Best Homemade Toffee Recipe
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This easy homemade Toffee is rich, buttery, and delicious! Made with only four simple ingredients, this easy recipe makes the best toffee! A favorite candy to make in minutes for nibbling, sharing, and gifting!
This toffee is easy to make and absolutely delicious! It’s such an easy candy to make – and while it does have to set to harden, it only involves a few minutes of hands-on mixing time! It makes delicious gifts to share with friends and family or to serve throughout the holiday season or anytime you wish!
My Christmas candies always include 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.
The holidays and making this easy, delicious toffee recipe go hand-in-hand for me. Candy-making is always something I do around the Christmas holiday season! But don’t save this tasty toffee to enjoy only during the holidays!
Believe me, though, this toffee is so scrumptious and tempting that you want to make it and invite some friends to enjoy it. Or immediately wrap it into gift packages. Otherwise, you just may be tempted to eat it all yourself. Promise.
How to Make Homemade Toffee
You’ll be shocked at how easy this toffee recipe is to make! With four simple ingredients you probably have on hand, you could have a batch made soon for sampling.
Here’s how I make it.
Ingredients
You’ll need:
- Roasted Pecans (optional)
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Chocolate Chips
Step by Step Instructions
- Prep. First, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, such as a Silpat, to make this toffee. If you are using nuts, sprinkle 1/2 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 the chips to begin melting. Spread chocolate evenly over the top of the toffee with a silicone spatula.
- Cool. Allow to cool for about five minutes before adding the 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 the parchment paper or Silpat baking mat and break it into candy pieces.
For Thicker Toffee Pieces
If you want the thicker toffee pieces similar to those 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 they are so delicious!
I use roasted pecans in my toffee recipe, but you could easily substitute another roasted nut or completely omit the nuts. If you omit the nuts, 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 another one…If you give this toffee as a holiday gift, you will be asked for the recipe and have people singing your praises. Promise.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
This toffee makes the perfect make ahead recipe!
To Make Ahead: Prepare as directed and store in an airtight container.
To Store: Place in an airtight container and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
To 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 delicious and can be enjoyed anytime!
Here’s my favorite homemade toffee recipe. 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 1/2 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2012.
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! 🙂
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.
I live at 5000 altitude. Do I need to change anything?
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!
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 ;).
Do you need to stir the butter brown sugar mixture all the time or just until it gets combined?
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!!
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.
Robyn this looks awesome! Just saw it on Pinterest and repinned! I love toffee 🙂
Just wondering if this recipe uses dark or light brown sugar or does it matter?
Thank you for posting.