wrong. Did any water get into the mixture? Even condensation building up above your cooking area and dripping into it can cause the butter to separate. Sorry Im not much help with this! Let me know if it happens again and we can re-visit the recipe. Sorry this happened to you!
ellen clements says
Looking forward to trying this
Shelley says
Do you use white sugar.
Echo says
Yes, it is white sugar. It ends up looking brown because it caramelizes as it boils.
Kate Lindeman-Schutt says
Do you think panela would work instead of white sugar?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I haven’t tried any variations of this recipe, so I can’t speak for how it would affect the taste or texture.
TAMMY says
WHAT SIZE COOKIE SHEET PAN DID YOU USE ?
Emily says
Just the standard size, the metal kind with the rim around the edges.
Brook and Chad says
Echo gave my family some for Christmas and everyone wanted the recipe! So yummy!
Mom says
Do you used salted nuts, unsalted, raw, or roasted nuts?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I use salted nuts usually!
Hoku says
I absolutely love your blog and always LOOK FORWARD to trying your recipes. 🙂 Mahalo!
Tia says
I made this today with almonds instead of peanuts. It was AMAZING! I need to get it out of my house pronto before I eat the ENTIRE pan!