This stuff is super easy to make.
Seriously.
If you’ve never made candy at home, start with this one.
It’s almost impossible to screw up.
Trust me: You guys know that, for the most part, I hate fussy recipes.
Toffee Tip
Get a good candy thermometer (they’re cheap, I have one like this) and don’t walk away from the stove when it’s cooking.
I’ll walk you through the whole shebang below.
Like I said, it’s really easy. You can do it!
So, this recipe makes a really crisp and buttery, dark-chocolate covered toffee.
Think Heath bar, but a thousand, gazillion times better.
You can dress it up however you like. With this particular batch, we split the toffee into a handful of flavors.
Customize your toffee toppings
We sprinkled one section with chopped and toasted almonds.
Another, we dusted with cayenne and a little kosher salt.
We sprinkled another section with a mixture of pink Himalayan salt and grey sea salt.
And the last section? We left that plain. Because, you know, purists.
Great for gift giving
Wrap this stuff up in fancy tins and pass it out around the holidays. Your friends and family will love you. 🙂
It ships beautifully, and will keep (well wrapped) on the counter for a few weeks, if it lasts that long.
OK, let’s make some candy!
Easy Chocolate-Covered Toffee
Toffee base
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
8 Tablespoons butter (that’s 1 stick here in the U.S.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Chocolate coating
10-12 oz. dark chocolate chips (or other dark chocolate, chopped)
Topping options
1 cup almonds, toasted + chopped
cayenne
sea salt
Yields about 3/4 lb. toffee
Prep your pan
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper (or a silicone baking mat). Set aside.
It’s a little thing, but do this in advance.
If you wait to line the pan ’til your toffee is done, it can easily burn in the time it takes you to grab a pan and dig out the parchment paper.
Make the toffee base
Grab a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot.
Toss in the sugar, butter, and water.
Give it a quick stir with a fork to combine.
Put the heat on medium.
Stir occasionally until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves completely.
When everything’s liquid, clip your candy thermometer to the side of the pot.
Make sure it doesn’t touch the bottom of the pot, or you can get a false reading.
As it heats up, it will start to boil.
(This is why you use a medium-sized pot, not a small one. It bubbles up at the beginning.
Believe me, you don’t want the sugar to boil over on you. Hot sugar is like napalm, almost no better way to get a nasty burn in the kitchen.)
Cook without stirring (it will be OK, resist the urge to whirl it around) until the toffee reaches about 325 degrees F, which should take about 20 minutes, give or take.
After about 10 minutes, the insane bubbling will start to subside.
All part of the candymaking process.
As you start to approach 325 degrees F, keep a very close eye on the toffee.
If it’s getting a good caramel color around 320 degrees, you can totally yank it off the heat and call it a day.
I pulled this batch at a hair under 320, and it was just fine.
Finish the toffee
When your toffee is nice and caramelized (at or just under 325 degrees F), kill the heat and yank the pot off the stove.
Carefully, toss in the salt and pour in the vanilla extract.
Have a wooden spoon ready to stir.
When the extract hits the hot toffee, it will bubble like CRAZY. Just a warning.
That’s just fine. Stir it carefully to combine.
Immediately, pour out the hot toffee onto your prepared pan.
Top with chocolate
Let the toffee rest for about 5 minutes.
Then, sprinkle with the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.
Let stand for another few minutes.
The heat from the toffee will melt the chocolate to the point where it’s spreadable.
After a few minutes, spread the chocolate over the toffee with a rubber spatula or the back of a wooden spoon.
Spread the chocolate right to the edge of the toffee.
Sprinkle with toppings
While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle with whatever kind of toppings you like.
We split this batch in quarters, but mix it up however you want.
Cayenne and kosher salt (kind of like a Mexican hot chocolate thing going on here):
Grey sea salt and Himalayan pink salt (salty + sweet, love it!):
Toasted almonds (total classic):
Cool the toffee on the counter until the chocolate solidifies.
You can hurry it along and slide the pan into the fridge (uncovered, you don’t want condensation), if you like.
And…BOOM. You just made candy.
Easy, right?
Chop it up + serve!
When the toffee is cool, whack it into gloriously imprecise pieces with a big, sharp knife.
Stack it up on a plate and serve…or pack it up into tins (separate layers with wax or parchment paper) and hand out to your favorite peeps.
      
 Enjoy!
The Hungry Mouse
Yields About 3/4 lb. candy
This recipe makes a really crisp and buttery, dark-chocolate covered toffee. Think Heath bar, but a thousand, gazillion times better.
Save RecipeIngredients
Instructions
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper (or a silicone baking mat). Set aside.
- Grab a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot. Toss in the sugar, butter, and water. Give it a quick stir with a fork to combine.
- Put the heat on medium. Stir occasionally until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves completely.
- When everything’s liquid, clip your candy thermometer to the side of the pot. Make sure it doesn’t touch the bottom of the pot, or you can get a false reading.
- Cook without stirring (it will be OK, resist the urge to whirl it around) until the toffee reaches about 325 degrees F, which should take about 20 minutes, give or take. (As you start to approach 325 degrees F, keep a very close eye on the toffee.)
- When your toffee is nice and caramelized (at or just under 325 degrees F), kill the heat and yank the pot off the stove. Carefully, toss in the salt and pour in the vanilla extract. Stir it carefully to combine.
- Immediately, pour out the hot toffee onto your prepared pan.
- Let the toffee rest for about 5 minutes. Then, sprinkle with the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. Let stand for another few minutes. The heat from the toffee will melt the chocolate to the point where it’s spreadable.
- After a few minutes, spread the chocolate over the toffee with a rubber spatula or the back of a wooden spoon.
- While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle with whatever kind of toppings you like.
- Cool the toffee on the counter until the chocolate solidifies.
- And…BOOM. You just made candy. Easy, right? Enjoy!
