Homemade English Toffee Recipe (2024)

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Posted by Aimee 281 comments
Published: Dec 12, 2023 Last Updated: Dec 12, 2023

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English Toffeeis a classic holiday candy that’s buttery, nutty, and rich thanks to a combination of almonds, walnuts, and milk chocolate. Make it in a brownie bite pan to get the cutest toffee bites—perfect for gifting!

I love making candy every holiday to give as gifts and serve to guests. If you’re new to candy, start with our easyrocky road fudge,homemade turtles, andpeanut butter cups.

Homemade English Toffee Recipe (1)

Table of Contents

  • Why You’ll Love This English Toffee Recipe
  • Important Ingredient Notes
  • How to Make Homemade English Toffee
  • Recipe FAQs
  • More Holiday treats
  • English Toffee Recipe

Why You’ll Love This English Toffee Recipe

Thanks to one of my besties RHONDA (hey girl!), who shared this awesome English toffee recipe with me years ago. It became a tradition for us to have a holiday candy-making day with our oldest daughters, Natasha (on the left) and my daughter Alyssa (on right).

We usually gave the girls the job of rollingPeanut Butter Buckeyesand wrappinghomemade caramels…you know, the “chores”!

Homemade English Toffee Recipe (2)

Here’s what makes this English toffee one of my favorites:

  • English toffee is typically made in an 11×7 pan, but a few years ago I found a silicone brownie bite pan and it’s all I use now. No more slicing toffee, just pop the toffee bites out and you’re good to go—easy, neat, perfectly portioned pieces!
  • If you like Heath Bars, this homemade English toffee is like that, but so much better than store-bought. It’s rich, buttery, and much more nutty.
  • Not everyone is a baker! If you struggle to get your Christmas cookies looking just right, switch to candy—it’s a lot easier to make, with fewer details to manage. No more struggling with icing or cookie cutters!

Important Ingredient Notes

Homemade English Toffee Recipe (3)
  • Unsalted butter – There are three dominant flavors in English toffee: butter, nuts, and chocolate.Spring for a good butter!
  • Margarine – You may say, “CAN I USE ALL BUTTER?” The answer is yes. However, I find I get reliable results, with no separation of butter and sugar, when I use half margarine. The flavor is still amazing!
  • Kosher salt – Salt is important for adding balance to this recipe. If you’d like, you can also sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the melted chocolate.
  • Vanilla extract – Aside from the butter, toffee is also vanilla flavored. Use a high-quality pure vanilla, not imitation. Our homemade vanilla would be perfect.
  • Milk chocolate– Again, high-quality is important here!
  • Nuts – You’ll need both unblanched whole almonds and finely ground walnuts.

How to Make Homemade English Toffee

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Prep the Almonds: On a foil lined baking dish or in asilicone brownie bite pan, arrange the almonds in a single layer.

Make the Toffee Mixture:

  • In a heavy pan, combine the butter,margarine, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Cook over medium-high heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the butter melts. Bring mixture to a rolling boil.
  • Continue boiling and stirring for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until the candy turns the color of almonds (or reaches about 300 degrees, if you have a candy thermometer).
  • Pour the toffee mixture over the almonds. (If you’re using the brownie bite pan, I use a small metal scoop to get toffee into each bite, working quickly!)
  • Cool completely.

Finish: Spread the melted chocolate over top of the cooled toffee, then sprinkle with the ground walnuts. Once the chocolate sets, remove from the brownie pan or cut the English toffee into pieces.

Homemade English Toffee Recipe (5)

Recipe FAQs

Why does my butter separate when making toffee?

Using thin lined saucepans can cause butter to separate. A heavy bottomed saucepan can manage the heat better. The second reason may be from heating the butter and margarine too quickly. Keep the pan over medium to medium-high heat. Don’t crank the heat up for the sake of bringing it to a boil faster.

Can I use all butter in toffee?

The reason I like to use half butter and half margarine when I make English Toffee is that I find I get more reliable results, without any separation of the butter and sugar. The flavor is still amazing! You can use all butter if you prefer.

Why does my chocolate fall off the toffee when I cut it?

This is most likely due to excess butter on the toffee surface. Before adding your chocolate, be sure to wipe the top of your toffee with a dry paper towel to absorb any excess butter.
If it still feels a little “greasy”, sprinkle a small amount of cocoa powder or crushed nuts to the top before adding your chocolate. This should help!

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More Holiday treats

  • Chocolate Peppermint Graham Crackers
  • Peppermint Meringues
  • Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
  • Peanut Butter Fudge
  • Peppermint Bark
  • Churro Toffee
  • Divinity Candy
  • Christmas Crack
  • Sugar Cookies– perfect no-spread cut out cookies

Holiday Candy Recipes

See all Candy recipes

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Easy Chocolate Truffles

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Samoa Truffles

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Christmas Crack Recipe

English Toffee

4.66 from 70 votes

By: Aimee

English Toffee is a classic holiday candy: buttery candy poured over almonds, topped with milk chocolate and walnuts. Make it in a brownie bite pan to get the cutest toffee bites – perfect for gifting!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 bites

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup margarine
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 12 ounce milk chocolate melted
  • 1 cup unblanched whole almonds
  • 1 cup finely ground walnuts

Instructions

  • On a foil lined baking dish (11×7)- or in a silicone brownie bite pan (with 24 bites)- arrange almonds in a single layer. Set aside.

  • In a heavy pan, combine butter,margarine, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Cook over medium-high heat with a wooden spoon until butter melts, stirring constantly. (REALLY STIRRING CONSTANTLY)! Bring mixture to a rolling boil.

  • Continue boiling (AND STIRRING) an additional 5-7 minutes until candy turns the color of almonds (about 300 degrees). Pour over almonds. If using the brownie bite pan, I use a small metal scoop to get toffee into each bite, working quickly!

  • Cool completely.

  • When candy is cooled and set (about 2 hours), spread chocolate over top of toffee. Sprinkle generously with ground walnuts. If doing both sides, use only half of the chocolate and walnuts. Allow top to set before flipping over and doing bottom. When set, pop out of silicone pan and store in a airtight containers. OR cut into pieces. ENJOY!

Notes

  • Tip- when I say stirring, I’m talking taking that wooding spoon and whipping it! haha!! I have an electric stovetop and turn my heat on 7…and it remains on 7 through the entire boiling process.
  • If you choose to scoop into brownie bite pan vs. pouring into a baking pan, your butter might separate a little bit by the time you get to the 20th scoop! Don’t worry about it. I use my scooper to slightly stir as I take a scoop of toffee.
  • Many will ask WHY DOES MY BUTTER SEPARATE? This can be from using cheaper, thinner lined saucepans. It could be from heating the butter and margarine too quickly.
  • You may say, “CAN I USE ALL BUTTER?” The answer is yes. However, I find I get reliable results, with no separation of butter and sugar, when I use half margarine. The flavor is still amazing!
  • If you’d like, you can add the chocolate and walnuts to both sides of the toffee. To do it this way, use only half of the chocolate and walnuts for the first side. Allow the top to set before flipping over and doing bottom.
  • Oh, and breaking English toffee into pieces will leave you some shards on your cutting board. SAVE THESE. They are delicious on vanilla ice cream.
  • See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece, Calories: 239kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 54mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 16g

Course: Candy

Cuisine: American

Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!

Homemade English Toffee Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between toffee and English toffee? ›

Americanized toffee may include nuts, while a completely traditional British toffee will not. On the other hand, English toffee uses pure cane sugar, brown sugar, or molasses as its sweet base and always involves chocolate.

What is English toffee made of? ›

In America, English toffee usually refers to a candy made with slow-cooked sugar and butter, forming a brittle, which is then coated in chocolate and nuts.

Why does the butter separate when making English toffee? ›

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. It can also be caused by the mixture being heated unevenly (if the pan has a thin base and has hot spots).

How long does English toffee last? ›

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.

Is toffee just butter and sugar? ›

Ingredients: Toffee consists of sugar and butter, while caramel comprises sugar, water, and cream—or just sugar. Temperature: Confectioners cook toffee to the hard-crack stage, around 310 degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in its signature craggy shards.

Why did my toffee turn out chewy? ›

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.

How Long Will homemade toffee last? ›

Store homemade toffee in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the fridge for up to two weeks.

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.

What is toffee called in America? ›

The English toffee eaten with regularity in America is also called buttercrunch. What's the difference? Primarily, the difference rests in the ingredients. Toffee in Britain is made with brown sugar, whereas buttercrunch is made with white granulated sugar.

What can go wrong when making toffee? ›

Common toffee making mistakes:
  • 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.
  • I stirred too quickly. I didn't realize this could be an issue.
  • 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

Why does my homemade toffee stick to my teeth? ›

You might check the amount of water you are using. If it is more than 1/4 c. per pound, you might be inverting the sugar which would give the same effect of adding corn syrup, making it sticky.

Why does chocolate not stick to toffee? ›

Chocolate chips have a non-melting coating to help them keep their shape. But when they melt, the coating can prevent the chocolate from sticking to the toffee. Sometimes the chocolate melts at a temperature that makes it shrink when it hardens, pulling it away from the toffee layer.

Do you stir toffee constantly? ›

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.

Should toffee be hard or soft? ›

Toffee is a hard candy made by cooking a sugar syrup with butter to the hard crack stage, 300–310°F (149–154°C), and then pouring it out to cool. It can have inclusions or not, and it can be made either very dense and hard or can be lightened by adding baking soda when the candy is almost done cooking .

How do you know when toffee is done? ›

Here's how you know when the toffee is ready. Keep one of the almonds near the pan. It's your color cue. When the toffee is the color of the almond skin, it's done!

Is English toffee like butterscotch? ›

Toffee is butterscotch that has been cooked for a longer period of time. Toffee begins as a base of butter and brown sugar that is gradually cooked to the hard-crack sugar stage between 295 and 309 degrees Fahrenheit.

Is English toffee the same as butterscotch? ›

Toffee vs Butterscotch

While butterscotch is cooked to a soft-crack stage, toffee is produced by allowing that same butter and brown sugar mixture to reach the hard-crack stage. Butterscotch tends to be chewy and pliable; toffee is brittle and more breakable.

Why is it called English toffee? ›

The name “English toffee” comes from the crunchy “toff” sound the candy makes when you bite into it. As the candy became popular, shops began selling it under the name “English toffee” or sometimes just “toffee.”

Is English toffee hard or soft? ›

Toffee is a hard candy made by cooking a sugar syrup with butter to the hard crack stage, 300–310°F (149–154°C), and then pouring it out to cool. It can have inclusions or not, and it can be made either very dense and hard or can be lightened by adding baking soda when the candy is almost done cooking .

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