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This is the BEST Homemade Toffee and such an easy recipe to make! With only four simple ingredients, this delicious buttery toffee is a much-loved candy to make often!
The holidays and making this easy, delicious Toffee recipe go hand-in-hand for me. Candy making in general is always something I do around the holidays – especially for Christmas! My Christmas candies always include so many delicious confections such as my Peppermint Bark, Divinity and this. But I don’t save this Toffee to make only during the holidays! It is perfect year-round and can be made with just a few ingredients. While it does have to set to harden, it only involves a few minutes of hands-on mixing time, so it’s no wonder that I make it often.
Toffee is really so easy to make once you figure out a couple of basics, that you can easily make a few batches within an hour or so! It makes delicious gifts to share with friends and family or to serve throughout the holiday season or anytime you wish!
Easy Toffee Recipe
Believe me when I say this though, this toffee is so scrumptious and tempting, you want to make this and then invite some friends over to enjoy. Or immediately wrap it into gift packages. Otherwise, you just may be tempted to eat it all yourself. Promise.
You’ll be shocked at how easy this toffee recipe is to make! With four simple ingredients that you probably have on hand right now, you could really have a batch made soon for sampling.
Here’s how I make it.
How to Make Toffee
You’ll need:
- Roasted Pecans (optional)
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Chocolate Chips
Step by Step Instructions
- Prep. To make this Easy Toffee Recipe, first line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, such as a Silpat. If you are using nuts, sprinkle ½ cup roasted pecans on top and spread evenly.
- Heat. Then melt brown sugar and butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil until a candy thermometer reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Then immediately remove from heat and pour over roasted nuts.
- Spread. Top with chocolate chips and allow chips to begin melting. Spread chocolate evenly over top of toffee with a silicone spatula.
- Cool. Allow to cool for about five minutes before adding remaining roasted pecans. If omitting the roasted pecans from your recipe, consider sprinkling the top of the chocolate with sea salt. Allow toffee to cool completely to harden – overnight on the counter or for about 20 minutes in the freezer.
- Serve. Lift hardened toffee off of the parchment paper or Silpat baking mat and break into candy pieces.
For Thicker Toffee Pieces
If you want the thicker toffee pieces like I have shared in my pictures, you will line a 7 x 11 inch casserole dish with parchment paper rather than using a baking sheet. The freezing time increases to 30 minutes if you use that method to harden the toffee.
Do You Have to Use Nuts in the Toffee?
You don’t have to use nuts if you don’t want. But…
I use roasted pecans in my toffee recipe, but you could easily substitute another roasted nut or just completely omit the nuts if you prefer. If you do omit the nuts though, do me a favor and add a heavy sprinkle of sea salt on top of the melted chocolate as it begins to firm up. You really do need that little bit of salty-sweet combination that comes from this toffee. I promise you’ll be glad you did.
Toffee Makes Great Gifts!
And since I’m full of promises today, here is my third one…If you give this toffee as presents during the holidays, you will absolutely without a doubt be asked for the recipe and have folks singing your praises. Promise.
How to Make Ahead, Store and Freeze Toffee
This toffee makes the perfect make ahead recipe!
Make Ahead
Prepare as directed and store in an airtight container.
Store
Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Freeze
You can also easily freeze toffee. Freeze in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
More Favorite Candy Recipes
Some of these candies are traditional holiday favorites, but all are so delicious and can be enjoyed anytime!
Here’s my favorite toffee recipe of all time. I hope you make it soon!
Toffee Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup roasted pecans divided (optional)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat, such as a Silpat. If using nuts, sprinkle ½ cup roasted pecans on top and spread evenly.
- Using a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt brown sugar and butter, stirring constantly. Boil until a candy thermometer reaches 300º F. Immediately remove from heat and pour over roasted nuts. Top with chocolate chips and allow chips to begin melting. Spread chocolate evenly over top of toffee with a silicon spatula. Allow to cool for about five minutes before adding remaining roasted pecans.
- If omitting the roasted pecans from your recipe, consider sprinkling top of chocolate with sea salt.
- Allow to cool completely to harden – overnight on counter or about 20 minutes in the freezer. Lift hardened toffee off parchment paper or silpat and break into candy pieces.
- Optional: for thicker toffee pieces (as pictured), I line a 7×11 casserole dish with parchment paper rather than using a baking sheet. Freezing time increases to 30 minutes.
Nutritional Information
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2012.
Wow, this looks so good and very easy! Pinning!
Thanks so much for the pin, Barbie!
So simple, and I’m sure, so delicious! Love how thick this is!
I love a thick piece of toffee, too. MMM.
This looks soooo wicked awesome! Great recipe!
Thanks, Katrina!
I usually make the same Christmas candy year after year ~ I think I’ll change things up this year and try the Toffee. Thank you for sharing!!
I hope you love it, Terry.
I made a batch of the Toffee on Saturday and it is soooo good!! …and so easy!
Merry Christmas!!!
Terry! I’m so glad you loved it! Merry Christmas to you as well!
Wow…you make this seem so easy!!! Beautiful photo, as usual! Will definitely be making this for Christmas. Thanks Robyn!
Thanks so much, Mary! I can’t wait to hear how you like it!
Robyn, this toffee looks absolutely DIVINE!!!
Thanks so much, Bridget!
you’re right– i would need to hide this because i would eat it all!
Toffee is really one of my favorite things…all that yummy brown sugar!
Wonderful picture and recipe… I do have a question since I have not made this before. What do you store the toffee in and how long does it keep. I need to know how soon I can make it before Christimas, for gifts.
Thank you
Cindy
Hi Cindy,
I usually make it a few days up to a week before I give it as gifts so that it is as fresh as possible. I never know how long it will take them to devour it, so I want to give it to them as fresh as possible. I store it in airtight containers packed with parchment paper between each layer and keep it in my refrigerator if I’m planning on making it more than a few days ahead of time. The toffee I make and keep at home has lasted a few weeks when I store it that way. Just make sure you use fresh nuts (if using nuts). I hope you enjoy these!
Oh my gosh- Robyn- YUM! I have wanted to make this for years.
Adore this recipe! I can see why this a holiday favorite, simple and absolutely scrumptious!
Looks absolutely FABULOUS! I’ve got to try it. How do you roast your pecans? Or do you buy the already roasted salted ones?
Hi Carolyn,
There is a link to my roasted pecans recipe in the toffee recipe. Just click on that and it will take you straight to it. I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for responding to me. I clicked on it and it said that there is an error to the link. Maybe the link is messed up. Thanks for ALL you do!
ACK!!! I’ve updated the link now, Carolyn. But just in case, here it is for you.
https://addapinch.com/cooking/2011/10/13/roasted-pecan-halves-recipe/
So sorry I missed that earlier!!!
Oh no! I hate that it didn’t work right for you. Was it very humid in your area when you made it? My Grandmother always told me to not even attempt to make candy when it was humid, but once when I did it just didn’t end well.
Beautiful toffee, Robyn! I love the simplicity of the ingredients, too!
Robyn, did you know toffee is my favorite candy? I love you! 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Just pinned it to my Holiday Recipes and Entertaining board with The Inspired Room! Yay!
Ok…that first photo is just so gorgeous Robyn. I loooooove toffee!
thanks for the heads up on the temptation…I will whip up when I am sure we are having friends over…already eating enought sweets I don’t like to share. lol
Robyn, I love how thick and gooey the top looks. Heavenly!
Wowzers that looks delicious!!!!
These look so good!, yummy!
what size pan did you use?
you said you used a 7×11 for thicker ones was it a 9×13 pan for original size?
For the original size, you can easily use a 9×13 or a baking sheet that has an edge to it. The baking sheet lined with silpat or parchment will yield the thinnest toffee, the 9×13 just a wee bit thicker and the 7×11 as pictured in my photographs. I can’t wait to hear how you like it!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I made your toffee last night exactly by the recipe for a work party today and it was a major hit! Everyone loved it and asked me to please make more! I know what my co-worker gifts are going to be this year! I LOVE your site!
Wow! This is absolutely gorgeous! So thick and scrumptious!
I’m always lured by the tins of toffee around the holidays but homemade is even better!
Made this on the weekend and it was amazing. I added chopped pretzel pieces as well, for a little bit of salty. mmmmmm Thanks for the recipe.
I want to try a toffee/coffee combination as well. This recipe is so easy to adapt.
Thanks for taking time to add in this idea! My boys are allergic to nuts so I will use pretzels! Never would have thought of it!
I have a different toffee recipe I have used in the past and it haas many more ingredients and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I am definitely giving the one a try!!!
I just made this and love love love it!! It is sooo easy to make and smells wonderful. Thanks for the recipe.
Forgot to rate this.
I made the toffee last night and it turned out beautifully. I love that the recipe is so simple, using pure goodness: butter, sugar, nuts and chocolate. How can you go wrong with those ingredients? This recipe is a keeper! Thank you for posting it. It’s going into my recipe folder and will be a favorite for many holidays to come.
I’m so glad you loved it, Susan. It is definitely a favorite of mine to whip up over the holidays. I hope you enjoy it!
Just made this minus pecans. So easy! !
Hi Robyn,
Thanks for posting this simple – yet elegant recipe. I’ve made it a couple of times, and seem to be having issue with getting it to the right texture. I use a candy thermometer to make sure it get’s to 300 degrees – but it ends up a bit chewy. Still very yummy. Another batch I made was the right texture but I felt it had a burned taste (other’s didn’t and enjoyed every bit). Any tips?
Thanks,
Sheila
When you are at the high temperature, it is easy to burn the sugar. I did that over and over while I was trying to figure out how to make a good nut brittle. My solution, finally, was to lower the setting of the stove burner, and let things happen slowly and in a way I could more easily control. It worked but there are probably other ways to go about it. Mark
Mine came out a bit chewy as well. It’s tasty, and brittle at first, but then sticks to your teeth terribly while you’re trying to chew the last bit. I hit 300, but maybe should have waited a bit longer?? I’m hoping that letting it cool overnight (versus just a couple hours) will make a difference in the texture!
Just wondering if this recipe uses dark or light brown sugar or does it matter?
Thank you for posting.
Robyn this looks awesome! Just saw it on Pinterest and repinned! I love toffee 🙂
After a quick search I landed on your beauty. No more searching! I have been making candy for Mothers Day (tomorrow} for the past several years, usually some kind of off the wall nut brittle I dream up. I won’t be able to top this gem that’s for sure. I am going to give it a try tonight and I am looking forward to it. Mark. PS – I’m already messing around with the recipe – toasted raw walnut halves on the bottom, and a mix of dark and white chocolate on top with the toasted pecan halves. Nothing too drastic.
Made this toffee tonight and it is absolutely DELICIOUS!!!! Will definitely be making this again! And yes.. I could totally
Eat the whole batch! The only thing Was that I only got my “toffee” a little over 200 degrees before it almost started to burn. But it came out perfect! 😀 thank you for sharing!!
Do you need to stir the butter brown sugar mixture all the time or just until it gets combined?
This is my absolute favorite recipe in the world!! Hands down, the BEST toffee ever! I have to be careful to only make it every once and a while because I will eat ALL of it. A little nibble here, a small piece there and BAM, it’s gone ;).
i made this for a Halloween party tomorrow. Came out amazing! So easy and fast and delicious. I know everyone will be super impressed. I used milk chocolate and I used pecans but also added sea salt because milk chocolate is sweet. I just broke it into pieces with my hands, I used a silpat. I will be making this all season long…maybe change up the type of chocolate and nuts. Thanks Robyn ☺️
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Tracy! It is definitely one I make throughout the fall and winter! It makes a great gift for friends and neighbors over the holidays. Enjoy!
I live at 5000 altitude. Do I need to change anything?
This looks easy enough that I am tempted to try it!! Can this recipe be made using almonds instead of pecans? If so, should the almonds be roasted first?
Sure! You can substitute almonds for the pecans. I personally prefer the nuts lightly roasted, but you may like them without having to roast them.
Hey, Robyn, this looks wonderful, as usual! Do you use salted or unsalted butter! Thank you, God bless! Merry Christmas!
Hi Bobbie,
Thank you so much! I generally use salted butter as it is what I keep on hand the most. I know most professionals recommend using unsalted, but I’m a salted butter girl! 🙂
Looks delicious. …thank u for comments on if we don’t use nuts! I am a nut freak, but my boyfriends son is very allergic, so i was really happy to see something not using them and the adding of sea salt for the “salty” bit! CAN’T wait to make this!
I followed your recipe exactly as you wrote I used a 8×8 inch pan and it still isnt thick so how putting it in a 7×11 pan did you get such thick looking toffee.
Hi! Kindly tell me two sticks of butter means how much in grams? And I don’t have candy thermometer what to do now I want to make it looks so delious. How many candies will make through this recipe? Thanks
Hi darling ! Just made the toffee and it was a great hit. Thanks for sharing
I made your toffee this afternoon – ohmygoodness!! So delicious! And easy. Definitely something I will make for treat giftees next year! Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m so glad you like it, Jackie! Merry Christmas!
Hi! This recipe looks amazing and as soon as I’ve purchased a candy thermometer, I’m going to give it a try! Pardon me, though; this is probably a really stupid question, but I don’t quite understand this and no one else has asked, so clearly it’s me, but – you said to put the nuts down first, then pour over the toffee, then melt the chocolate over the top, yes? So you’re essentially building it upside-down, right? So then how does it end up toffee/chocolate/nuts in the end instead of chocolate/toffee/nuts? Sorry, again, that’s probably really dumb, but if you wouldn’t mind explaining, that would be amazing!! (Thanks!)
When you heat sugar and butter to a high temp, it hardens when it cools. The pecans will embed in the toffee. the chocolate chips will melt and be spread out and pecans on top. Sounds absolutely yummy to me, can’t wait to make it
As a southern gal, I have made many of your recipes….love them all….love the toffee,also yummy!
Thank you so much, Paula! xo
Like to have all kind of recipes for desserts & whatever else.
What am I doing wrong?! I’ve tried this twice and both times the butter separated around 250. After the first time I looked up what to do so the second time I didn’t adjust the temperature and I continously stired. Do I need to use a lower heat than medium? Thanks for any feedback.
My family has been making this recipe for years, but lately when I try to make it when it gets to about 280 it breaks and separates and never goes back together… I’ve tried different temps, pans and weather and nothing seems to work… I generally don’t go above medium heat. Any ideas what may be happening???
Hi Meredith,
I’m not sure I understand if you are following my recipe instructions or if this is another recipe as you say your family’s been making for years.
For my recipe, I always use a candy thermometer, and when the temperature reaches 300 degrees I immediately remove from heat. Also, I stir this constantly while it is cooking.
I hope this helps.
Thanks!
It happened to me, tool
You must use SALTED butter!
I have made pastries for many years and have many variations and even pastries of my own concoction.
Many of the old world items I make are said to require the humidity to be under 15% ( all brittles,toffee’s, etc), I am unsure if it is true but the old women swear it is, and who am I to say they are wrong.
My question is, if this is true why isn’t it indicated in cook books or is it just the old gal’s way of saying, I need a break too.
SEMPER FI
I live in a humid area and I find it affects everything I bake, especially ant toffee bark recipes and cookies.
To those whose butter separated out from the sugar, this happened to me on the first try. I read on the Challenge Butter website, that using salted butter often eliminates this. Second try, used salted butter; melted butter sticks halfway, then added brown sugar; lowered heat and slowly brought mixture up to temp, stirring constantly. It worked!
Thank you Robyn for this Toffee Recipe! It’s so delicious. I made a batch to test it out over the weekend and my family loved it. I can’t wait to make some more and bring it into my work holiday party =)
Thank you, Lynn. So glad your family loved it. Hope everyone enjoys it at your party.
What size cookie sheet do you use for the Easy Toffee Candy, Robyn?
I love this toffee recipe!! I followed the recipe to the letter and used the roasted pecans as recommended. What a difference they make!! Yummy!!!
Hi Robin, I’m Jackie. I love your dessert recipes and I’ll be making your toffee sometime tomorrow. I love toffee and I’m going to eat the whole pan myself. I don’t care about how much weight I gained I just want to have some fun. But I have a question for you. For the life of me I went through all of your blogs to find the chocolate fudge frosting recipe. And I can’t find it anywhere! Would you please forward it to me as it is not listed anywhere that I can see and I really want to use that frosting on those vanilla cupcakes of yours.
Thankyou,sweet lady.
Jackie, it’s my Fudge Icing Recipe. I hope you enjoy the cupcakes.
Made this for the first time today. it was super easy, and came together very quickly. I will definitely make this again!
Thank you, Linda, for giving this recipe a try. I’m happy you found it so easy to make and will make it again.