English Toffee
Originally posted December 22, 2017 Eric is re-washing the sheet pan that he just washed, because there was still butter on it from making this toffee recipe on it today. (Toffee’s got a lot of butter. Or maybe he was just trying to wash the pan with olive oil like I did that one time.) We have two sheet pans, one that is 10 years old and the other one I just bought a few months ago (I really don’t know how I got by with just one actually.) Eric told me that the poor new sheet pan was probably traumatized when it got settled in our kitchen. Like, if there was a kitchen version of Toy Story. New Pan Guy comes in all sparkling and clean, thinking it’s going to be a jolly time in this new home. Then he sees the state of the other pans and is struck with terror, “Oh my gosh, what did she DO to you??” I am Sid in this story. How is Christmas prep going? Are you all done shopping? Sent the Christmas cards? Planned the menu? Lit up the house and tree?? (There is so much to do, I love it all!) Have you passed out neighbor gifts yet? Lucky for you I’ve got a last minute solution: stellar homemade toffee takes about 15 minutes start to finish. Yes, real toffee, no cheat stuff. This is real candy and it’s really amazingly easy, I promise.
How to make Toffee
The thing about candy is that there are some ground rules. Things like, use a heavy pot, don’t let sugar granules get on the edge while cooking, and totally concrete instructions like, “When it reaches an amber color.” I’m sorry but when was the last time you saw what color amber actually was. It sounds intimidating but it’s really not that bad. Here’s the breakdown: use a heavy pot so that your candy cooks evenly. Don’t get sugar granules on the edge of the pan or it could crystalize the candy (meaning it won’t turn into toffee). And finally, stop cooking when it looks like peanut butter, not amber, silly. Okay, okay, so I’m an annoying color-test hypocrite. But really…the peanut butter color test totally works. There is NO PEANUT BUTTER in this recipe, I repeat, this is not Peanut Butter Toffee. This is another Aunt Shirley recipe, and her instructions include no temperature levels, but instead say to get out your jar of peanut butter, set it next to the stove, and when the candy in the pot turns the same color as the peanut butter, it’s done. I made this 4 times, and it worked every time. I also checked with a candy thermometer. The temperature you want is between 285 and 300 degrees. Check the recipe below for all the details. I use a plain old candy thermometer that you can pick up at any store, but I want to try out this digital one. (Santa? Can you hear me??) Pour that sugar right in the middle. I like my toffee to stop cooking right in between soft crack and hard crack stages. See?? It looks just like peanut butter!
English Toffee Recipe
Have I scared you off?? Come baaaack! This English toffee recipe is totally worth making, even if you have to remember a few pesky rules. I still remember the first time I had homemade English toffee. It was a neighbor gift from my friend Joan at our old house. She had dozens of little bags of toffee to hand out to friends, and I think I ate our family’s whole bag without sharing (sorry Eric). I fell in love with homemade toffee that day and now I’m so happy to be able to make it on my own! Merry Christmas everyone! Let me know if you try out the recipe, I love hearing from you! Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter One year ago: Swedish Sour Cream Twists (Layered Yeast Cookies)Two years ago: Overnight Biscuits and Gravy Casserole « Christmas morning, make it!Six years ago: Sausage, Potato, and Kale Soup (like from Olive Garden) More Christmas candy ideas! Caramel Nougat Pecan Rolls « I adore these! My Mom’s Fudge « a classic. Sticky Sweet-and Salty Chex Mix: More toffee from blog friends! Better Than Anything Toffee from Mom on TimeoutSea Salt Pecan Toffee from Barefeet in the KitchenSaltine Toffee with Pecans and Toffee Bits from Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen
