Buttery sweet delicious rich caramelly toffee. Top it with chocolate and get fancy, or just leave it as it is. No matter what, it's addicting! Great for holidays or get togethers. It keeps well, and you can also chop it up and add it to cookies or to the top of a cake. It's fantastic! The process is a little tricky, but it only uses a few ingredients. The recipe is here, and pictures of the process are below.
The original recipe is from Sugar Spun Run: https://sugarspunrun.com/toffee-recipe/
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces (226 g)
1 cup white sugar (210 g)
¼ cup water
½ tsp. salt (3-4 g)
1 tsp. vanilla (4 g)
1 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (160 g) - optional
Toppings (optional): Toasted nuts, coarse sea salt, pretzels, etc.
Directions:
Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper. Prepare any toppings you plan to use for the toffee. Optional: Place toasted nuts on the parchment paper that you can pour toffee on top of.
Add sugar and water to a heavy bottom aluminum or stainless steel saucepan. Then add the butter and salt.
Melt over low heat while constantly stirring with a heatproof spatula, this takes about 5-10 minutes. Use a damp brush to brush sugar crystals off the side of the pot and back into the mixture.
Once melted, increase to medium heat and heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Keep boiling and stirring and use a candy thermometer or other cooking thermometer to check the temperature.
Cook and stir until the color darkens to a peanut butter-like color and reaches 305°F and smells like buttery caramel; this process takes about 10-15 minutes.
Immediately take the toffee off the heat and mix in the vanilla until it is smooth.
Immediately pour the toffee mixture onto the prepared parchment paper, spread with the spatula until it’s about ½ a centimeter or ¼ inch thick.
Let cool about 5 minutes, then cover with chopped chocolate and let rest about 5 minutes before spreading the chocolate evenly. Top with desired toppings, if desired.
Let cool at room temperature about 2-4 hours and then break or chop into pieces with a knife.
You can also freeze or refrigerate the toffee to make it cool faster if you are impatient.
Keep covered at room temperature, up to 1 week. Or refrigerate/freeze up to 1 month.
Prepare the pan with parchment paper and toppings ahead of time, trust me you don't want to do this later when you're dealing with a hot sugar mixture that may overcook!
Add the butter, sugar, water, and salt to a saucepan and begin to melt over low heat.
After melting. Next we will bring it to a boil.
After bringing to a boil on medium heat. Watch closely!
Hopefully the next photos will help you see the change as it cooks!
After boiling for a few minutes. It's starting to get thicker.
Starting to turn color.
Slowly getting darker. This is when I start checking the temperature.
About halfway to the right color.
Getting closer. Watch it closely and stir!
It's ready! I took it off the heat immediately. It has a color similar to caramel or peanut butter, and it is up to temperature (305°F) and smells amazing!
Add in the vanilla.
And mix in until smooth.
Pour into about a 1/4 inch thick layer on the prepared sheet.
Let cool a few minutes and then add the chocolate, which will melt quickly! Let the chocolate rest a few minutes.
Then spread it out smoothly.
Add toppings, I just used coarse salt, but there are lots of options!
Then, let it cool completely.
Then break it up! By hand, or with a knife.