Have you ever tried to make toffee? I have tried a few different recipes that utterly failed. Making any kind of candy can make any hobbyist cook feel like a failure! It can be hard. However, there is hope!! I genuinely think this toffee recipe is doable for even the least experienced cook. It’s the first one I tried to make and it succeeded on the first round! The toffee is crunchy but won’t break your teeth.
This recipe is by my grandmother-in-law, Maxine. She is a fabulous cook and mostly creates recipes by heart. Her toffee recipe is approachable and simple. Her directions are not overly complicated or overly simplified. Bonus - most of these ingredients probably already exist in your kitchen cabinets!
Before you start! YOU MUST HAVE These tools:
A food thermometer (preferably a candy one, however I used a meat one and it worked fine!)
2.5 quart sauce pan
Cookie Sheet - average size
Ingredients:
1.5 Cups chopped pecans - Toasted
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter (2 full sticks)
1 tablespoon karo or corn syrup (I used honey, worked fine)
1/4 cup water
1 cup of bittersweet chocolate morsels
Instructions:
In your 2.5 quart sauce pan, add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, and 1/4 water and the syrup or honey. Bring to boil over medium heat, stiring every minute or two (in other words, frequently).
While you’re waiting for it to heat up, lightly grease the back of a cookie sheet. YES I said the back. To prevent messes from accidentally spilling, just lay down a t-towel below the pan. Place 1 cup of the chopped and toasted pecans spread out over the greased area of the pan.
Cook until the mixture is golden brown. Maxine does this by eye, I use a thermometer LOL. Cook until the mixture is golden brown, about 285/290 on a candy thermometer. It takes between 10-15 minutes to get to this temperature. If you are feeling OCD like me, check the temperature at 8 minutes, again at 9, and so on.
Once the mixture is reached temperature and a beautiful brown caramel color, pour it on the pan starting in the middle of the pecans. I tilted the pan to make it spread some. Sprinkle with the chocolate morsels and let it stand between 30 seconds to 3 minutes (I say, don’t wait too much longer than a minute or so, mainly because you want to make sure the chocolate and the toffee stick together). Sprinkle the rest of the pecans on top. You can also substitute slivered toasted almonds if you don’t like pecans.
Cool overnight in the freezer for best results. I like to break up the toffee and serve in cookie tins. Keep at room temperature the next day until they’re eaten! Enjoy!
