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Homemade butter toffee is one of those nostalgic holiday treats that instantly brings Christmas memories flooding back. This simple six-ingredient recipe is buttery, crisp, perfectly sweet, and topped with rich chocolate and almonds.
I make this every single year, and it always ends up on our Christmas dessert boards, tucked into little jars for neighbor gifts, or enjoyed with a cozy mug of my Old-Fashioned Hot Apple Cider.
Before You Begin
Before you jump in, here are a few tips I wish someone had told me the first time I made butter toffee. It’s one of those recipes that feels easy once you know its quirks, but a little preparation goes a long way—especially when your kitchen is filled with Christmas music and you’re trying to multitask (don’t ask me how I know!).
- Use room-temperature butter. Cold butter often causes separation.
- Prep everything first. Toffee moves FAST—just like when you’re making caramelized pecans or dried orange slices.
- Use a heavy pot for even heat.
- Line your baking sheet first.
- Read the directions once through before starting, similar to how I recommend preparing for recipes like oreo fudge.
Toffee Vs Caramel
Although toffee and caramel are very similar, there are some differences. Toffee does not contain milk products or cream, which is what gives caramel its thickened, creamy flavor.
Toffee is also heated to a high temperature (285-300°F), allowing it to harden. Whereas the caramel will remain chewy after it is cooled.
Growing up in my house, my dad had a few favorite candies or treats. He would gobble them up so quickly that none of us even got the chance to have any! There is none that I remember him liking more than Almond Roca, a salted chocolate and almond butter toffee! We would find the wrappers left all over the house! There is just something so yummy about the blend of chocolate, almonds, and toffee! Now with this recipe, I can make homemade Almond Roc,a and it even beats the real deal!
Ingredient Substitutions for Butter Toffee
Although this recipe is perfect as it is, sometimes it’s fun to try a few different ingredient variations. I recommend trying it as written the first time you make it, but then take an adventure the next time, with one of these ingredient substitutions.
Sugar
This recipe calls for white granulated sugar; however, you can substitute brown sugar if you would like. White sugar will turn brown once heated and give a delicious caramel flavor. Brown sugar will give a warmer, more molasses flavor to your toffee.
Butter
Unsalted butter is recommended; however, if all you have is salted butter, simply skip the additional salt in this recipe.
Salt
Adding salt to the toffee helps to enhance the other flavors in the recipe. Table salt is used for the toffee recipe; however, kosher salt or large flake salt is recommended for the topping of the toffee.
Vanilla Extract
One teaspoon of vanilla extract can be added to this recipe if desired for a slight flavor variation. Be sure to use the highest quality vanilla extract.
Chocolate
Although any type of chocolate will work in this recipe, semi-sweet chocolate seems to be the perfect contrast to the sweetness of the toffee. For a sweeter variation, try adding milk chocolate or white chocolate chips instead. Dark chocolate will give more of a bitter contrast to the very sweet toffee, too.
Nuts
The options are endless when it comes to adding nuts as the topping for your toffee. Almonds give a full, rich flavor; however, pecans, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, or a combination of nuts would be delicious too.
Christmas Food Gift Ideas
Homemade toffee makes the perfect food gift this time of the year. Make a batch of toffee and wrap the pieces individually like small candies with plastic wrap or holiday paper. Or place a few pieces in a jar or linen bag with a personalized gift tag. This is a very easy but thoughtful gift for anyone to receive for the holidays.
Serve with my amazing old-fashioned hot apple cider for the perfect holiday combination.
How To Make English Butter Toffee
Equipment
- Candy Thermometer, this is a MUST-have for this recipe.
- Baking tray or cookie sheet.
- Large nonstick pot or enameled crock.
- Wooden Spoon.
- Parchment paper.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature.
- 2 cups granulated or white sugar.
- 1 teaspoon table salt.
- 2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- 1 cup whole unsalted, uncooked almonds finely chopped.
- Sea salt or large flake salt for sprinkling on top.
Directions
- Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium heat, combine the unsalted butter, granulated white sugar and salt. Continue stirring the mixture until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.
- Allow the mixture to come to a boil, and cook until the mixture becomes a dark amber color, and the temperature has reached 285 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (137 to 149 degrees C) or the hard crack stage on the candy thermometer. Stir occasionally using a wooden spoon.
- As soon as the toffee reaches the proper temperature, pour it out onto the prepared baking sheet. If you don’t want the toffee to be thick, now is the time to spread it thinner but be sure to move quickly, the toffee will cool quite rapidly.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top, and let it set for a minute or two to soften. You can even place foil over the pan to help the chocolate melt.
- Uncover the toffee and spread the melted chocolate into a thin even layer once it is melted.
- Sprinkle the nuts and sea salt over the chocolate, and press in slightly. Placing a plastic bag over your hand will minimize the mess.
- Cover and place the toffee in the refrigerator to chill until set.
- Lift the parchment paper off the baking sheet and place it onto a cutting board or solid surface.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the toffee and begin to break it into pieces.
- Serve and enjoy!
Tips And Tricks For Making Butter Toffee
- It is VERY important to make sure your butter is at room temperature. I have made this in the past with butter that was too cold, and the mixture separated when I was heating it. The toffee turned out flaky and grainy when it cooled. To fix toffee that has separated, you can add one or two tablespoons of warm water to the mixture. Continuously stir it, and it should mix back together.
- For a slightly different type of English butter toffee, add a layer of whole almonds or nuts to the bottom of the baking sheet prior to pouring the hot toffee on. Once the toffee is cooled, it will be full of delicious nutty chunks.
- The toffee cools extremely fast after pouring out of the pot, so be careful to pour it where you want it; it won’t move around much afterward.
- If you want your toffee all to be the same thickness, try using the 9-inch square or round pan.
- Save any of the small crunchy toffee or toffee bits that are left over on the base of the baking sheet in a freezer bag or sealed jar. These will make delicious toppings for holiday drinks, Christmas cookies, or even to use in a scrumptious holiday Oreo fudge.
Butter Separating In Toffee
Sometimes, when you are making toffee, the butter can separate during the mixing process. This is caused when the temperature changes to high or low too quickly. If this happened, don’t throw it out and start over, it has happened to me before and there is a FIX!
First, it is so important to start the toffee process when your butter is at room temperature instead of cold.
Second, make sure you don’t allow the mixture to heat up too rapidly. Keep your temp at a low to med and stir slowly and consistently. My son helped make toffee one time and he was stirring very rapidly. It didn’t take long for the mixture to separate!
Third, if your mixture does separate, add a tablespoon or two of WARM water to the mixture and continue to stir. This will bring the toffee back together. Allow a few minutes for the water to work, and if it is still separating, add a few more tablespoons of water. Continue the process until your toffee is mixed back together.
Storing English Toffee
Butter toffee can be stored at room temperature for a few days, but it does not taste as good the longer it is left. Make sure you keep it covered if you leave it out overnight. Wrapping each piece in plastic or wrapping paper is fun at Christmas time, too.
When storing the toffee for an extended length of time, place it in an airtight container or toss it into a zip-top freezer bag in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months!
I hope you love this amazing English butter toffee recipe as much as my family does! It’s the perfect easy recipe to serve every year during the holiday season with a cup of hot apple cider. You can also try these delicious caramelized pecans or these tasty gingerbread cookies.
Don’t forget to Pin it for next year and let me know in the comments below if you make it this season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Toffee is considered a sweet or candy because it is a combination of butter and sugar. When combined with chocolate and nuts, it is a delicious treat for Christmas time.
Homemade english butter toffee has a delicious, sweet caramel flavor combined with the richness of butter. It is the perfect flavor combination when it is topped with chocolate and nuts.
Butter toffee is a hard candy that is made from a combination of sugar and butter. The mixture is then brought to the hard crack stage by heating it to the temperature of 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it completely cools and hardens, it can be cracked into smaller pieces of candy.
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Equipment
- Baking tray or cookie sheet.
- Large nonstick pot or enameled crock.
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature.
- 2 cups granulated or white sugar.
- 1 tsp table salt.
- 2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- 1 cup whole unsalted, uncooked almonds finely chopped.
- 1 pinch Sea salt or large flake salt for sprinkling on top.
Instructions
- Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium heat, combine the unsalted butter, granulated white sugar and salt. Continue stirring the mixture until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.
- Allow the mixture to come to a boil, and cook until the mixture becomes a dark amber color, and the temperature has reached 285 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (137 to 149 degrees C) or the hard crack stage on the candy thermometer. Stir occasionally using a wooden spoon.
- As soon as the toffee reaches the proper temperature, pour it out onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top, and let it set for a minute or two to soften. You can even place foil over the pan to help the chocolate melt.
- Uncover the toffee and spread the melted chocolate into a thin even layer once it is melted.
- Sprinkle the nuts and sea salt over the chocolate, and press in slightly. Placing a plastic bag over your hand will minimize the mess.
- Cover and place the toffee in the refrigerator to chill until set. Lift the parchment paper off the baking sheet and place it onto a cutting board or solid surface.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the toffee and begin to break it into pieces.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- It is VERY important to make sure your butter is at room temperature. I have made this in the past with butter that was too cold and the mixture separated when I was heating it. The toffee turned out flaky and grainy when it cooled. To fix the toffee that has separated, you can add one or two tablespoons of warm water to the mixture. Continuously stir it, and it should mix back together.
- For a slightly different type of English butter toffee, add a layer of whole almonds or nuts to the bottom of the baking sheet prior to pouring the hot toffee on. Once the toffee is cooled, it will be full of delicious nutty chunks.
- The toffee cools extremely fast after pouring out of the pot, so be careful to pour it where you want it, it won’t move around much afterward.
- If you are wanting your toffee all to be the same thickness, try using the 9-inch square or round pan.
- Save any of the small crunchy toffee or toffee bits that are left over on the base of the baking sheet in a freezer bag or sealed jar. These will make delicious toppings for holiday drinks, Christmas cookies or even to use in a scrumptious holiday oreo fudge.
How to make butter toffee melt in your mouth… I bought some English butter toffee and I don’t remember who made it and I’ve been buying it online from different companies cheap ones expensive ones and I just can’t find the right one. I love my butter toffee hard but melt away.