Just 3 ingredients and 15 minutes and you have DIY homemade toffee bits from scratch! They're absolutely amazing in cookies, brownies, streusel toppings on muffins or pies, or just as a sweet snack.
Yield:
1 1/2 cups
Prep Time:5minutes
Cook:10minutes
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
Taste: Sweet, nutty, and delicious. Texture: Perfectly crunchy with a slight candy chew. Ease: Just 3 ingredients and 15 minutes prep and cook time. Pros: Such a fun DIY! Cons: None. Would I make this again? Absolutely, I like to make a double batch and sprinkle them on everything I bake for weeks.
Like butterscotch, toffee seems to be caramel’s forgotten cousin. To me, it deserves as much adoration as caramel. Maybe more!
As much as I love a buttery toffee recipe on its own, my favorite is when it’s added to something already delicious.
It’s the perfect addition to a chocolate chip cookie, blondie, brownie or even banana bread. Or sprinkle the toffee on cupcakes, French toast, or ice cream. Plus, you likely already have the simple ingredients on hand to make it from scratch.
Bonus: this toffee recipe is also a great treat for giving as delicious holiday gifts during the holidays or Christmas!
How to Make Homemade Toffee Bits
What is Toffee?
Toffee is a crunchy, sweet, buttery, cooked sugar candy, similar to caramel and butterscotch. These three classic dessert components seem very similar – so how do they differ?
Caramel: Based on white granulated sugar. Typically, butter, milk/cream, and vanilla are added for flavor and to produce a thick, creamy caramel. Caramel can be heated less for a sauce consistency, longer for a chewy soft caramel, or even longer for a crunchier hard caramel. I have a recipe for caramel sauce here.
Butterscotch: Similar process to caramel, but made with brown sugar instead of granulated white sugar. Cream and vanilla are also often added. I have a recipe for butterscotch sauce here.
Toffee: Just like butterscotch, toffee starts with brown sugar – but the difference between butterscotch and toffee is the temperature it’s heated to. Toffee is cooked longer to a much higher temperature – all the way to the ‘hard crack’ stage. This means that toffee will harden completely as it cools, and can then be cut or broken into pieces, to be added to other delicious desserts, or simply enjoyed by itself!
What are Toffee Bits?
Just what it sounds like! Bits of crunchy sweet toffee, chopped or broken into pieces about the same size as chocolate chips.
Can’t You Just Buy Toffee Bits?
Yes, you can buy them in the baking aisle under the Heath brand. However, they can be difficult to find in some regions and stores. Additionally, many stores only carry chocolate-covered toffee bits, which you may not always want.
But trust me, this homemade toffee recipe is even tastier than the Heath version! Plus, no preservatives or artificial flavors in these homemade sweet morsels!
Only 3 Ingredients Are Needed for Homemade Toffee Bits:
Butter (make sure to use American unsalted butter – European butter has too much butterfat and the toffee will separate)
Light brown sugar
Salt
Why American-Style Butter Only?
European-style butter (such as Kerrygold) contains a higher butterfat percentage, compared to American-style butter. This lack of water content in European-style butter results in the toffee separating, and/or refusing to set fully. Any butter over 80% butterfat will cause these issues and unfortunately, we have yet to find a way to make this recipe work with butter containing higher percentages of fat. If you are successful in creating a hard toffee using European-style butter, please let us know in the comments below.
How to Make DIY Toffee Bits From Scratch:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Then, add the sugar and salt and whisk until combined. Continue whisking for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture looks like melted peanut butter (reference the picture below). Make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan or pot.
Pour the toffee onto the prepared baking sheet pan, allowing it to spread. Let cool for about 20 minutes.
Use a mallet, rolling pin, or heavy object to crack the batch of toffee into small bits.
You can now use your toffee pieces to amp up the flavor in cookies, brownies, streusel toppings, sprinkled on top of vanilla ice cream, you name it!
Tips for Making Toffee:
Before you start the recipe, line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. It’s best to do this first because you will need to pour the finished toffee onto the prepared pan immediately.
If your toffee burns on the bottom or you’re having trouble with the toffee separating (and you’re using American-style butter!), try a thicker-based heavy saucepan. Pans with thinner bottoms will heat too aggressively and may cause separation or scorching.
Never step away from the toffee while it’s on the stove. It can burn quickly.
Do not try to touch or taste the sugar while it’s cooking, as it will be extremely hot.
Separated toffee can sometimes be saved by removing the saucepan from the heat and whisking vigorously until it comes back together into a smooth mixture.
Make sure to let the toffee cool completely before you break it into bits and store it.
How to Store Toffee Bits
Once cooled and cut or broken into pieces, freeze in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw at room temperature before enjoying or adding to cookie dough, streusel or other baked goods.
Just 3 ingredients and 15 minutes and you have DIY homemade toffee bits from scratch! They're absolutely amazing in cookies, brownies, streusel toppings on muffins or pies, or just as a sweet snack.
Ingredients
1stick (113 grams) unsalted American butter*
1cup(200 grams) light brown sugar
1teaspoonfine salt
Directions
Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a heavy-bottomed small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and salt and whisk vigorously for one minute until combined. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture looks like melted peanut butter and a candy thermometer reaches 295 to 305°F, about 10 minutes.
If the mixture separates at all, remove from heat and whisk vigorously until recombined. Return to heat and continue cooking.
Immediately and carefully pour the hot toffee onto the prepared baking pan, allowing it to spread into an even layer. Let cool and harden for about 20 minutes.
Place the sheet of toffee on a cutting board or in a zip top bag. Use a mallet, rolling pin, or heavy object to crack it into small pieces. You can also cut into bits with a sharp serrated knife. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
*Don't use European-style butter (82% butterfat+) in this recipe. It contains too much butterfat and will cause the toffee to separate.
Course :
Dessert
Cuisine :
American
Keyword :
how to make toffee bits, toffee bits, toffee bits recipe
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
About Tessa...
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
I have made this recipe TONS of times and I (along with everyone else) just love it! I have been making single recipes in a small saucepan, no problem. My question: I have been asked to make a boat load of this toffee and I would like to do it fairly quickly so can I just double the recipe, using a larger saucepan, with the exact same process and excellent results?
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— December 8, 2023 at 9:01 am
Hi Paula! I haven’t tried doubling this recipe, but it should work just fine as long as your pan is large enough. It may take a little longer for the necessary temperatures to be reached, so just keep that in mind. Let us know how it goes!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— December 6, 2023 at 8:13 am
Hi Dana! This recipe was developed for making toffee bits, not English-style toffee, so we haven’t tried adding nuts, chocolate, etc – but feel free to experiment and let us know how it goes 🙂
I made this – not overly pleased with the texture. It is more chewy than breakable. I didn’t let it boil like the photos show as I was worried about burning the butter (Canadian butter). I will retry.
Do you whisk the entire cook time or do you let it bubble up with the gentle boil before you whisk again. I also notice that the toffee feels granular so should I assume I did ‘t cook it long enough?
I haven’t had peanut butter in the house 25+yrs and I do not recall ever ‘melting’ peanut butter so the reference to melted peanut butter isn’t really a cue I can use.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— December 6, 2023 at 8:50 am
Hi Sandy! Sorry to hear that your toffee didn’t turn out as it should, but it does sound like you did not cook it long enough. A digital thermometer will be your best bet for ensuring your toffee reaches the temperature it needs to, so it turns out nice and crunchy. Be sure to keep the mixture moving, stirring/whisking constantly in your heavy-based saucepan, to prevent burning. I recommend checking out Tessa’s tips (in the pink tip box, above the recipe), for more recipe tips. I hope that helps!
I made this twice!! It’s so yummy. For the first time, I used American butter and it came out perfectly. The melted peanut butter visual cue is super helpful since I don’t have a candy thermometer. I also leave a cup of ice water on standby to leave a glob of toffee in so I can check the texture as I cook it.
For the second time, I only had Kerrygold butter on hand. Like the disclaimer said, it didn’t firm up completely. I checked the Kerrygold website for a toffee recipe and their recipe had a bit of water and corn syrup. I ended up recooking the soft toffee resting on the sheet pan with some water and light corn syrup, and it turned out great! I reached the hard crack stage and the toffee was a shade darker, but did not taste burnt at all.
This was beyond easy and so much more flavorful than the store bought bits from a bag! My mom went to 4 stores looking for toffee bits to make cookies, all the stores were out of the toffee bits, which inspired me to go looking for a recipe- so glad I found yours here. Thank you!
I made this recipe for my husband – who LOVES skor bars. I did not have unsalted butter so I made it using salted butter and did not add any salt to that and it came out beautiful!!! I can hardly believe I never made this before, it’s way easier than I expected and tasted better than commercially made toffee. Everyone loved it so much that I’m making another batch (double) right now! I did buy the candy thermometer as linked here and it came out perfectly on the first try!
I’m in the UK and just made this toffee with European butter and it came out fine. Used Tescos own brand of unsalted butter and it didn’t separate at all. Tastes great. Thank you
Quick, easy and delicious! it came out great! Cooking for 10 minutes was accurate for me. I wasn’t sure my thermometer would be able to give me an accurate temperature (it’s not a candy thermometer) but I gave it a shot after 10 minutes. It was at 298!
Something I’ve discovered: You SHOULD NOT use a nonstick pan when making toffee. I made this in a stainless steel pan and it came out perfect. Cleaning will be a pain, but every toffee recipe I’ve made in a nonstick pan has separated and gotten messed up.
so first time I made it my sugar and butter separated and I had to toss it but on the second batch I found out that adding a little bit of hot water when it separates fixes it so I made my second batch on a lower heat and was more patient and when it separated I took the pan off the heat, added a little bit of hot water and mixed it until it combined again and then put it back on the heat. I kept doing this for 10 minutes and it turned out good.
I made two batches – both broke immediately and neither benefited from off-heat vigorous stirring to bring it back together. I make regular caramel (granulated sugar, water/boil to caramel color, add butter & cream) and have never had an issue. I so appreciate the tip to add some hot water because I was able to save both batches – even the one that was like boulders it was so hard!!! Maybe some water at the beginning would be helpful.
This is my second time making this and the first time it came out great! I used them in your Brownbutter toffee chocolate chip cookies ( to die for)! I’m wanting to make them again but this time my toffee came out all wrong. It started separating after it was done and was on the cookie sheet to dry out. All the butter just stared seeping out. I am using a butter with 80% butterfat but I am thinking the problem is the sugar. I only had dark brown sugar on hand instead of light. Do you suspect this is the reason why my toffee went haywire? Thank you- I love all your recipes so much. You have helped me understand the science behind baking and have helped me become a better cookie baker!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— June 9, 2023 at 9:44 am
Hi Mady! We are so happy to hear that you love Tessa’s recipes and tips!! The issue you had with your toffee could be due to the fark brown sugar you used, as dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown sugar, so it will bring more moisture. Hopefully it goes perfectly for you next time, using light brown sugar 🙂 Happy baking!
If you need light brown sugar but have white and dark brown sugar, you can whisk them together to lighten the molasses ratio. So for this recipe, you would whisk together 1/2 c dark brown sugar and 1/2 c white sugar beforehand. I haven’t tried it with toffee but I’ve used this trick for brownies and cookies and it’s always worked well for me.
Is it okay to use Dark Brown Sugar instead of Light? I understand Dark has more molasses so there is chance of it messing with the structure of the toffee, but I was wondering if it will really make that big of a difference with the toffee and if anyone has tried it before? I always use dark instead of light for my recipes, just love the flavor and chewiness it adds so hoping to not have to buy a different type 😀
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— May 30, 2023 at 8:27 am
Hi Sofia! Unfortunately, we haven’t tried using dark brown sugar in this toffee, so we can’t say for sure how that will work. The additional moisture from the molasses may cause the toffee to split or prevent it from setting up properly. Let us know how it goes if you give this a try 🙂
I consider myself a pretty swell, veteran at home baker and this recipe frustrated me like nothing in a very long time. Three attempts, all components accounted for: butter fat, heavy duty pan, even tried some of the, “save this broken mess” tips listed by others. It just breaks every.single.time, and even if taking off the heat works…it breaks again. I can’t imagine
So sorry to hear about your issues with this recipe, K! It’s very frustrating when a recipe doesn’t turn out the way you expect. Do you have any initial thoughts as to what went wrong? Most importantly, make sure you’re using American (~80% butterfat) butter. Secondly, you need to continuously whisk the ingredients – it takes a little bit of time for them to fully combine, but just keep whisking. Before you know it, you’ll have the peanut butter consistency and correct temp you’re looking for. Can I help troubleshoot further? This is a favorite recipe of mine (especially when used in our Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Recipe), and I’d love for you to enjoy them the way they’re meant to be!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— March 22, 2023 at 11:30 am
Hi Kat! This recipe makes 1 1/2 cups of toffee. Be sure to read through all Tessa’s tips in the pink tip box above the recipe, before making this toffee. Let us know what you think once you have given it a try! 🙂
I have made your chocolate chewy chocolate chip cookies and was wondering if you can use
Couverture semi chocolates in the chocolate chip cookie instead of semi chocolate chips?than you
Dianna
I have bought your book and magazine WHICH I CANNOT PUT DOWN. I HAVE LEARNED A LOT!! Thank you.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— March 15, 2023 at 12:02 pm
Hi Dianna! Yay, we’re so thrilled to hear that you’re loving Tessa’s wonderful book and magazine!! 🙂 As for your question, couverture chocolate tends to melt faster due to the higher percentage of cocoa butter it contains, so it may get a touch messy in chocolate chip cookies – but I’m sure it would also be super delicious! Check out this recipe for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, which uses a combination of regular semisweet chocolate chips as well as higher-end chocolate baking wafers. This combo might be perfect for you 🙂 Happy baking!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— March 8, 2023 at 2:39 pm
Hi Mina! We don’t advise using margarine because it won’t react the same way as butter, as it’s made from oils – and it won’t taste as good, either! I would recommend experimenting with any butters you can find with 80% butterfat, if possible – and if you cannot find such a butter available, you are more than welcome to experiment, but we have not seen much success with butters containing over 80% butterfat, unfortunately. Let us know how it goes 🙂
Hi I used publix unsalted sweet cream butter which is a stick style butter that I thought was american but online it says it contains 82% fat and separated when I tried the recipe. I tried researching which brands had 80% but I can’t find anything. Can you let me know which brand of butter you used please
I just made this and after 2 attempts have 2 batches. The first, I thought I’d try European butter (Kerrygold) since its all I had. And just as the notes say, it didn’t firm up. In hindsight I might do this on purpose next time and use it in ice cream!
But I went out and got America butter (Land-o-Lakes) and tried again. That set up nicely and worked as expected. (It actually separated right at the end, but I was able to bring it back by adding about 1 tbl boiling water and stirring back to temp.)
But I thought I’d try some of the comments and try to redeem the first batch instead of throw it out.
So I put it back on the heat, added about 2 tsp Molasses (didn’t have Corn Syrup) and 1 tbl boiling water. I then just re-followed the instructions heating it back to temp and it worked! I don’t know if it’s smart to add the water at any other point in the process with European butter, but this trick did work for me.
Turned out GREAT after a trial & error.
My first attempt I took off too soon (oops went by time rather than temp).
It was still soft, BUT I read a comment saying you could just put it back in the pot and heat it back up.
I did this and after whisking a lot to get it to combine again, got it up to temperature and now I have toffee bits!
Thanks for the recipe and the commenter who gave the tip to reheat any too-soft attempts!
I rate the website and idea 5 stars! My skills or instinct without a candy thermometer is like 2 stars. I made this twice. The first separated at 9min after adding the sugar. Removing from heat at the first signs of separation and whisking was a lost cause. It looked like a peanut blob oozing oil uncontrollably. It became too hard to stir and not splash the hot separated butter all over the kitchen and my clothing. I had to throw that one in the sink. I then tried a second batch at slightly lower temperatures. I kept mixing and this time it separated after 6 min. I may have mixed too aggressively and sped up the separation. Rather than try to save this one, I immediately dumped it onto the cookie sheet to see if it would be edible after sponging all the buttery sweat off its brow like a 15th round boxer.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— December 19, 2022 at 12:54 pm
Hi Seth! Oh no, I’m sorry you had issues making this toffee! First question: did you use European-style butter? Any butter over about 80% butterfat will cause this toffee to separate, unfortunately. The other issue could be the saucepan you’re using. If you use a pan with a thinner base, the temperature might be too harsh for the toffee and it might cause it to separate due to the temperature being too high. If you ever give this another try, be sure to use 80% butterfat butter, and keep the temperature a little lower and/or use a thick-based pan, and if it starts to separate, stir as vigorously as possible (without splashing yourself!) off the heat or over a very low heat, until it comes back together. I hope that helps! Best of luck!!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— December 15, 2022 at 8:55 am
Hi Mirjam! Most American-style butters will contain about 80% butterfat. Most European butters contain 82% or higher. We have yet to find a way to make this recipe work, without separating, using a butter containing more than 80% butterfat. If you are able to find a butter with 80% fat, let us know how it goes. Good luck 🙂
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— December 12, 2022 at 2:29 pm
Hi Tiffany! Kerrygold is a European-style butter, so it has a higher butterfat content and will therefore likely cause the toffee to split. If you’re in the US, try using Challenge or Land o Lakes or a similar American-style butter 🙂
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— December 6, 2022 at 12:10 pm
Hi Barbara! It may last longer than that, but it should be good for at least a week. It all depends on your weather and environment. It may start to get soft after a week or so if it’s very humid and/or hot where you live. We just like to be cautious when giving shelf-life estimates, and err on the side of caution. Let us know what you think if you give this toffee a try!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— November 30, 2022 at 2:17 pm
Hi Sheryll! No, I don’t believe that will work. This recipe is very specifically written as toffee can be a finicky beast! Sugar substitutes typically won’t perform the same way as real sugar, especially in toffee/caramel/butterscotch and such, that are based entirely on the structure and moisture that only real sugar can provide. Feel free to experiment and see what happens, and let us know how it goes!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— November 29, 2022 at 1:47 pm
Hi Jessica! We haven’t tried that, and the extra moisture content in dark brown sugar may prevent this toffee from setting properly. Feel free to try it out if you’re in the mood to experiment, but we recommend sticking with light brown sugar for best results 🙂
I had diy brown sugar (1 cup sugar to 2 tbsps molasses) on hand, so I gave it a shot. It worked well!
I’m not sure how long it takes for the butter to incorporate with the light brown sugar recipe, but it took at least 3 minutes here. Had me worried for a moment. But it all came together.
The toffee is very tasty! I look forward to trying the cookies I put it in in a few days!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— November 16, 2022 at 10:51 am
Hi Claudia! We have not found a way around this ourselves, unfortunately! You’re more than welcome to experiment and see if you van get it to work with butter you have available, but we haven’t personally heard of too much success using butter much past 80% butterfat 🙁
These were unbelievably easy to make and so delicious! I didn’t have a candy thermometer. I just held my instant read thermometer in the saucepan from time to time to check the temp and it worked great!
This looks delicious & I came across your recipe bc I want to make saltine toffee bark (sometimes called Christmas crack) with a thick layer of crunchy toffee & no chocolate – so just a layer of saltines with the toffee on top. Do you think this recipe would work for that? All the actual recipes for it never have a thick enough layer of toffee & add chocolate on top.
These toffee bits taste really good and were easy to make. I don’t have a candy thermometer so I just had to eyeball it…next time I would probably invest in one just to take the guesswork out of the equation. I think this would be a great recipe to have a video of – the pictures were helpful but any time I have to make decisions based on consistency I get nervous going of a description or still image. Still would recommend and it’s nice to know I have this option – I can get toffee bits in my area but they aren’t always easy to find.
Also FYI to other bakers – I initially took it off the stove too early and it didn’t harden, it was more like a chewy caramel candy. I just peeled it off the parchment and put it back in the pan to remelt and it worked like a charm! So if you make the same mistake I did, all is not lost!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— November 8, 2022 at 9:39 am
Hi Monica! There is a recipe video on the post – almost right at the top, just below the heading that says ‘Recipe Video’. Don’t click the button right at the top that says Watch Video – those buttons aren’t working right now and we are working on fixing them, so in the meantime, just scroll down a teeny bit and you’ll see it! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed these toffee bits! 🙂
I tried to make this two times and it was a flop both times.
The brown butter toffee cookies are great, but I will have to just continue buying heath brand toffee
My toffee is still fairly soft after waiting for way more than 20 min. Did I do something wrong? Or can I just stick it in the freezer to harden more quickly?
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— September 29, 2022 at 7:59 am
Hi Amy! Unfortunately, if your toffee has not hardened within 20 minutes or so, it likely won’t harden at all, I’m sorry to say! It’s possible the mixture didn’t get quite hot enough. Alternatively, it could be an issue with your ingredients – primarily the butter you used. This recipe has not worked for our readers when using European-style butter, or butter that’s over about 80% butterfat content. The extra fat in these types of butter cause the mixture to separate, and/or prevents it from setting up correctly. Hopefully this toffee will still taste good enough to snack on for now, and I’m sure you’ll nail it next time! Good luck and happy baking 🙂
This happened to me too but I froze it and then it was super easy to smash to bits. It’s very warm here right now so I’m wondering if that’s part of the reason why it didn’t firm up.
Hello, I want to make this recipe but I only have access to 82% +butter, as I live in Europe. Is there something I can do to make it work? Thank you in advance!!!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— September 26, 2022 at 1:49 pm
Hi Persefoni! Unfortunately, we have not had success making this toffee with European-style butter at all 🙁 One of our readers recently mentioned that she had success using European butter, melting about 2 Tablespoons more butter than the recipe states, then, once melted, she carefully tilted the pan and skimmed 2 Tablespoons of the clear fat (ghee) into a separate bowl. We have not tested this theory at all, so I cannot speak to whether or not it works, but this reader says it worked for her! If you wish to roll the dice, you can give her method a try – otherwise, I would recommend researching another recipe, sorry! Good luck!!
I see people using European butter have challenges in the fat separating. I live in Europe (the Netherlands) and was able to make the toffee successfully. I read you can add a little corn syrup as it apparently helps stabilize the mix. I used a Tbsp for this recipe and it worked ok. For those in the the Netherlands wondering where you can buy corn syrup, the local Asian markets (i.e. the Toko) and expat stores sell it.
This really was as easy as the recipe describes! I bought a candy thermometer, which I’m glad I did because I’m not sure I would have known when it was done otherwise. I made this to make the toffee chocolate chip cookies, but here I am eating toffee by itself!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— September 6, 2022 at 9:47 am
Hi Jennifer! I’m sorry, we don’t with dairy-free substitutions, so I cannot tell you for sure – but I honestly doubt it would work! Feel free to experiment and give it a try, though!
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I have made this recipe TONS of times and I (along with everyone else) just love it! I have been making single recipes in a small saucepan, no problem. My question: I have been asked to make a boat load of this toffee and I would like to do it fairly quickly so can I just double the recipe, using a larger saucepan, with the exact same process and excellent results?
Hi Paula! I haven’t tried doubling this recipe, but it should work just fine as long as your pan is large enough. It may take a little longer for the necessary temperatures to be reached, so just keep that in mind. Let us know how it goes!
Do you think adding nuts to this would work?
Hi Dana! This recipe was developed for making toffee bits, not English-style toffee, so we haven’t tried adding nuts, chocolate, etc – but feel free to experiment and let us know how it goes 🙂
I made this – not overly pleased with the texture. It is more chewy than breakable. I didn’t let it boil like the photos show as I was worried about burning the butter (Canadian butter). I will retry.
Do you whisk the entire cook time or do you let it bubble up with the gentle boil before you whisk again. I also notice that the toffee feels granular so should I assume I did ‘t cook it long enough?
I haven’t had peanut butter in the house 25+yrs and I do not recall ever ‘melting’ peanut butter so the reference to melted peanut butter isn’t really a cue I can use.
Thank you
Hi Sandy! Sorry to hear that your toffee didn’t turn out as it should, but it does sound like you did not cook it long enough. A digital thermometer will be your best bet for ensuring your toffee reaches the temperature it needs to, so it turns out nice and crunchy. Be sure to keep the mixture moving, stirring/whisking constantly in your heavy-based saucepan, to prevent burning. I recommend checking out Tessa’s tips (in the pink tip box, above the recipe), for more recipe tips. I hope that helps!
Made it today and it came out perfect!! Very easy to make. My question is, can it be kept for longer than a week if stored in the fridge or freezer?
Hi Veronica! I’ve personally had great results with storing the toffee bits inside a freezer bag and freezing for up to a month. I hope that helps 🙂
I made this twice!! It’s so yummy. For the first time, I used American butter and it came out perfectly. The melted peanut butter visual cue is super helpful since I don’t have a candy thermometer. I also leave a cup of ice water on standby to leave a glob of toffee in so I can check the texture as I cook it.
For the second time, I only had Kerrygold butter on hand. Like the disclaimer said, it didn’t firm up completely. I checked the Kerrygold website for a toffee recipe and their recipe had a bit of water and corn syrup. I ended up recooking the soft toffee resting on the sheet pan with some water and light corn syrup, and it turned out great! I reached the hard crack stage and the toffee was a shade darker, but did not taste burnt at all.
This is my go-to recipe for toffee!
Do you think this would be a good addition to granola?
I don’t see why not! Let us know how it goes 🙂
Easy, delicious, well written recipe! Thank you!
This was beyond easy and so much more flavorful than the store bought bits from a bag! My mom went to 4 stores looking for toffee bits to make cookies, all the stores were out of the toffee bits, which inspired me to go looking for a recipe- so glad I found yours here. Thank you!
I made this recipe for my husband – who LOVES skor bars. I did not have unsalted butter so I made it using salted butter and did not add any salt to that and it came out beautiful!!! I can hardly believe I never made this before, it’s way easier than I expected and tasted better than commercially made toffee. Everyone loved it so much that I’m making another batch (double) right now! I did buy the candy thermometer as linked here and it came out perfectly on the first try!
These are definitely addicting! So happy you love this recipe, Kim 🙂
I’m in the UK and just made this toffee with European butter and it came out fine. Used Tescos own brand of unsalted butter and it didn’t separate at all. Tastes great. Thank you
Quick, easy and delicious! it came out great! Cooking for 10 minutes was accurate for me. I wasn’t sure my thermometer would be able to give me an accurate temperature (it’s not a candy thermometer) but I gave it a shot after 10 minutes. It was at 298!
Something I’ve discovered: You SHOULD NOT use a nonstick pan when making toffee. I made this in a stainless steel pan and it came out perfect. Cleaning will be a pain, but every toffee recipe I’ve made in a nonstick pan has separated and gotten messed up.
so first time I made it my sugar and butter separated and I had to toss it but on the second batch I found out that adding a little bit of hot water when it separates fixes it so I made my second batch on a lower heat and was more patient and when it separated I took the pan off the heat, added a little bit of hot water and mixed it until it combined again and then put it back on the heat. I kept doing this for 10 minutes and it turned out good.
Audrey, thank you so much for sharing this info. This will be very helpful! I’m going to try this again.
I made two batches – both broke immediately and neither benefited from off-heat vigorous stirring to bring it back together. I make regular caramel (granulated sugar, water/boil to caramel color, add butter & cream) and have never had an issue. I so appreciate the tip to add some hot water because I was able to save both batches – even the one that was like boulders it was so hard!!! Maybe some water at the beginning would be helpful.
This is my second time making this and the first time it came out great! I used them in your Brownbutter toffee chocolate chip cookies ( to die for)! I’m wanting to make them again but this time my toffee came out all wrong. It started separating after it was done and was on the cookie sheet to dry out. All the butter just stared seeping out. I am using a butter with 80% butterfat but I am thinking the problem is the sugar. I only had dark brown sugar on hand instead of light. Do you suspect this is the reason why my toffee went haywire? Thank you- I love all your recipes so much. You have helped me understand the science behind baking and have helped me become a better cookie baker!
Hi Mady! We are so happy to hear that you love Tessa’s recipes and tips!! The issue you had with your toffee could be due to the fark brown sugar you used, as dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown sugar, so it will bring more moisture. Hopefully it goes perfectly for you next time, using light brown sugar 🙂 Happy baking!
If you need light brown sugar but have white and dark brown sugar, you can whisk them together to lighten the molasses ratio. So for this recipe, you would whisk together 1/2 c dark brown sugar and 1/2 c white sugar beforehand. I haven’t tried it with toffee but I’ve used this trick for brownies and cookies and it’s always worked well for me.
I made these, super easy and delicious. I live in Sweden so I had to use european butter. No problem, turned out great.
Came out perfect! Thanks for sharing this simple recipe. Love it!
Wow. This was insanely yummy. I’m not sure I’ll be able to save any to use in the cookies thank you!
Is it okay to use Dark Brown Sugar instead of Light? I understand Dark has more molasses so there is chance of it messing with the structure of the toffee, but I was wondering if it will really make that big of a difference with the toffee and if anyone has tried it before? I always use dark instead of light for my recipes, just love the flavor and chewiness it adds so hoping to not have to buy a different type 😀
Hi Sofia! Unfortunately, we haven’t tried using dark brown sugar in this toffee, so we can’t say for sure how that will work. The additional moisture from the molasses may cause the toffee to split or prevent it from setting up properly. Let us know how it goes if you give this a try 🙂
I consider myself a pretty swell, veteran at home baker and this recipe frustrated me like nothing in a very long time. Three attempts, all components accounted for: butter fat, heavy duty pan, even tried some of the, “save this broken mess” tips listed by others. It just breaks every.single.time, and even if taking off the heat works…it breaks again. I can’t imagine
So sorry to hear about your issues with this recipe, K! It’s very frustrating when a recipe doesn’t turn out the way you expect. Do you have any initial thoughts as to what went wrong? Most importantly, make sure you’re using American (~80% butterfat) butter. Secondly, you need to continuously whisk the ingredients – it takes a little bit of time for them to fully combine, but just keep whisking. Before you know it, you’ll have the peanut butter consistency and correct temp you’re looking for. Can I help troubleshoot further? This is a favorite recipe of mine (especially when used in our Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Recipe), and I’d love for you to enjoy them the way they’re meant to be!
Were you using a nonstick pan? I’ve found that really messes with any toffee recipe I try and make.
Managed this with butter from UK! I just added a splash of water prior to melting the butter and it worked a dream
how many cups of toffee bits does this recipe yield?
Hi Kat! This recipe makes 1 1/2 cups of toffee. Be sure to read through all Tessa’s tips in the pink tip box above the recipe, before making this toffee. Let us know what you think once you have given it a try! 🙂
I have made your chocolate chewy chocolate chip cookies and was wondering if you can use
Couverture semi chocolates in the chocolate chip cookie instead of semi chocolate chips?than you
Dianna
I have bought your book and magazine WHICH I CANNOT PUT DOWN. I HAVE LEARNED A LOT!! Thank you.
Hi Dianna! Yay, we’re so thrilled to hear that you’re loving Tessa’s wonderful book and magazine!! 🙂 As for your question, couverture chocolate tends to melt faster due to the higher percentage of cocoa butter it contains, so it may get a touch messy in chocolate chip cookies – but I’m sure it would also be super delicious! Check out this recipe for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, which uses a combination of regular semisweet chocolate chips as well as higher-end chocolate baking wafers. This combo might be perfect for you 🙂 Happy baking!
I live in Europe and I don’t have access to butter with less fat, so I was wondering if it was possible to use margarine instead?
Hi Mina! We don’t advise using margarine because it won’t react the same way as butter, as it’s made from oils – and it won’t taste as good, either! I would recommend experimenting with any butters you can find with 80% butterfat, if possible – and if you cannot find such a butter available, you are more than welcome to experiment, but we have not seen much success with butters containing over 80% butterfat, unfortunately. Let us know how it goes 🙂
simple ingredients easy to make good instructions and delicious 😉
Hi I used publix unsalted sweet cream butter which is a stick style butter that I thought was american but online it says it contains 82% fat and separated when I tried the recipe. I tried researching which brands had 80% but I can’t find anything. Can you let me know which brand of butter you used please
Hi London! Tessa loves using Challenge unsalted butter for all baking, but Land O Lakes is a great choice too. Good luck!
I just made this and after 2 attempts have 2 batches. The first, I thought I’d try European butter (Kerrygold) since its all I had. And just as the notes say, it didn’t firm up. In hindsight I might do this on purpose next time and use it in ice cream!
But I went out and got America butter (Land-o-Lakes) and tried again. That set up nicely and worked as expected. (It actually separated right at the end, but I was able to bring it back by adding about 1 tbl boiling water and stirring back to temp.)
But I thought I’d try some of the comments and try to redeem the first batch instead of throw it out.
So I put it back on the heat, added about 2 tsp Molasses (didn’t have Corn Syrup) and 1 tbl boiling water. I then just re-followed the instructions heating it back to temp and it worked! I don’t know if it’s smart to add the water at any other point in the process with European butter, but this trick did work for me.
Thanks!
Turned out GREAT after a trial & error.
My first attempt I took off too soon (oops went by time rather than temp).
It was still soft, BUT I read a comment saying you could just put it back in the pot and heat it back up.
I did this and after whisking a lot to get it to combine again, got it up to temperature and now I have toffee bits!
Thanks for the recipe and the commenter who gave the tip to reheat any too-soft attempts!
I rate the website and idea 5 stars! My skills or instinct without a candy thermometer is like 2 stars. I made this twice. The first separated at 9min after adding the sugar. Removing from heat at the first signs of separation and whisking was a lost cause. It looked like a peanut blob oozing oil uncontrollably. It became too hard to stir and not splash the hot separated butter all over the kitchen and my clothing. I had to throw that one in the sink. I then tried a second batch at slightly lower temperatures. I kept mixing and this time it separated after 6 min. I may have mixed too aggressively and sped up the separation. Rather than try to save this one, I immediately dumped it onto the cookie sheet to see if it would be edible after sponging all the buttery sweat off its brow like a 15th round boxer.
Hi Seth! Oh no, I’m sorry you had issues making this toffee! First question: did you use European-style butter? Any butter over about 80% butterfat will cause this toffee to separate, unfortunately. The other issue could be the saucepan you’re using. If you use a pan with a thinner base, the temperature might be too harsh for the toffee and it might cause it to separate due to the temperature being too high. If you ever give this another try, be sure to use 80% butterfat butter, and keep the temperature a little lower and/or use a thick-based pan, and if it starts to separate, stir as vigorously as possible (without splashing yourself!) off the heat or over a very low heat, until it comes back together. I hope that helps! Best of luck!!
This is a great recipe! Came out perfect. I only had salted butter so I cut back on the salt.
Hello,
I live in Europe. Can somebody tell me what is the average fat percentage of an American butter?
Thanks,
Mirjam
Hi Mirjam! Most American-style butters will contain about 80% butterfat. Most European butters contain 82% or higher. We have yet to find a way to make this recipe work, without separating, using a butter containing more than 80% butterfat. If you are able to find a butter with 80% fat, let us know how it goes. Good luck 🙂
How do store thede chips and for how long can they be stored?
Hi Pamela! You can store these for about a week inside an airtight container or a ziptop bag 🙂
Hi there I’m confused on American vs European butter I use Kerrygold would that work?
Hi Tiffany! Kerrygold is a European-style butter, so it has a higher butterfat content and will therefore likely cause the toffee to split. If you’re in the US, try using Challenge or Land o Lakes or a similar American-style butter 🙂
Why is this recipe only good for one week after being cooked?
Hi Barbara! It may last longer than that, but it should be good for at least a week. It all depends on your weather and environment. It may start to get soft after a week or so if it’s very humid and/or hot where you live. We just like to be cautious when giving shelf-life estimates, and err on the side of caution. Let us know what you think if you give this toffee a try!
Is It ok to use swerve brown sugar in this recipe?
Hi Sheryll! No, I don’t believe that will work. This recipe is very specifically written as toffee can be a finicky beast! Sugar substitutes typically won’t perform the same way as real sugar, especially in toffee/caramel/butterscotch and such, that are based entirely on the structure and moisture that only real sugar can provide. Feel free to experiment and see what happens, and let us know how it goes!
Would using dark brown sugar affect this recipe?
Hi Jessica! We haven’t tried that, and the extra moisture content in dark brown sugar may prevent this toffee from setting properly. Feel free to try it out if you’re in the mood to experiment, but we recommend sticking with light brown sugar for best results 🙂
I had diy brown sugar (1 cup sugar to 2 tbsps molasses) on hand, so I gave it a shot. It worked well!
I’m not sure how long it takes for the butter to incorporate with the light brown sugar recipe, but it took at least 3 minutes here. Had me worried for a moment. But it all came together.
The toffee is very tasty! I look forward to trying the cookies I put it in in a few days!
So glad it worked well and tastes great, Jessica!!
if I only have European butter how can I make toffee bits?
Hi Claudia! We have not found a way around this ourselves, unfortunately! You’re more than welcome to experiment and see if you van get it to work with butter you have available, but we haven’t personally heard of too much success using butter much past 80% butterfat 🙁
These were unbelievably easy to make and so delicious! I didn’t have a candy thermometer. I just held my instant read thermometer in the saucepan from time to time to check the temp and it worked great!
So glad to hear that, Esther!!
This looks delicious & I came across your recipe bc I want to make saltine toffee bark (sometimes called Christmas crack) with a thick layer of crunchy toffee & no chocolate – so just a layer of saltines with the toffee on top. Do you think this recipe would work for that? All the actual recipes for it never have a thick enough layer of toffee & add chocolate on top.
Hi V! We haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! Let us know how it goes if you give this a try 🙂
These toffee bits taste really good and were easy to make. I don’t have a candy thermometer so I just had to eyeball it…next time I would probably invest in one just to take the guesswork out of the equation. I think this would be a great recipe to have a video of – the pictures were helpful but any time I have to make decisions based on consistency I get nervous going of a description or still image. Still would recommend and it’s nice to know I have this option – I can get toffee bits in my area but they aren’t always easy to find.
Also FYI to other bakers – I initially took it off the stove too early and it didn’t harden, it was more like a chewy caramel candy. I just peeled it off the parchment and put it back in the pan to remelt and it worked like a charm! So if you make the same mistake I did, all is not lost!
Hi Monica! There is a recipe video on the post – almost right at the top, just below the heading that says ‘Recipe Video’. Don’t click the button right at the top that says Watch Video – those buttons aren’t working right now and we are working on fixing them, so in the meantime, just scroll down a teeny bit and you’ll see it! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed these toffee bits! 🙂
I tried to make this two times and it was a flop both times.
The brown butter toffee cookies are great, but I will have to just continue buying heath brand toffee
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear you experienced issues, but hopefully I can help figure out what happened! What seemed to be the issue?
My toffee is still fairly soft after waiting for way more than 20 min. Did I do something wrong? Or can I just stick it in the freezer to harden more quickly?
Hi Amy! Unfortunately, if your toffee has not hardened within 20 minutes or so, it likely won’t harden at all, I’m sorry to say! It’s possible the mixture didn’t get quite hot enough. Alternatively, it could be an issue with your ingredients – primarily the butter you used. This recipe has not worked for our readers when using European-style butter, or butter that’s over about 80% butterfat content. The extra fat in these types of butter cause the mixture to separate, and/or prevents it from setting up correctly. Hopefully this toffee will still taste good enough to snack on for now, and I’m sure you’ll nail it next time! Good luck and happy baking 🙂
This happened to me too but I froze it and then it was super easy to smash to bits. It’s very warm here right now so I’m wondering if that’s part of the reason why it didn’t firm up.
Hello, I want to make this recipe but I only have access to 82% +butter, as I live in Europe. Is there something I can do to make it work? Thank you in advance!!!
Hi Persefoni! Unfortunately, we have not had success making this toffee with European-style butter at all 🙁 One of our readers recently mentioned that she had success using European butter, melting about 2 Tablespoons more butter than the recipe states, then, once melted, she carefully tilted the pan and skimmed 2 Tablespoons of the clear fat (ghee) into a separate bowl. We have not tested this theory at all, so I cannot speak to whether or not it works, but this reader says it worked for her! If you wish to roll the dice, you can give her method a try – otherwise, I would recommend researching another recipe, sorry! Good luck!!
Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate it!
I see people using European butter have challenges in the fat separating. I live in Europe (the Netherlands) and was able to make the toffee successfully. I read you can add a little corn syrup as it apparently helps stabilize the mix. I used a Tbsp for this recipe and it worked ok. For those in the the Netherlands wondering where you can buy corn syrup, the local Asian markets (i.e. the Toko) and expat stores sell it.
Great tip!! Thanks so much for sharing – we’ll have to try this ourselves sometime 🙂
This really was as easy as the recipe describes! I bought a candy thermometer, which I’m glad I did because I’m not sure I would have known when it was done otherwise. I made this to make the toffee chocolate chip cookies, but here I am eating toffee by itself!
Can you make this with plant butter to make it dairy free?
Hi Jennifer! I’m sorry, we don’t with dairy-free substitutions, so I cannot tell you for sure – but I honestly doubt it would work! Feel free to experiment and give it a try, though!
We don’t have toffee bits where I live so I made these. turned out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! So glad to hear that, Denise!