Easy English Toffee Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between English toffee and regular toffee? ›

In America we call most toffee, English Toffee. What's the difference between English and American toffee? The main difference is that traditional English toffee is created without nuts, while American toffee is created with a variety of nuts. The most common nuts being the almond.

Don't hurry this gradual transformation; syrup that doesn't reach 300°F, or close to it, will make candy with timid flavor and chewy (not crunchy) texture. Think you can save time by bringing the syrup to a full rolling, popping boil in order for it to darken more quickly? Think again.

It can help stabilize and maintain the structure of whipped cream and meringue so they don't fall flat once you're done whipping them. Preventing sugar crystallization. Cream of tartar can prevent your homemade hard candy, caramel, and toffee from forming a gritty texture due to sugar crystallization.

This recipe includes a dash of vinegar which will help keep the colour of the toffee clear and bright and banish any cloudiness.

This toffee is cooked initially to 310°F (154°C), then the salt and baking soda are added, creating carbon dioxide. The foaming and bubbling aerate the candy somewhat, making the texture lighter and the candy easier to bite into.

If the butterfat separates out then usually this is due to the mixture being either heated or cooled too quickly, which "shocks" the mixture and causes the fat to separate out. It can also be caused by the mixture being heated unevenly (if the pan has a thin base and has hot spots).

Once the butter has melted, stop stirring and bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, cook, stirring only 2 to 3 times, until it turns a dark amber color and the temperature reaches 285 degrees F (137 degrees C) on a candy thermometer, 20 to 30 minutes.

Cook until the toffee registers 285-290 degrees on an instant-read or candy thermometer and is deep amber brown in color, about 20-25 minutes. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the toffee evenly over the nuts on the prepared baking sheet – don't scrape the sides of the pan.

Add the water and again bring to the boiling point. Boiling the butter and water will dissolve the sugar crystals very quickly. This will keep the batch from recrystallizing during the cooking process.

Vinegar or lemon juice: It's not ideal to substitute a dry ingredient for a wet ingredient while baking since it can alter the texture, but using vinegar or lemon juice instead of cream of tartar will work in a pinch.

Why is my homemade toffee grainy? ›

As the toffee cools and the molten sugar crystals become solid again, they are attracted to the 'seed' forming new lumps of tiny crystals – hence the grainy texture. This can also happen if the toffee is stirred, or agitated, after it has begun to boil or on cooling (as happened with this pink-tinted toffee).

A little corn syrup doesn't add moisture but does help stabilize the mixture. It helps the mixture heat up evenly and cook properly. Now, every time I make English toffee, it comes out perfect as long as I follow these three steps: use a heavy bottom saucepan.

To avoid starting again, try these tips. Dissolve the sugar completely before increasing the heat and bringing the mixture to the boil. You'll know when it's dissolved - there won't be any crystals on your spoon. Brush any sugar crystals from the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush during the toffee-making process.

Most of the time, the candy gets sticky due to humidity, so it's preventable by using airtight containers next time. Any hard candy can be remelted with a little water and made into new candy. What is the best sticky toffee cake recipe?

Storage: Store in an airtight container or zip-top bag up to 2 weeks. I like to layer the toffee between wax paper to prevent sticking. Freeze: You may also freeze the toffee in freezer-safe container up to 3 months.

English toffee and American toffee diverged with the preferred use of sugar type. English toffee is made with brown sugar, while American-style toffee, known as buttercrunch is made with white table sugar (granulated sugar). Buttercrunch is typically dusted with crushed almonds or other nuts.

In fact, if you want to get technical about it, toffee is just butterscotch that hardens when cooked to a higher temperature (as opposed to softer butterscotch that is heated to a lower, more pourable consistency). When toffee is topped with chocolate and nuts, it is often referred to as English Toffee.

Toffee is a hard candy that combines the classic cooked sugar sweetness of caramel with the richness of butter. Technically, toffee is butterscotch—a combination of butter and sugar—cooked to what's known as the hard-crack stage in confectionery: over 300 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer.

Toffee is butterscotch that has been cooked for a longer period of time. Toffee begins as a base of butter and brown sugar that is gradually cooked to the hard-crack sugar stage between 295 and 309 degrees Fahrenheit.