This may be Steve’s favorite thing that I make. And even though I only make it during the holiday season to give as gifts to family, friends, and co-workers, it’s certainly a sweet treat that could be made any time of year. In fact, Valentine’s Day is fast upon us, and this would make the perfect treat to give your sweetheart.

This recipe makes a LOT, so it’s perfect for a crowd. Plain, it makes about 2 pounds of toffee. Chocolate covered it’s about 2.75 pounds.

It’s a pretty easy recipe—only takes four ingredients, but it does require your close attention for about 30 minutes.

And it is soooooooo worth that 30 minutes.

I mean, this toffee gets rave reviews. And why wouldn’t it? This is candy at it’s best—simple and few ingredients without any unnecessary junk. No preservatives, no colorings, no fillers.

You do need one piece of special equipment to make this, though: a candy thermometer*. While it’s possible to make this without one, I’ve been making this for over a decade and I wouldn’t be comfortable guessing when it’s done based on the color of the mixture or how brown the almonds are. The thermometer takes all the guesswork out of it, so you know your candy is appropriately cooked. Plus, you can find them for about $10 usually, and your local grocery or craft store probably stocks them.

Besides slapping a thermometer onto your pan as you cook the toffee, the only trick to making this is you must stir slowly. As in s….l….o….w….l….y. If you stir too fast (a normal stirring pace is too fast), then the oil may separate, and you’ll see a clear layer on top of the thicker mixture underneath. ALL IS NOT LOST if this happens: simply add 1/2 cup of hot water and stir well (but slowly). The mixture should come back together. But, your toffee will end up overcooked (which isn’t terrible—it’s still fine to eat, but has an extra toasty flavor to it—been there, done that).

To avoid this happening, stir slowly. Really, reeeeeaaaaaaalllllllly slowly. Just keep the mixture moving, scraping your utensil against the bottom of the pan to make sure nothing will burn.

Once it gets to temperature, you pour it into a greased jelly roll pan and let it cool. If you’re covering your toffee with chocolate, melt it and spread it over the toffee while it’s slightly warm. Then you let it sit overnight, and break it into small pieces the next day.

And enjoy every bite.

Toffee

A really simple, delicious buttery toffee that you won't be able to stop eating.

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Servings: 2 pounds

Ingredients

Volume - Weight

• 1 pound salted butter (4 sticks) (if using unsalted, add 1 teaspoon salt)
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup chopped or sliced almonds (optional)

If covering with chocolate...

• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or milk chocolate, if prefered)
• 1 Tablespoon shortening (preferably non-hydrogenated)

Instructions

• Butter a 12" x 18" jelly roll pan. Set on a heat resistant surface or trivets.
  
• Gather all ingredients and tools BEFORE beginning to cook: butter, water, sugar, almonds, candy thermometer, pastry brush and small bowl of water, wooden spoon.
  
• In a large 4 QT pot, combine butter and water, and turn burner to high. Once butter is melted, add sugar and stir constantly until it is completely dissolved. With your pastry brush and bowl of water, wash down the sides of the pot to dissolve any sugar crystals. (Dip your brush into the water and wash down a section, then repeat until you've made it all the way around.)
  
• Turn your burner down to medium low. (On my stove, high is 7, 4 is medium, and I turn it down to 3 for this stage.) Add almonds, clip candy thermometer onto the side of the pan, and stir constantly and VERY SLOWLY until the mixture reaches 290 F/145 C.
  
• Remove from heat immediately and pour into prepared pan. (Tip the pan back and forth to spread it out evenly, if needed.)
  
• If covering with chocolate, let the toffee sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes until just slightly warm. Melt the chocolate chips with the shortening in a double boiler on the stove or in the microwave (start with 2 minutes on 50% power, stir, then go another minute or so until completely melted). Place a paper towel on top of the toffee to soak up any oil that may be present (if left, the chocolate may have trouble sticking). Spread the chocolate on top of the toffee as evenly as possible.
  
• Let toffee sit uncovered overnight at room temperature, then break into small pieces. Store in an airtight container.
  

Notes

Recipe adapted from Candymaking by Ruth Kendrick and Pauline Atkinson*.

*The candy thermometer and cookbook are Amazon affiliate links.  Thanks!  Please see the right sidebar for more info.