Last updated on October 25th, 2024
Old-Fashioned Toffee is a classic candy recipe made from butter and sugar and topped with chocolate and pecans. Toffee can be very tricky to make and I am lucky enough to have learned from my mother-in-law hands-on. You can make this year-round, however I’ve only ever made it as a special treat around the holidays. It makes for a perfect homemade gift when placed in a holiday tin.
How to make Old-Fashioned Toffee
INGREDIENTS
butter:
Use good quality real butter since it is a main ingredient. My favorite brands are Challenge or Land O’ Lakes. Be sure to let the butter fully incorporate into the superfine sugar, otherwise your toffee will tun out grainy. The recipe calls for 1 pound of butter (i.e. 4 sticks) so I like to use half salted and half unsalted to provide a hint of salt without adding any additional salt to the recipe.
superfine sugar:
There are several types of sugar to use in your baked goods. When making candy use superfine sugar. I use Baker’s Sugar which is made of smaller sugar crystals that will dissolve faster to help ensure your toffee doesn’t come out grainy.
BAKER’S TIPS
heavy-duty cookware:
When making Old-Fashioned Toffee you need a good heavy duty pot or sauce pan that holds high heat. I use a LeCreuset dutch oven.
thermometer:
Also be sure to have a very good candy thermometer. You should always test your candy thermometer before you use it. To test your thermometer, boil water and place the thermometer in the boiling water. If it reads 212F degrees it is good to go. If not, adjust the temperature called for in the candy recipe to an adjusted temperature. For example: if your thermometer is 5 degrees higher (217F), add 5 degrees to the recipe temperature.
EQUIPMENT
silicone pastry brush:
When making candy keep a small bowl of water next to the stove. After you stir candy, the sugar crystals tend to form along the side of the pan. After you stir it, take your silicone pastry brush dipped in water and run along the edge of the candy to dissolve those sugar crystals.
Old-Fashioned Toffee
Equipment
- Heavy-duty dutch oven
- Candy Thermometer
- 2 quarter sheet pans
Ingredients
- 1 c. salted butter
- 1 c. unsalted butter
- 2 c. superfine sugar
- ½ c. nuts (pecans) chopped fine
- 4 milk or semi-sweet chocolate bars
Instructions
PREP
- Set out 2 quarter sheet pans, pre-chop the nuts.
MAKE CANDY
- Place butter and sugar in a heavy-duty sauce pan. Stir once in a while until it starts to reach high heat. Right after you stir the mixture, dip silicone pastry brush in water and run around the side of pan to dissolve the sugar crystals.
- Continue to stir and watch closely as candy thermometer registers between 295-300°.
- Remove from heat and pour immediately onto the 2 pans.
- Add 2 broken up chocolate bars over each pan of the toffee and cover with foil. Let melt for a few minutes. Remove foil and spread melted chocolate with off-set spatula.
- Sprinkle on nuts and put pans in the fridge to set for a few hours or overnight.
- Break up toffee and store in a container.
