English Toffee

English Toffee

I always got really excited when it was the holidays and my mom started making candy. She would mix things up a little every year but she had her staples and that included this classic toffee. My mouth would just salivate in anticipation to get to eat this crunchy sticky chocolate candy. It was also fun to help her make it. This is a recipe I plan to make every year now that I have a family of my own. 

My day started out with the intentions of just making peanut brittle for my boss, my husband and I and for a church activity. I had to run to the store to get more peanuts and while I was there I got a wild hair to make a bunch of candy all in one day.  I don't know if I would necessarily recommend doing that especially if you are like me and have a small child who wants your attention. Plus my feet were a little sore at the end of the day and I was pretty beat. My desire to make something great for dinner went right out the window so my little guy and I enjoyed a fancy box of mac and cheese. My husband was at work so I felt like I could get away with it. It was just to much cooking and baking all in one day for me but I did enjoy it and I had delectable treats to nibble on as my reward.  However my kitchen was a mess and I had lots of dishes to do. If only one of Santa's helpers could come to help clean up..

This candy comes together fairly quickly, lots faster then peanut brittle even though its sort of similar. Butter the sides of a 2 quart or medium size sauce pan. Melt the butter then add your sugar, water and corn syrup. Bring it to a boil then turn down your heat. Use a candy thermometer to heat it to 290 degrees or to a soft crack stage. It takes about 15 minutes. You can also drop some of the sugar mixture into some cold water and use your mouth as your guide. it should crack and not be  terribly sticky.

Since I was making so many other things at the same time I neglected taking more pictures of my beautiful toffee but I captured the most important ones I think. 

Pour the hot mixture over a buttered or lined large baking sheet. Move the sheet back and forth a little to help thin it out a little but be careful since its hot and you don't want it to thin. It will not cover the whole pan, mine ended up being a little to thin in the middle and I had a really hard time getting that part off of the pan. The edges were perfect though.  Let it cool for only a couple of minutes. Sprinkle some chocolate chips on top and let them warm up for a minute or two. Then use a small off set spatula to spread the melted chocolate all around. Immediately sprinkle with chopped pecans. 

Let it cool completely before breaking into pieces. If you keep your house pretty warm store it in the fridge so the chocolate stays firm. 

I think this candy is a favorite for a lot of people and is always a big hit when I make it for others. 

I really hope you enjoy making candy for the holidays. It's one of my favorite parts of the holidays and I cherish the memories I have with my mom in the kitchen making lots of yummy treats. 

This is my end result of the day. I brought this over to my neighbors to thank them for being so great and for snow blowing our drive way. I sure hope they enjoyed them. Who am I kidding, how could you not.  

English Toffee

1 cup Butter

1 cup Sugar

3 Tbs water

1 Tbs light corn syrup

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Butter a large baking sheet or line with foil; set aside. Butter the sides of a 2 quart saucepan. Melt butter in pan then add sugar, water and syrup. Cook and stir over medium high heat until it boils. Use a candy thermometer to heat mixture to 290 degrees, soft crack (about 15 minutes) Watch carefully so it doesn't scorch or over cook. Remove from heat; remove thermometer. Pour candy into prepared pan and spread quickly. Don't spread out to thin. 

Let candy stand for 2 minutes then sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes to melt the chocolate. Spread evenly over candy then sprinkle with nuts. Chill for 20 minutes or until cool. Break into pieces. Store up to 3 weeks. 

Try adding/Substituting:

Almonds

Walnuts

Milk Chocolate

Dark Chocolate

Peanut Brittle

Peanut Brittle

It wasn't Christmas around our house unless there was Peanut Brittle and Toffee. We all took our turns helping my mom make these and after making them for 20 or more years she is a pro. I however am not and this year was the first time I made peanut brittle on my own. Not to toot my own horn but I think I did a pretty fantastic job. Brittle can be tricky because you want it at the perfect hard crack stage or else it will be to sticky and get all stuck in your teeth and be hard to eat. 

So lets start with the brittle first then I'll post about the toffee... get excited about that because its my favorite YUMMMM!!!!

This recipe comes from the Better Homes and Garden cook book. So if you have one up in your cupboard collecting dust take it out and check it out. There are some great gems in this book. 

Alright here we go.... 

Take that partial stick of butter you have hanging out in the fridge and peel back the paper a little. Run it around the sides of a 3 quart size sauce pan. This will help keep that sticky sugar from sticking all over the pan and will make it easier to stir. Now combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter and water and let the magic begin. Boil the mixture then clip a candy thermometer to the side. 

Reduce your heat to medium low but let it to continue to boil. Stir it occasionally until the temperature reaches 275 degrees or a soft-crack. It took mine 30 minutes and it was at the perfect stage so if you don't have a thermometer that is ok, you can still make this by using other methods. 

See how the color is changing...

This is how it should look once that 30 minutes is up and it's at 275 degrees. Now its time to add your nuts. 

It will be kind of hard to stir them and it will seem so thick but its ok you are doing it right. Stir often so you don't burn the nuts. Cook until it reaches 295 degrees or a hard crack stage. The recipe in the book said it would take 15 to 20 minutes but mine was more like 10 minutes so watch it really carefully. 

If you aren't using a candy thermometer test it in some cold water. Put cold water in a small cup or bowl. Drop some of the hot sugar mixture into the water. Remove with your fingers or spoon and taste. If it cracks and crumbles in your mouth then its done. See! you don't need a fancy thermometer after all. 

Ok ready for the fun part, bring your kids in to watch... remove it from the heat and mix in the baking soda.

Start stirring it quickly, it will start to lighten and foam. Pretty neat right?  The reaction of the baking soda is what makes the candy porous.

Pour the mixture onto a large buttered baking sheet. My moms tip was to place a towel under the baking sheet because this stuff is really really hot and you don't want to risk ruining your counter top. The recipe uses two baking sheets and stretches the candy out really thin but we like ours thicker and that's what I recommend. Use the spoon to help you push the mixture around until in nearly covers the pan. Don't worry if it isn't perfect. 

It cools down pretty quickly. I use the bottom of a butter knife to crack the brittle into pieces. 

And that's it.. you just made brittle. This is definitely a tradition I will carry on in my family. 

Peanut Brittle

2 cups Sugar

1 cup Light corn syrup

1/4 cup Butter (half a stick)

1/2 cup water 

2 1/2 cups Raw Peanuts (we use the dry roasted)

1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda, sifted 

Butter a large baking sheet: set aside. Butter the sides of a 3 quart heavy saucepan. In the pan combine sugar, syrup, butter and water. Cook and stir over medium high heat until the mixture boils. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of pan. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to boil. Continue to stir until it reaches 275 degrees, soft crack stage. (about 30 min)

Stir in nuts; continue to cook until the thermometer reaches 295 degrees, hard crack stage. (15-20 min) Remove pan from heat and quickly stir in the baking soda. Stir constantly until the soda is incorporated, the mixture will lighten in color and foam. Immediately pour onto buttered baking sheet. Use spoon or forks to help pull the sugar mixture to the edges of the pan. cool completely then break into pieces. Store up to a week. 

Try adding/substituting:

Raw Cashews

Brown Sugar

Soft Caramels

Soft Caramels

I have never made caramels before but I really enjoy them so in my day of candy making I decided to give them a try. I'll share an early tip by saying that you shouldn't make these at the same time as another candy that takes a lot of your attention. It was a lot of going back and forth and kind of stressed me out because sugar burns really fast. 

In a medium size sauce pan combine butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk. This recipe had me at sweetened condensed milk. I love that stuff and can never control myself from swiping my finger along the top of the lid and taking a lick. Who ever invented this stuff I thank you. My butter was kind of frozen, bad mistake on my part because before it melted some of the sugar was already burning which of course made me super nervous that it was going to be ruined, luckily it wasn't. So I think next time I would either use softened butter or I would melt the butter in the pan first then add the remaining ingredients.

Once the mixture comes to a boil turn on your timer for 20 minutes. Watch it really carefully so it doesn't boil over or cook for to long. It should be a perfect golden color and will thicken. If you are using a candy thermometer it should be around 120 degrees or a firm ball stage. I use the cold water method. Put cold water in a shallow cup or bowl. Drop a spoonful of the mixture into the water. Take it out with your fingers and roll it in a ball them taste it. If it holds well together and is nice and chewy then its done. 

The recipe I was using didn't tell me what size of a dish to pour it into. I eye balled it by the amount in the sauce pan and decided a 9x13 was my best bet. I sprayed it first then lined it with parchment paper. The spray helps the paper to stick to the dish and the paper allows you to lift the caramels out so you can cut them.  

I put mine in the fridge to set up for about 20 -30 minutes. Lift them out of the dish and cut them into your desired sizes. I decided since I was giving mine away to friends and neighbors that I would wrap mine in paper. I used parchment but I think wax paper or come cute foils or something would work better because my paper kept ripping when I would twirl the ends. 

They turned out really good even though I was worried about them. There were brown specs in it from the sugar but it didn't effect the taste or texture at all and once it cooled you couldn't even really see them. So if that happens to you its ok, take a deep breath everything will be fine. 

These make such great gifts.

Soft Caramels

1/2 lb Butter (2 sticks)

1 cup Corn Syrup, light

2 cups Brown Sugar, packed light

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Combine all ingredients in a medium (2 quart) sauce pan. Bring to a boil then turn to medium low heat and continue to cook for 20 minutes. It should be at a consistent boil.  Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper. Pour mixture into pan then refrigerate until its firm. Lift candies out of pan and cut into desired sizes. 

*You could get ambitious and coat them in chocolate after they are firmly set up and cold. Then refrigerate to set up again. 

Nut Clusters

Nut Clusters 

OK all you non bakers out there, are you ready for a super easy candy that you can make and will please your family and friends? This literally has 3 ingredients unless you want 

to add more. 

First take 6 bars of chocolate almond bark and 12 oz (1 bag) of semi sweet chocolate chips and melt them together in the microwave. Start by heating them for one minute then take it out and stir. I added a 1/2 tsp of vanilla flavoring at this point just for added flavor but that's completely optional.  Heat for 30 seconds. Continue to do so until its completely melted and smooth like so.

Next add one pound (16oz) jar of salted peanuts

Stir to combine

Place by the spoonful on a lined baking sheet. I used parchment paper but you could use tin foil or wax paper as well. I used a cookie/ice cream scoop and it worked so well. I would use a large baking sheet because this small one was not big enough. Put them in the fridge to set up and Ta-Da that's it. Now you can't tell me that wasn't easy. 

Eat and Enjoy!

Nut clusters 

6 bars chocolate almond bark

12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 tsp Vanilla Flavoring (optional)

1 lb (16oz) salted peanuts

Heat chocolate in a medium size microwave safe bowl for one minute. Stir then heat for another 30 seconds. Repeat until completely melted. Stir in nuts and drop by spoonfuls on lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until they set up. 

yields 25-30 clusters

Try Adding/Substituting

Mixed Nuts

Cashews

White Almond Bark

1/2 tsp Almond Flavoring

1/2 tsp Mint Flavoring