Homemade toffee can become a regular at-home treat with this quick & easy toffee recipe!
- This easy toffee recipe has loads of dark chocolate and crushed, salty pretzels.
- Only a handful of ingredients are needed for this easy toffee recipe.
- For an extra chocolatey treat, coat both sides of the toffee with melted chocolate and pretzels!
- Pair this toffee with a light roast coffee to balance out the dark and buttery flavors of the toffee.
Toffee, also known as buttercrunch in the US, is a delectable hard candy that is made by boiling sugar and butter together.
This recipe is unique in that it’s very thin (so it’s safe for your teeth!) and it’s also nut-free. Pretzels are used here to give it that extra bit of texture that nuts provide in traditional English toffee.
Read on to find out all of the tips you need to make this quick and easy batch of toffee.
A candy thermometer is ideal for this recipe, but you can also use the toffee’s color as a base point.
It’s best to use a candy thermometer for this toffee recipe to be sure that the butter and sugar mixture has reached 300°F. But if you don’t have one on hand, it’s going to be okay.
It should work equally as well to watch the color transformation of your butter and sugar mixture. It will turn from a light yellow to a gold to a then amber shade. When it has reached the dark amber color, remove the mixture from heat.
If your butter mixture has separated, you may need to add a small amount of water.
The first step of heating the butter and sugar together is crucial, and it must be approached without haste. Heat it slowly at a medium-low heat. If you notice the butter starting to separate (it will rise to the top), then remove the pan from heat and stir it constantly until it blends back together. Then, place the mixture back on the burner.
If this doesn’t help, go ahead and add one teaspoon of water, and stir into the mixture. This should help the butter blend in now. If not, add another teaspoon or two.
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Spread out the butter & sugar mixture as thin and as evenly as possible into the prepared 13 x 9 inch pan.
At this stage, you are forming the thickness of your toffee so be very aware of how thick you’re spreading it out onto the prepared 13 by 9 inch baking pan. It should be spread as evenly and as thinly as possible to create a thin toffee.
Do your best to spread it out to the edges of the baking pan. I like mine really thin, so I used a silicone spatula to spread mine out entirely. If it doesn’t quite reach, just make sure that the toffee is spread out to your desired thickness.
You can also choose to keep the toffee thick by not spreading it out as far if you like a heftier piece of toffee.
Note: Your toffee may have a layer of butter on top while you’re spreading it out at this stage, and that’s totally normal. You will dab off the extra butter with a paper towel after you’ve spread it onto the pan.
If you don’t like pretzels, replace with your favorite type of nut such as walnuts or pretzels.
My pick for toffee is pretzels all the way. I’ve tried this recipe with nuts as well (see photos), but I much prefer the pretzels because it gives the toffee an extra hint of salt. It helps to juxtapose the sweet, rich flavors of the toffee.
Walnuts work well and pecans, too, pair wonderfully with toffee.
Double coat the toffee in melted chocolate by doubling the chocolate for this recipe.
If you are a chocolate-lover, you can double the amount of chocolate in this recipe to 1 1/2 cups in order to coat both sides of the toffee with chocolate.
After you’ve finished coating the first side of toffee with chocolate, proceed as normal to allow it to set out at room temperature for 20 minutes (in Step 8 below).
Now before proceeding to Step 9, go ahead and flip the toffee over and spread the double portion of chocolate onto the other side of the toffee. The chocolate should be set enough to allow you to flip the entire chunk of toffee over.
You can also add more pretzels to the other side of the chocolate coating. After you’ve spread the chocolate, continue to Step 9 (in recipe below).
Pair this toffee with a light roast coffee to balance out the full, rich flavors of the toffee.
For a toffee-coffee pairing, opt for a light roast coffee. A light roast tends to offer more delicate flavors and almost resembles a tea if brewed properly. The light body and bright flavors will work to balance out the deep, sweet flavors of the rich toffee.
One wonderful light roast coffee I recently tried is One Village Coffee’s Guatemala Finca La Revuelta Natural Light Roast. It’s very bright, with high acid, and boasts of maple, raspberry, and pecan tasting notes.
Pair Coffee Like You Would Wine
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Quick and Easy Toffee Recipe (Nut-Free!)
Line a 13" x 9" baking pan with a piece of parchment paper, so that it covers the bottom and the sides. The parchment paper sheet should overhang on two sides sides of the pan.
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the butter, sugar, and salt. Stir until all of the butter has melted. Don't rush this process by bumping up the heat!
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Stir occasionally until it reaches about 300° F on a candy thermometer or until it reaches a dark amber color. Immediately remove from heat when it reaches the desired color and temperature.
Stir in the baking soda. The mixture will foam some. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Spread the mixture out as evenly and as thinly as possible (or to your desired thickness). Allow it to set for 20 minutes at room temperature.
When the toffee has cooled, take it out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang and place it onto a clean cutting board. Dab any remaining butter from the toffee's surface using a paper towel.
To absorb the remaining butter, sprinkle the cocoa powder over the toffee's surface using your fingers to rub it in fully.
Before the toffee has finished setting, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave to stir. Continue this process of microwaving by 30-second intervals and stirring until chocolate has completely melted.
Spread the chocolate evenly over the toffee's surface. Sprinkle with crushed pretzels on top. Cool to room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Cover it gently with aluminum foil, and place toffee in the fridge to chill until set.
Remove from the refrigerator and allow it to reach room temperature. Break or cut the toffee into 1.5-inch pieces. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Ingredients
Directions
Line a 13" x 9" baking pan with a piece of parchment paper, so that it covers the bottom and the sides. The parchment paper sheet should overhang on two sides sides of the pan.
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the butter, sugar, and salt. Stir until all of the butter has melted. Don't rush this process by bumping up the heat!
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Stir occasionally until it reaches about 300° F on a candy thermometer or until it reaches a dark amber color. Immediately remove from heat when it reaches the desired color and temperature.
Stir in the baking soda. The mixture will foam some. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Spread the mixture out as evenly and as thinly as possible (or to your desired thickness). Allow it to set for 20 minutes at room temperature.
When the toffee has cooled, take it out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang and place it onto a clean cutting board. Dab any remaining butter from the toffee's surface using a paper towel.
To absorb the remaining butter, sprinkle the cocoa powder over the toffee's surface using your fingers to rub it in fully.
Before the toffee has finished setting, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave to stir. Continue this process of microwaving by 30-second intervals and stirring until chocolate has completely melted.
Spread the chocolate evenly over the toffee's surface. Sprinkle with crushed pretzels on top. Cool to room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Cover it gently with aluminum foil, and place toffee in the fridge to chill until set.
Remove from the refrigerator and allow it to reach room temperature. Break or cut the toffee into 1.5-inch pieces. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
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