Tips for Perfect Homemade English Toffee - plus Recipe (2024)

English toffee is one of those Christmas time treats that I cannot get enough of. Good toffee is crisp, yet it almost melts in your mouth. It's buttery and sweet. And of course, it's covered with chocolate and nuts.

Making toffee at home can be a bit tricky. But if you get it right, you can enjoy that crispy, buttery flavored, yummy goodness that's so much better than a store bought heath bar.

Today I'm sharing tips and tricks I've learned over the years to make the best buttery toffee. Get ready to snap off a jagged piece of homemade English toffee.

Tips for Perfect Homemade English Toffee - plus Recipe (1)

Over the years, I've learned a few things about making toffee. I've made my fair share of mistakes. I've made chewy toffee. I've had my had the butter in my toffee separate into an icky mess.

But the last few years, I've perfected toffee making. Here are some tips to making the perfect toffee at home. Keep reading for the BEST homemade English toffee recipe!

The recipe comes from my in-laws extended family. The only change from the original recipe is using chocolate chips instead of chopping up a chocolate bar. And I don't add nuts to the top. It's the best toffee recipe I've tried.

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Tips for Perfect Homemade English Toffee - plus Recipe (2)

Tip #1 - Keep the temperature constant.

Avoid rapid temperature changes. No turning it up and down. I learned this several years ago.
My oldest daughter was in school, but my younger kids were not. Now days, my kids walk home from school because they walk with each other. But back then, I had to pick her up.

I started the toffee and soon realized that it was going to take too long - I needed to pick her up soon and the toffee wasn't done yet.

I turned up the temperature in an effort to speed up the cooking process. Almost immediately after doing so, the butter separated from the sugar and the toffee was ruined.

Now I make sure I have plenty of time. I start with the heat on medium high and leave it there the whole time.

Tips for Perfect Homemade English Toffee - plus Recipe (3)

Tip #2 - Stir constantly while making toffee.

Keep the mixture moving, or it can scorch. This is also a cause of butter separation.

Tip #3 - Avoid humidity when making toffee.

Chewy toffee is bad toffee. One of the factors in creating chewy toffee is humidity. If it's a humid day it's not a good day to make toffee.

Tip #4 - Use a candy thermometer.

Toffee needs to be heated to the correct temperature {290°F} to avoid a chewy texture.

The instructions in some recipes will tell you to "cook until the color of a brown paper bag". One failed attempt at this technique was enough for me. Apparently my version of a brown paper bag was not brown enough and I ended up with chewy candy.

I'll stick with a thermometer. Be sure to calibrate your candy thermometer.

Don't have a candy thermometer? They are pretty inexpensive, so consider buying one. I've handpicked a few items, including a thermometer that might be helpful when making toffee.

You may also use the cold water test to determine if the candy is done. You will cook it to the hard crack stage.

Tip #5 - Use salted butter

Not only does it result in a better {in my opinion} flavor, it also helps to stabilize the mixture. If using unsalted butter, add 1/4 t. salt per 1 pound of butter.

Tip #6 - Prepare pan and chop nuts and chocolate before starting the toffee

Once the toffee mixture reaches the correct temperature it's important to quickly pour it into the baking sheet. You don't have a lot of time before it starts to harden, so have your sheet pan ready to go. Grease the bottom and sides of the pan, then place chopped nuts in the bottom of the pan.

Tips for Perfect Homemade English Toffee - plus Recipe (4)

Tip #7 - Be sure to use a large heavy saucepan that distributes heat evenly.

I have an old pressure cooker pot. I inherited it from someone when I got married. The lid is missing and it's not very pretty, but the pot is heavy and perfect for candy making. I keep it around just for that.

Tips for Perfect Homemade English Toffee - plus Recipe (5)

Tip #8 - Store toffee in an airtight container.

This batch makes a lot. To keep that crisp texture, it's important to store it in an airtight container. I often will just pop the lid onto my baking sheet. Sometimes I will store it in layers in a plastic container with lid. I place parchment paper between the layers.

Can I save my separating toffee?

Try stirring in a tablespoon of very hot water into the toffee. It may come back together, if not, try another tablespoon or two, but no more than 1/4 cup.

Enjoy your toffee making adventures. I hope these tips help! For more tips see this Toffee Making post.

Want more homemade candy recipes? You're in luck! Pretty much the whole month of December is dedicated to Christmas candies this year.

More Candy Recipes

Homemade Fudge
Caramels
Candied Pecans
Caramel Chocolate Pretzels

Tips for Perfect Homemade English Toffee - plus Recipe (6)

Tips for Perfect Homemade English Toffee - plus Recipe (7)

Tips for Perfect Homemade English Toffee - plus Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep English toffee from separating? ›

NOTE:[i] Most recipes recommend constant stirring from start to finish to prevent butter and sugar separation. Constant stirring will not hurt the mixture, but I have found it is unnecessary. You will stir the mixture a little as it cooks. When you stir, do it gently and slowly!

Why is my toffee chewy and not crunchy? ›

Low and slow

Simmering the syrup for English toffee to the requisite 300°F temperature can (and should) be a slow process — up to 20 minutes or so. Don't hurry this gradual transformation; syrup that doesn't reach 300°F, or close to it, will make candy with timid flavor and chewy (not crunchy) texture.

Should I stir while making toffee? ›

It's important while the toffee cooks to only stir it occasionally. Constant stirring can cause the toffee to crystallize and separate. For those of you that need to know exactly how often you should stir, I would suggest erring on the side of not stirring more than stirring.

Why is my toffee not turning brown? ›

Why didn't my toffee turn brown? It will turn brown if the heat is med-high and you cook it for 5-6 minutes. Crank up that heat, don't let it simmer on low. It will start out yellow, then become light brown, then finally the right brown paper brown that you are looking for.

Why did my butter and sugar separate while making toffee? ›

The butter, sugar and syrup are melted together and should form a smooth sauce. When the sauce cools it should remain amalgamated. If the butterfat separates out then usually this is due to the mixture being either heated or cooled too quickly, which "shocks" the mixture and causes the fat to separate out.

Why did my butter and sugar separate when making toffee? ›

If the heat is too high, but butter might melt too quickly and can separate from the sugar. Toffee and caramel can also separate if the recipe calls for constant stirring and the candy isn't stirred often enough.

Why do you add baking soda to toffee? ›

You might wonder why the toffee recipe includes baking soda. It is added at the end of the boiling stage and creates lots and lots of bubbles. These bubbles help to lighten the texture of the finished toffee, resulting in an easier-to-bite candy.

What can go wrong making toffee? ›

Common toffee making mistakes:
  1. I started with way too high of a heat. (At least, I think this was an issue.) I set my portable cooktop at 260 degrees F.
  2. I stirred too quickly. I didn't realize this could be an issue.
  3. I didn't add a dash of salt. They say you can save a ruined batch of toffee by adding a dash of salt.
Dec 13, 2017

What kind of pan is best for making toffee? ›

You need a very sturdy pan which is KEY to even heat distribution. Thinner, cheaper pans can scorch the cooking candy and/or cook it unevenly. Here are some great choices: Anolon Nouvelle Copper and Cooks Standard. I own a couple pricier copper pots because of the amount of candy I make.

Why cream of tartar in toffee? ›

This means that as boiling continues, a portion of the sugar separates into its constituent parts—glucose and fructose. Adding cream of tartar and a dash of vinegar to a toffee recipe helps bring about this change.

How do you know when toffee is done? ›

Once boiling, cook, stirring only 2 to 3 times, until it turns a dark amber color and the temperature reaches 285 degrees F (137 degrees C) on a candy thermometer, 20 to 30 minutes.

Why add water when making toffee? ›

Adding water to sugar before caramelizing it helps it melt at a more even rate, and helps reduce the risk of crystalization. You only need to add enough water to turn the sugar into a slurry, and it all boils off as you heat the syrup.

Is light or dark brown sugar better for toffee? ›

Taste is obvious: sweets made with dark brown sugar will have a slightly deeper flavor with those notes of caramel and toffee I mentioned.

Can you cook toffee too long? ›

Your toffee is better off overcooked than undercooked! Undercooked toffee won't be anything more than a caramel sauce. But overcooked toffee will be just slightly crunchier (almost unrecognizably). So, always err on the side of over-cooking!

Why is my toffee not set and why is it's texture grainy and not smooth? ›

As the toffee cools and the molten sugar crystals become solid again, they are attracted to the 'seed' forming new lumps of tiny crystals – hence the grainy texture. This can also happen if the toffee is stirred, or agitated, after it has begun to boil or on cooling (as happened with this pink-tinted toffee).

Should English toffee be refrigerated? ›

For maximum taste and texture, we do recommend that you either enjoy your toffee immediately, or store it in a refrigerator or freezer. Once opened, unrefrigerated toffee will retain maximum freshness for about a week. Refrigeration adds 3-6 months of shelf life, while freezing adds up to a year or more.

How to fix separated toffee reddit? ›

I'm on my second batch (first one was a total dud) and it's started to separate more than 5 times but I've been able to bring it back by adding some hot water and stirring vigorously.

Do you put toffee in the fridge to set? ›

Use a spatula to spread softened chocolate into a thin, even layer. Sprinkle nuts over the chocolate and press down slightly; wearing a plastic bag over your hand will minimize the mess. Place toffee in the refrigerator until set, about 1 hour. Lift hardened toffee out of the baking dish with the parchment paper.

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