Anyone make English Toffee candy? I made it 2 years ago and it was perfect...this

M

marilynfl

Moderator
year, with my new All-Clad pot and my new Thermapen, the toffee is VERY HARD cooked to 290 degrees. It softens in the mouth, but I literally had to drink hot tea to get it out of my tooth. So I dumped that entire batch (I honestly didn't want to de-tooth the entire library staff) and made another batch today. This time I stopped it at 280 and it's a uber-firm caramel. Not crunchy, but I'm not worried this version will pull out a filling.

However I still managed to screw up the second batch by cooling off the toffee portion in the frig while I was tempering TO PERFECTION the dark chocolate coating. Unfortunately, the toffee was TOO COLD and the PERFECTLY TEMPERED 87 DEGREE DARK CHOCOLATE didn't stick--it just shears off like ice floes from a glacier. So I turned on the oven and threw the entire pan in there, toffee, chocolate, almonds and all. They're getting it tomorrow, come what may.

It is a good thing I don't make a living at this.

So...do you candy makers take it all the way to 290 degrees? And it is very, very stiff?

 
Also, if someone had taken a glucose reading on me while I was in the kitchen with this mess, it

would have burst through the digital reading device like a Roman candle.

 
Marilyn, I use this recipe and it is perfect every time.

Easy Microwave Toffee
Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Servings: 1 (792 g)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup whole untoasted almonds, , coarsely chopped
1/4 cup toasted almonds, finely chopped, for topping
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1 Combine butter, brown sugar, sugar, corn syrup, salt and water.

2 Microwave on high 2-2½ minutes until butter is melted.

3 Stir well until butter and sugar are completely blended.

4 Stir in 1/2 cup almonds.

5 Microwave on high for 7 to 9 more minutes until the temperature reaches 300°F. (Start checking temperature at 6 min. then continue checking at 30 second intervals.)

6 Pour on to a foil-lined 18 x 13 in. baking sheet. Wait 1 to 2 minutes.

7 Sprinkle chocolate on top. Wait until chips melt (about 2 minutes) and spread to cover toffee..

8 Sprinkle the remaining finely chopped almonds on the top of the chocolate. (At this point you can score it into long pieces to make cutting it easier).

9 Let toffee sit for about 15 to 20 minutes and then refrigerate until completely cool and chocolate is set. (about 30 to 60 min.) Then break it up into small pieces. (Or cut along the scored lines and then cut each of these into squares.)

Notes: Perfect! and so easy.

 
Both roz and cyn's have more butter, less sugar and take way less time to reach high temp.

I was using the recipe from the CIA confectionary book. I swear I'm at the stove for 30 minutes getting it to temp. Am I cooking it too slow...and more of ...something...is evaporating??

I'm not sure my pancreas can handle making another batch of this stuff.

 
CRACK - just suggesting smileys/wink.gif

Quick, easy, makes a huge batch, gentle on the teeth and loved by all. Once you have CRACK you'll never go back!

Almond CRACKer Toffee
1 sleeve (or so) of saltine crackers
1 cup minus 1 TBS of butter (15 TBS)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (12 oz) bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (or 6oz milk and 6oz semi chips)

1 tbs butter
1/2 cup sliced almonds (or whole, toasted, and chopped)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15X10 pan with foil and butter liberally. Lay saltine crackers in a single layer across the bottom, breaking the last few to fit.
2. In a heavy saucepan, heat the butter and brown sugar over medium high heat, stirring until they blend well. Continue to heat, without stirring, until the mixture begins to boil. Boil for 2 minutes more, then pour over the crackers. Spread the mixture evenly (I use a metal spreader/spatula). Bake for 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, lightly saute the sliced almonds in a medium skillet over medium heat with the tbs of butter. (Careful not to overcook!) Set aside. (****I skip this step and use toasted almonds chopped into large and small pieces - we didn't like the greasy almonds.)
4. Remove toffee from oven and top evenly with chocolate chips (I sprinkle semi and milk chips in stripes for different flavors in each bite). Bake for 1-2 minutes more. Remove from oven and lightly spread melted chocolate to join lines and cover (I use the metal spreader again). Top with toasted nuts and lightly tap nuts with the tip of a knife to secure them in the chocolate. Cool completely.
5. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Use the foil to release the toffee. Break into uneven pieces and serve. Toffee pieces keep well in the fridge and make a cool gift broken apart or wrapped as one tasty sheet.

This makes a huge batch of CRACK - plan ahead to share or you will consume all of it! Colleen

There are recipes to make this with matzo or Fritos or pretzels.

 
Already made 35 pounds in the last few weeks...

as it sells quite well at the Farmers' Market!

I take mine to 295-300. It takes me a good 30-40 minutes to get to the final temp. I also add some baking soda to lighten the "crunch" so it isn't crazy hard while eating.

 
I had to check some recipes because I remember cooking mine to 304*. I think

yours was not to a hard enough stage and VERY sticky caramel.
I always cooked mine in a cast iron pan which would be a poor man's version of your fine All Clad pan!!
I see others cook theirs higher. Now I think I'll have to whip up a couple of recipes!!

 
I made this yesterday... Lisa's Toffee. It was good, but not the way I remember it. I think she

must have used something different from a Hershey bar. I am guessing she used a higher grade dark chocolate.

It was not as "easy" as I expected or was lead to believe. Maybe a spilspat would have helped.

Loved the toffee, just not the chocolate... But, could just be me, as I really am not a sweet eater.

http://eat.at/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=219239

 
I make this every year. It's from an old BH&G gingham covered book.

But I only have an old Cuisinart pot. However, I did use my new Thermoworks Chef Alarm which worked like a charm.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Almond Butter Crunch

Recipe By :Better Homes and Gardens
Serving Size : 20 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Candy

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

1 cup butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3 tablespoons water
1 cup toasted almonds -- coarsely chopped
9 ounces milk chocolate -- grated
1 cup toasted almonds -- finely chopped

Melt butter in heavy 2-quart saucepan. Add sugar, syrup, and water. Cook, stirring often, to hard crack stage (300 degrees---watch carefully after 280 degrees).
Quickly stir in coarsely chopped nuts; spread in well greased 13x9x2 inch pan. Cool for 5 minutes then spread with chocolate and sprinkle with finely chopped nuts.
Turn out on waxed paper. Chill to firm. Break.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 285 Calories; 20g Fat (61.4% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 25g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 28mg Cholesterol; 107mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 4 Fat; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 4139 0

 
Thnaks for asking this Mar, I wanted to make some toffee this year, this is the first

place I always come when searching for a recipe.

I am looking for one that is more "airy" so it snaps when you bite into it, I'm thinking desertculinary's tip about adding baking soda is what I am going for.

 
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