This easy, foolproof Toffee is a holiday must! Buttery crunch, topped with chocolate, and finished with sugared almonds, it’s the perfect treat for parties or gift-giving.
The Best Toffee
Toffee is hands-down one of my favorite treats. I’ll find any excuse to make a batch, so I especially love the holidays when I can make plenty to share with friends and neighbors—alongside this fudge recipe!
This recipe stands out because, instead of just adding chopped nuts on top, I candy and toast them first. It doesn’t take much extra time but makes a huge difference. Trust me, it always gets rave reviews!
Ingredients
- Sugared Almonds: Make these first to let them cool. Plain almonds work as well.
- Butter: Room-temperature butter melts evenly, avoiding separation.
- Sugar: Sweetens the toffee and helps it caramelize to the ideal crunchy texture.
- Water: Aids in dissolving the sugar evenly, helping achieve a smooth texture.
- Fine Sea Salt: Even a pinch makes such a difference.
- Chopped Chocolate: Use semi-sweet, dark, or milk chocolate.
Quick Tip
I like using a mix of all three chocolates, but go with your favorite! For less sweetness, stick with dark chocolate; for extra sweetness, use milk chocolate.
How To Make Toffee
- Candy Almonds: Coat almonds with sugar and salt, bake, then chop.
- Make Toffee Base: Melt butter with sugar, water, and salt over low heat until sugar dissolves.
- Cook: Then cook on medium, stirring, until it reaches 300°F.
- Pour and Spread: Pour the hot toffee onto a lined pan, spreading it evenly.
- Add Chocolate and Almonds: Sprinkle chopped chocolate on the hot toffee; spread once melted, then add candied almonds on top.
Top Tips For Best Toffee
- Use a good candy thermometer—I rely on this one, and it’s a must for perfect toffee. It’s tough to know when toffee is ready without it.
- Don’t like almonds? Try pecans or any nut you prefer.
- With so few ingredients, quality really matters for the best flavor.
- To keep the toffee smooth, avoid sudden heat changes. Don’t rush and turn up the heat; be patient and let it cook slowly.
Storage
Keep toffee in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks. Store it in a cool, dry place to avoid stickiness, especially if it’s humid.
More Holiday Treats
Toffee
Homemade Toffee is a favorite treat! My Toffee has a buttery base, coated in rich chocolate and sprinkled with crunchy sugared almonds on top. Perfect for gifting or snacking!
Equipment
- Half sheet pan (13 x 18 Inches) nonstick
- Silicone baking mat or parchment paper
- Candy Thermometer
- Sturdy pot with a light-colored interior
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
Sugared Almonds
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1-1/2 cups whole almonds
Toffee
- 2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature; do not use margarine
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1-1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt reduce to 1 teaspoon if sensitive to salt or greatly reduce if using table salt
- 1-3/4 cups chopped semi-sweet or dark chocolate or milk chocolate, see note 1
Instructions
- Sugared Almonds: Preheat oven to 350°F and place a rack in the center of the oven. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix in 1 tablespoon water and stir until you get a glaze. Add almonds and toss until evenly coated. Spread almonds evenly on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan and toast 8–10 minutes or until shiny and light golden. Remove almonds from oven and let cool completely, then give them a coarse chop. Set aside. This is a good time to chop and measure your chocolate.
- Line a half sheet pan (13×18 inches) with a silicone baking mat or generously butter the pan. I highly recommend the baking mat for ease of removal and cleaning.
- Heat a large, 2-quart ceramic pot over low heat for 30 seconds. Rub a stick of butter over the bottom and sides. Then add that stick of butter to the pot along with the remaining butter. Carefully add the sugar to the very center of the pan and pour the water slowly on top of the sugar. Add the salt. We want to avoid any sugar crystals getting on the sides of the pan.
- Keeping the mixture over low heat, use a wooden spoon to stir slowly and gently to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar. It should take 10–12 minutes to completely dissolve the sugar (low and slow is the key here). Use a wet pastry brush to brush any sugar off the sides of the pan. A light-colored pan helps you to see if any sugar is clinging to the sides. Near the end of the 10–12 minutes, the mixture will likely start boiling a little.
- Increase heat to a little over medium (but not quite medium high). Add candy thermometer to the pan and make sure it’s not touching the bottom. From here on out, stir constantly at a low and even speed in the same direction. After about 8–10 minutes, the mixture will come to a boil and slowly start to take on color. Cook the toffee to hard-crack stage (300°F at sea level) (In high-altitude areas, such as Utah where I live, cook to 285–290°F). Watch it carefully because it may reach the temperature quickly. Once it reaches hard-crack stage, pour it onto the prepared sheet pan. Working quickly, tilt the sheet pan from side to side and up and down to get the candy in an even layer and to fill most of the pan. It’s okay if it goes up the sides a little.
- Let Toffee sit at room temperature until it is firm to the touch but still hot, 5–8 minutes. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly on the Toffee. The chocolate melts quickly; let it melt for a few minutes, then use an offset spatula to evenly spread the chocolate over the Toffee. Quickly and gently press in chopped and sugared almonds. Let Toffee stand at room temperature until completely firm, about 6–8 hours. When completely firm, use your hands to break it into bite-sized pieces.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: I like to use a mixture of all three chocolates, but add your favorite. If you don’t like it too sweet, only use dark chocolate. If you like super sweet, use milk chocolate. Use high-quality chocolate bars and give them a coarse chop before adding to the toffee.
Tips:
- Do not increase the heat until sugar is 100% dissolved over low heat. This will take 10–12 minutes and requires patience. Make sure to brush the sides with a wet pastry brush if sugar is clinging to the sides.
- Stir steadily and consistently, stirring in the same direction at a slow speed. If you whisk or stir too quickly, the toffee will separate.
- Make sure the candy thermometer is accurate (more on that in the sections of text above), and make sure the thermometer doesn’t touch the bottom of the pot.
- The pot you use makes a huge difference. Use a wide, light-colored ceramic pot; here is my favorite pot for making Toffee.
- Top the toffee with good-quality dipping chocolate (not chocolate chips). Chocolate chips are meant to withstand baking in the oven (and to hold their shape), so they don’t melt and spread as well on the toffee.
- Wait about five minutes before adding the chocolate to the Toffee. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan, and wait for it to firm up before spreading the chocolate on evenly with a spatula. If the Toffee cooled off too much before you could add the chocolate, use a hair blow dryer to warm it up again.
Nutrition
Serving: 20servings | Calories: 346kcal | Carbohydrates: 30.5g | Protein: 2.6g | Fat: 25.4g | Cholesterol: 48.8mg | Sodium: 3.1mg | Fiber: 1.7g | Sugar: 28.4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love toffee!! This recipe is so easy and totally delicious.
This is such a nice treat! I love it!
I LOVE toffee!!