English Toffee

16 Servings
30 min

English Toffee is a buttery, chocolate confection laden with walnuts and broken into bite-size delectable pieces. Butter and sugar are cooked together until it caramelizes, then poured on top of chopped walnuts and smothered with a layer of dark chocolate.

English Toffee is perfect for holiday treat bags. Once you bless someone with this delicious candy, they’ll be hoping for it year after year!

How to make English toffee

Making toffee is really pretty simple once you understand the technique. My advice is this: be patient, cook the toffee low and slow, and use a candy thermometer to take the guess work out of the equation!


  1. Before you begin, get all the ingredients ready. Toffee isn’t difficult, but it does require your full attention once you start cooking.
  2. Lightly butter a baking sheet with a lip.
  3. Finely chop the walnuts and spread a thin layer on the baking sheet.
  4. Using a heavy-bottom pan, melt butter and sugar over low heat, stirring gently until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  5. Continue cooking and stirring gently until the toffee heats to between 280 and 300 degrees (soft crack stage).
  6. Gently pour the mixture over the walnut and spread out evenly.
  7. Place Hershey bars on top and let sit for 30 seconds.
  8. Using an offset spatula, gently spread the chocolate bars into a thin layer covering the caramel layer.
  9. Sprinkle with more chopped walnuts and let cool completely before breaking into small pieces.

For years, a vendor brought me a small bag of homemade toffee as a Christmas thank you gift. I will unashamedly admit that I hid it away in my desk drawer so that I didn’t have to share! This candy is addictive and is a delicious indulgence. 

Recipe details
  • 16  Servings
  • Prep time: 15 Minutes Cook time: 15 Minutes Total time: 30 min
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups walnuts, finely chopped
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 King-size Hershey milk chocolate bars
Instructions

Lightly butter 10x12 cookie sheet (with lip). Spread half the walnuts evenly on top.
Using a heavy-bottom pan, melt butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt over low heat, stirring gently until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Continue cooking and gently stirring over low heat for 9 - 12 minutes, or until a candy thermometer reads 280-300 degrees.
Evenly pour mixture on top of walnuts and quickly spread into a thin layer.
Lay chocolate bars on top and allow to sit for about 30 seconds until slightly melted. Using an offset spatula, carefully spread the chocolate into a thin layer.
Sprinkle the remaining walnuts all over the top and gently press in with a fork.
Allow toffee to set until completely cool, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to completely firm up.
Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.
Tips
  • Before you begin, get all the ingredients ready. Toffee isn't difficult, but it does require your full attention once you start cooking.
  • English Toffee will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 2 weeks when kept sealed tightly. It will stay fresh for up to a month when kept chilled in the refrigerator.
Sheila @ Life, Love, and Good Food
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Comments
  • Eliza Cross Eliza Cross on Dec 06, 2020

    What a terrific mouth-watering toffee recipe for the perfect holiday gift. Thank you so much for sharing this!

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