Toffee Making

by Donna
(Willis, TX)

I'm having toffee making troubles!

How do you make toffee without the butter separating?

How do you keep the toffee from becoming chewy and sticking to your teeth when it starts out crunchy?

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Hi Donna,


Toffee making! Yum! I hope these answers will help your candy making adventure go a little more smoothly.

Toffee, chewy or crunchy?

Toffee is rather known for sticking to your teeth, I'm afraid. If yours is getting too sticky or chewy, you may not be heating it to the proper temperature.


If that's not the problem, but it gets more chewy over time, it may be absorbing more moisture, causing it to become extra chewy.


When making toffee, the butter can separate from the sugar for a number of reasons:

• You didn't stir enough. Most toffee recipes call for constant stirring. If you don't keep the mixture moving, it can get too hot and the butter tends to separate.
  
  
• Too hot and humid in the kitchen. If it's a hot and humid day, it's really not a good time for candy making. The humidity in the air may cause the butter to separate.
  
  
• Rapid temperature changes. Start out melting your butter and sugar at a low/medium temperature. Don't raise the temperature abruptly. Using a heavy saucepan is safer because it conducts the heat better and more evenly than thin pan.
  
  
• Use salted butter, rather than unsalted. If you use unsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp. of salt to help stabilize the mixture.
  
  
• If your butter starts to separate while cooking, remove it from the heat and stir it continually until it blends back together again. Don't stir too fast. You may splash yourself with hot butter, and it can also cause more separation. Gradually return to heat, stirring constantly.
  
  
• Another way to 'save'
  the toffee if the butter starts to separate is to add 1 Tbs. of very hot water to it, stirring it through. You can add an additional tablespoon or so if needed until it returns to a blended mixture. Don't add more than 1/4 cup of hot water in total.

This Toffee Recipe is supposed to be foolproof, if you want to give it a try, let me know what you think...


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups chopped almonds
  
• 1 cup of butter (salted)
  
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
  
• 3 Tbs. light corn syrup
  
• 3 Tbs. water
  
• 8 semisweet chocolate squares (1 oz. each) - you could also use chocolate chips or Hershey's candy bars

1. Place chopped almonds on a cookie sheet; toast in moderate oven (375 degrees F) 10 minutes, or until lightly golden.
   
   
2. Combine butter, sugar, corn syrup and water in a medium-size heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring CONSTANTLY to 300 degrees F on candy thermometer. (A teaspoonful of syrup will separate into brittle threads when dropped in cold water.)
   
   
3. Remove from heat; stir in 1 cup of the toasted almonds. Pour into a buttered 13x9x2" pan, spreading quickly and evenly; cool. Turn out onto wax paper.
   
   
4. Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot water; remove from heat. Spread half the melted chocolate over top of candy; sprinkle with 1/4 cup nuts; let set for about 20 minutes; turn candy over and spread with remaining chocolate and sprinkle with remaining nuts. Let stand until set. Break into pieces.

Store chocolate toffee candy in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge if you live in a hot climate.


Hope this helps. Now you've got my mouth watering. I'm dying to make some toffee myself!

Angie