English Butter Toffee
This English Butter Toffee is real, honest-to-goodness, made from scratch toffee. It’s the classic candy that you’ve loved your entire life, and you can make it at home. It’s easier than you think!
English toffee is such a classic candy flavor. Almost everyone loves it, but it’s a recipe that we don’t see made that often. We’re sharing our recipe to change that. While many people think toffee is fiddly and hard to make, it’s actually far easier than you think!
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s classic, homemade English toffee.
- It’s full of nutty, chocolaty, caramel flavor.
- It only uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- It’s the perfect treat for any occasion.
- It’s so much easier than you think!
🛒Ingredients
You’ll only need a handful of simple ingredients to make this recipe, and you can find them all in your kitchen or after one quick trip to your local grocery store.
All the ingredients you’ll need are listed here, but you can find the exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Unsalted butter
- Corn syrup
- Salt
- Sugar
- Dark chocolate
- Chopped pecans
- Water
🔪 How to Make English Butter Toffee
This rich, delicious English butter toffee is far easier to make than you might think. All you need is a few minutes and a candy thermometer. After that, it’s just a few simple steps and a few minutes to delicious toffee.
Step 1: Prep
Line an 11×7 baking pan with parchment paper or foil and spray with a light layer of nonstick spray. Set aside.
Step 2: Mix the Toffee Ingredients
Add the corn syrup, water, and sugar to a large pot and stir well enough to wet the sugar. Brush down the sides of the pot with a wet pastry brush if necessary to remove stray sugar from the side of the pan. Add the butter.
Step 3: Bring to a Boil
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Boil to Hard Crack
Once the mixture begins to boil, remove the spoon and do not stir again. Boil the mixture until a candy thermometer reads 290 to 300 degrees. Then, immediately remove the mixture from the heat.
Step 5: Pour and Cool
Pour the toffee into the prepared pan and let it cool for at least 10 minutes.
Step 6: Remove Excess Butter
Wipe the excess butter off the top of the toffee with a clean paper towel. If the toffee “grabs” the paper towel, let it cool for a few more minutes.
Step 7: Add Chocolate
Melt the chocolate and pour it over the toffee. Use a spatula to spread it in an even layer.
Step 8: Add Nuts
Sprinkle chopped pecans over the chocolate and let the toffee set. Then, break it into pieces and enjoy!
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Pecans – You can use your favorite nuts for this toffee.
- Dark Chocolate – Semi-sweet, dark, or milk chocolate all work for this toffee, although dark chocolate is the classic pairing.
- Holly Jolly Toffee – Try sprinkling holiday candies like M&Ms on top of your toffee.
If you’re looking for more holiday candy ideas, then check out our Grinch pretzel brittle.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large pot
- Pastry brush
- Candy thermometer
- 11×17 baking pan
- Parchment paper or foil
🥫 Storage
Store this toffee for 2 to 3 weeks in an air-tight container at room temperature. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 6 months in an air-tight, freezer-safe container.
What to Serve with English Butter Toffee
This delicious toffee is wonderful with a glass of milk for the kids or a cup of coffee or tea for the grownups. In addition, English toffee pairs well with spirits like Moscato, Prosecco, Sauvignon Blanc, or a light Chardonnay.
You can also pair this toffee with fresh fruit or break it up into smaller pieces to serve beside or on ice cream.
💭 Tips
- It’s vital that you DO NOT stir the toffee once it comes to a boil. It must boil undisturbed to reach the correct consistency.
- It’s important to brush the excess butter off the top of the cooled toffee so the chocolate can adhere to it.
- Never refrigerate your toffee. It will dry it out and ruin it.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Toffee is a sweet confection made by caramelizing sugar or molasses along with butter. It’s heated to hard crack stage, then spread and cool. Toffee is often topped with a layer of chocolate and nuts.
Toffee that isn’t cooked to the correct temperature will be soft and chewy rather than hard and crackly.
Stirring toffee can cause the sugars to crystallize and separate, ruining the toffee.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy toffee? Then try these delicious recipes:
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
English Butter Toffee
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- large pot
- Pastry brush
- Candy thermometer
- 11×17 baking pan
- Parchment paper or foil
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ⅔ cups sugar
- 10 ounces dark chocolate
- 2 cups chopped pecans
Instructions
- Prepare an 11×17 or similar size pan with sides by lining with parchment or foil and spray with a thin layer of non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Place the corn syrup, water, salt and sugar in a large pot.
- Stir well enough to wet the sugar. Brush down the sides with a wet pastry brush if necessary, to remove any stray sugar granules from the side of the pan. Add in the butter
- Heat over medium heat and stir occasionally until it begins to boil.
- Once boiling, remove the spoon and do not stir again.
- Mixture needs to heat to hard crack stage, so using a candy thermometer, heat until 290-300 degrees. Remove from heat.
- Pour into your prepared pan. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Take a clean paper towel and wipe off the excess butter on top of the toffee to help secure the chocolate to the toffee. If the toffee is still too warm and it is grabbing the paper towel, allow it to cool for a few more minutes.
- Melt chocolate and pour over toffee, using a spatula to spread evenly.
- Sprinkle the chopped pecans (or other nut of choice) over the chocolate. Allow it to set.
- Break up the toffee into pieces.
