English Toffee
Three layers crunchy and buttery goodness, starting with a layer of rich and decadent toffee. After the toffee is cooked and poured in the pan, sprinkle on a thin layer of chocolate; the heat from the hot toffee quickly melts the chocolate, then finish it off with a sprinkling of toasted and chopped almonds. English Toffee is an old-fashioned confection that is always a delicious treat and makes perfect gifts.
Recipe type: Dessert | Candy | Caramel | Chocolate
Prep time:
Total time:
Recipe Notes
Equipment: Heavy Bottom Pan, Candy Thermometer Method: Stovetop Pan: 9x13 inch Rectangle Pan Prep: Parchment Lined Yield: About 1½ Pounds Storage: Airtight Container, Room Temperature or Refrigerate
Help: Chocolate Types, Sugar and Caramel Stages, Toasting Nuts and Seeds
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accurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Help: Chocolate Types, Sugar and Caramel Stages, Toasting Nuts and Seeds
TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast,
accurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.Ingredients
Toffee:
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoon light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping:
- 8 to 16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into ¼ inch pieces
- ½ cup whole unblanched almonds, toasted, coarsely or finely chopped
Tip: Use 8 ounces for a thin layer of chocolate, or up to 16 ounces for a thicker layer of chocolate.
Instructions
Lightly butter one 13x9x2 inch oblong pan or line the pan with lightly buttered parchment paper. Tip: rub a bit of vegetable shortening or butter in the bottom of the pan corners and well as the pan sides to help the parchment paper to stay in place. Place the pan on a wire rack to protect your countertop from the hot toffee.
Toffee:
- In a medium heavy-bottomed pan, combine sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the butter is melted. Stir gently to avoid splashing the mixture onto the sides of the pan. When the mixture begins to simmer, cover the pan tightly with a lid for 3 to 4 minutes to allow condensation to form and run down the inside of the pan to help wash away stray sugar crystals.
- Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil, without stirring, until the syrup reaches a temperature of 300 degrees F, a hard crack stage, using a candy or instant read thermometer to gauge the temperature. While the syrup is cooking, wash away any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan by wiping upwards with a damp pastry brush so the sugar crystals don’t fall back into the syrup. Immediately remove pan from the heat. Tip: Lower the heat when the temperature reaches 290 degrees to slow the cooking because at this point it will quickly reach 300 degrees. In addition, remove the pan from the heat just before the syrup reaches 300 degrees to prevent it from going over 300 degrees. F.
- Let the hot mixture sit about 30 seconds to let the bubbling subside. Working carefully to prevent splattering, add the vanilla and stir just until mixed.
- Carefully pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Do not scrape out the pot as separated ingredients will mar the top of the toffee. Be careful, the toffee is extremely hot and will burn your skin if you touch it.
Topping:
- Let the toffee sit about 5 minutes to start firming. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly over the top of the toffee and let sit to let the chocolate melt. Use a small offset spatula to gently spread the melted chocolate evenly over the top of the toffee. Sprinkle the chopped almonds over the top and gently press into the chocolate. Tip: Use 8 ounces for a thin layer of chocolate, or up to 16 ounces for a thicker layer of chocolate.
- Let the toffee sit undisturbed until cool and thoroughly set, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- Break or chop hardened toffee into uneven pieces.