Best Homemade Toffee Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
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 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 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 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.
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.
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!
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.
Like to have all kind of recipes for desserts & whatever else.
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
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
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 darling ! Just made the toffee and it was a great hit. Thanks for sharing
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
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.
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!