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Homemade toffee is super simple with no candy thermometer required! This buttery chocolate treat is a must-make recipe this holiday season.
I love this time of year because of all the desserts! For even more sweet goodies, be sure to try my peanut brittle, caramels, or this delicious fudge!
Easy and Delicious English Toffee Recipe
Chocolate and toffee have always been one of my favorite combinations. I loved Skor bars growing up, and to this day still get super excited when there’s toffee around. That’s why I love this time of year! You start to see things like toffee, brittle, peppermint bark, and everything pumpkin spice appear in the stores! So, to ring in the colder weather and delicious desserts… I present to you- my favorite homemade toffee recipe. It’s as easy as it gets! And the best part is, you can make it without a candy thermometer! Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting out, this is a delicious foolproof recipe. It’s going to become one of your favorites!
This recipe starts with a layer of buttery, golden-brown toffee. It only takes 4 simple ingredients to make! It is then layered with almonds, pecans, and smothered in melted milk chocolate. It’s the best one-pan dessert to make, and perfect for feeding large groups of people! It’s always a crowd-pleaser. As long as the ratios are the same, you can switch out the nuts and chocolate for any kind you prefer! You can even omit the nuts entirely. It’s up to you! No matter how you choose to make it, homemade toffee has an incredible flavor you won’t be able to get enough of.
Ingredients for Homemade Toffee
Homemade toffee is made up of all inexpensive ingredients. You might even have them all in your pantry! The short, simple ingredient list makes this perfect for making big batches of toffee on a regular basis this holiday season. It’s the simplest ingredients that always create the most delicious result! If you’re looking for measurements, you can find them in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Toffee
- Butter: This is what makes your toffee rich and creamy! I like to use salted butter here.
- Sugar: A must for the perfect sweetness! Granulated sugar works best. It melts down and makes the most amazing caramelized color!
- Salt: Salt is added to balance sweetness and enhance overall flavor.
- Vanilla: If you add pure vanilla extract, your homemade toffee will have a richer flavor with more depth.
Nuts and Topping
- Almonds and Pecans: A mixture of both almonds and pecans is used here. I like the chewy texture of almonds paired with the buttery texture of pecans. They pair so well with the flavors of chocolate and toffee!
- Milk Chocolate Chips: Added on top for the melty chocolate layer! You can substitute this with dark or white chocolate, as well.
How to Make Toffee at Home
Making homemade toffee isn’t as complicated as you would think! In just a few simple steps, you too can enjoy this buttery chocolate treat! It’s the best!
- Toast Almonds: Let’s make some toffee! To start, get all of your ingredients measured and set out before you start the recipe. Then, place your almonds on a plate and microwave them for 2-3 minutes on high to toast them.
- Prep Baking Sheet: Line a baking sheet (preferably a 9×13 pan) with foil and place the almonds in a single layer on the foil – space them out as best you can.
- Melt Ingredients Together: Add sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt to a large sauce pan (at least 2-quarts and it needs to have a thick bottom. Don’t use a thin metal one or your toffee will burn!) and melt over medium heat, stirring throughout.
- Cook Toffee Mixture: When ingredients are completely melted, continuously stir and gradually increase heat to medium-high. Keep stirring, stirring, stirring for 9-15 minutes until the toffee is a golden brown color (similar to the color of the raw almonds). As soon as it reaches that color, quickly pour over almonds in your prepared pan.
- Layer Chocolate: Next, allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then sprinkle with chocolate chips. Allow to sit for another couple of minutes so the chocolate chips will melt, then spread over the toffee. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and allow to cool completely. (If you put the pan in the fridge it will speed up the process a bit).
- Break and Enjoy: After toffee and chocolate has completely cooled, use a butter knife to break apart the toffee. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Tips for Making Successful Homemade Toffee
This toffee recipe is super easy and SO good! To make sure you get the best results each time, use these extra tips and tricks! Your next batch is going to be to die for!
- Use Butter: Butter is a necessity when making candies like toffee. Butter substitutes like margarine have too high of a water content and will keep it from hardening. Plus, butter makes your homemade toffee rich and delicious!
- Avoid Humid Days: If it’s too humid when you’re making toffee, it won’t set properly. This is why this recipe is perfect for colder, cooler weather. If it’s too hot and humid, your toffee will end up chewy.
- Keep Temperature Steady: While this recipe doesn’t need a candy thermometer to make, one thing I will say is to keep your cooking temperature steady. Sudden drops or increases in temperature can make you candy consistency uneven.
- Adding Flavors: Homemade toffee is an easy treat to customize. Sometimes I like to drizzle a little salted caramel sauce on top of the chocolate layer! You can also switch up the nuts for things like peanuts or cashews. Swap out milk chocolate for dark or white chocolate! Another thing that is super tasty is adding spice to your chocolate. You can add a little cinnamon, nutmeg, or even things like chai spice for a little extra fall flair.
Storing Leftover Toffee
Homemade toffee has a nice, long shelf life and can be enjoyed again and again. It’s perfect for giving to friends and family as a gift! Here’s how to store for best results!
- At Room Temperature: Keep your toffee pieces in sealed bags or an airtight container. Make sure the toffee is away from any heat sources or it may melt. It will stay good for up to 2 weeks!
More Tried and True Toffee Desserts
I LOVE toffee. I love eating it as-is and also incorporating it into other desserts! Here are some of my favorite toffee dessert recipes that will blow your mind with their rich, buttery flavor. They’re all super easy to make! With how amazing they are, don’t count on them to last long at your house!
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Homemade Toffee
Ingredients
Instructions
- Get all of your ingredients measured and set out before you start the recipe. Then place your almonds on a plate and microwave them for 2-3 minutes on high to toast them. Line a baking sheet (preferable a 9×13 pan) with foil and place the almonds in a single layer on the foil – space them out as best you can.
- Add sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt to a large saucepan (at least 2-quarts and it needs to have a thick bottom – not a thin metal one or your toffee will burn!) and melt over medium heat, stirring throughout.
- When ingredients are completely melted, continuously stir and gradually increase heat to medium-high. Keep stirring, stirring, stirring for 9-15 minutes until the toffee is a golden brown color (similar to the color of the raw almonds). As soon as it reaches that color, quickly pour over almonds in your prepared pan.
- Allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then sprinkle with chocolate chips. Allow it to rest for another couple of minutes so the chocolate chips will melt, then spread over the toffee. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and allow to cool completely. (If you put the pan in the fridge it will speed up the process a bit).
- After the toffee and chocolate are completely cooled, use a butter knife to break apart the toffee. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is it possible to eliminate the almonds on the bottom and just do the toffee without them and use crushed walnuts on the top?
Hi Jane, thank you for your comment. Yes you can eliminate the almonds. You could put walnuts on the bottome in place of the almonds if you want. Let me know how it turns out!
This recipe is the perfect holiday treat! It’s a definitely a must-try for my festive table!
I don’t have almonds can you use any other type of nuts? I have slivered almonds or cashews.
That will be a great twist on this toffee. Let me know how you like it!
This recipe is a WINNER every time. I make batches and give to friends during the holidays. Very easy to make. You can even freeze it… and it tastes amazing frozen too.
Thank you for sharing!! That is a perfect treat to share with others!
Hi Alyssa I have tried this quite a few times but the butter always separates from the sugar however much I whisk it it won’t come back together again, what am I doing wrong or how can I get it right to begin with?
I am sorry this is a problem for you. When adding the first part of ingredients, you will need to stir occasionally and over medium heat. Then stirring non-stop once it is at medium-high heat and for a long period of time (10-15 minutes). I am not sure why it would be separating for you though unless it is stirred to fast and heated too quickly.
this is the same as mine except i put the nuts in at the beginning with the other ingredients,sometimes it takes at least 20 min,sometimes the butter separates and the oil needs to be stired back into the candy,i chop up some almonda and after you pour the candy out lay some hershey bars on top of candy ,spread chic,then sprinkle nuts on top,i don’t lay nuts on pan first
I can’t wait to try this recipe! It looks delicious.
wait, this looks so easy and so good! gotta bookmark this to make some time soon 😉
I made this this year for my annual Christmas Cookie Days. Two days, me , a kitchen, and over a dozen recipes of cookies to whip out. This year I wanted to do a little more than cookies, and I love toffee, so I decided to try it. It came out perfect! My sister said “It’s like you didn’t make it, but that you bought it.” Yes, people it was that yummy. And, on top of the taste being super yummy it was super easy to do. I doubled my batch, but it came out… well, I could ask for it to come out any better. It is now a Christmas Cookie Day staple.
I would like to say I did not like it but I guess I would not have ate half the pan in one sitting if this was the case… really tasty and very easy. Great for gifts.
thanks
I’ll try to prepare this recipe and would like see more.
I would use parchment paper in stead of aluminum foil for easy removal. I’ve made a version of this before with aluminum foil and it was hard to get off.
I make peanut brittle every year, with foil, the trick is to BUTTER the foil first !
Too good and too easy! It kind of tastes like nut or peanut brittle with chocolate. I used semi-sweet chocolate and gave what I didn’t eat away….I ate half the pan.
I will make this again