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.
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I adore toffee.
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!
Sprinkle of Science
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 These?
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:
- Butter (more on this below)
- Light brown sugar
- Salt
Why American-Style Butter?
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 unless you add in 1-2 tablespoons of water to the melting butter.
Step by Step:
- 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.
- Use a heavy-bottomed 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. You may need to add a tablespoon of water to re-emulsify.
- A candy thermometer is so helpful in making toffee. This is my favorite candy thermometer.
- Make sure to let the toffee cool completely before you break it into bits and store it.
- If the toffee is flexible instead of hard, it wasn’t cooked long enough. You can break into pieces, return to the stove, and re-melt and cook to 295-305°F.
How to Store Toffee Bits
Once cooled and cut or broken into pieces, store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month. Alternatively, 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.
Try Next: Dutch Apple Pie With Caramel Streusel Topping
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Ingredients
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted American butter*
- 1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare your pan first: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This will make it easy to pour and cool the toffee later.
- Melt the butter: Place butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and let it melt gently. Heating over high heat may cause the mixture to separate.
- Add sugar and salt: Once the butter is partially melted, stir in the brown sugar and salt, then use a whisk to whisk vigorously for 1 full minute until smooth and evenly combined. The sugar won't be fully dissolved yet—that's normal.
- Cook carefully: Keep the pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, including the edges to scrape up any sugar that sticks. The mixture will bubble, thicken, and look like smooth, melted peanut butter.⚠️ Important: Don't leave the pan unattended or stop stirring, even for a moment. Toffee can burn very quickly if ignored.
- If the mixture separates: If the butter and sugar split at any point (see Notes), remove the pan from heat and whisk vigorously until smooth. Return to medium heat, stirring constantly, to finish cooking.
- Check for doneness:*With a candy thermometer: 295°F-305°F (about 8-10 minutes)*Without a thermometer: Watch and smell closely. The mixture is ready when all three of these happen: the mixture is very smooth and glossy, the color turns a deep golden-brown, and a rich, toasty caramel aroma fills the air.
- Pour and spread: Immediately pour the hot toffee onto the prepared pan and use a spatula to spread evenly. Be careful, it's very hot! Let cool and harden, about 20 minutes.
- Break into pieces and store: Once hardened, crack into small pieces with a mallet, rolling pin, or heavy object, or cut with a sharp serrated knife. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Butter: American-style butter gives the best texture and flavor. If using European-style butter ( 82% or more fat), add 1 tablespoon (14 g) of water as it melts to compensate for the lower water content. Cook to 300°F. The resulting toffee may be slightly greasier and is best used immediately.
- Salt: Don’t skip it! Salt helps stabilize the mixture and enhances the flavor overall.
- Pan: Heavy-bottomed pans distribute heat evenly. Avoid thin-bottomed or cheap pans, which can create hot spots and cause separation or burning.
- Heat: Keep medium heat consistent. Avoid abrupt changes or cooking on higher temperatures to speed up.
- Timing: Cooking time depends on your pan and stove. If separation happens within the first few minutes or your toffee cooks much faster than the time listed, your heat is likely too high. Always rely on sensory cues — texture, color, and aroma — rather than the clock alone.
- Toffee not hardening? If your toffee hasn’t set and is bendy, it likely didn’t cook long enough. To fix it, simply return the mixture to the pan over medium heat and cook while following the three sensory cues listed in the recipe — texture, color, and aroma — to know when it’s ready.
Recipes Using Toffee Bits:
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin. Recipe instructions updated in December 2025 for clarity.
I tried making it twice and both times it separated both times around 260f, second time I tried a thicker stainless sauce pan and a tablespoon of water as instructed. I’m using lucerne unsalted, which is supposedly 82% butterfat. What am I doing wrong? I was stirring constantly. Is it possible to stir it too much? Would that make it separate? I’m at a loss.
i just made it and mine seperated, i added the separated mixture to a food processor and it made a crumbly sugar mix and i put that back in the pot with a few tablespoons of water until it all melted and it worked!!
Very easy just had standard butter (clover) in my fridge broke up some chocolate over it about 10 minutes into the cool and spread it round with back of a spoon
I’m going to try this again. Toffee sorts of things have never been my strong suit. It got to the temperature, but then I think I was too slow in getting it off the heat and it burned. I have a candy thermometer but it’s a little bit cumbersome. Could I use a digital meat thermometer? If that works, it would help simplify.
Never mind, I thought the meat thermometer went higher than it does, so it doesn’t actually solve my problem.
Hi Mollie! Yeah, unfortunately most meat thermometers don’t reach a high enough temperature for working with toffee, and they’re also much shorter in length so you have to be careful handling it near the hot sugar. If it’s helpful, Tessa loves this candy thermometer, especially because it also doubles as a deep-fry thermometer. You could also try an instant-read thermometer (our team loves this one) to quickly check the temp of your toffee. You’ll just need to check it more regularly to ensure you don’t burn the sugar. I hope that’s helpful! Good luck with your next batch, and please let us know how it goes!
Fabulous rwcipe. I only had salted butter and dark brown sugar at home. It came out delicious. Im addicted to skor chocolate (Canada), nowvi can make my own. Bettervthan any toffee bits i ever had. Thanks for the recipe ❤
I love this poured over pretzels. I call it crack because it’s addicting.
This toffee is so delicious. I made it for the toffee, brown butter chocolate chip cookies and they were SO good. Sadly not much of the toffee were left for the cookies as my family and I munched most of it ><.
I do have a question, as I’m in Europe and 82% fat butter is all we have, the toffee wasn’t real hard. It didn’t stand out in the cookies (I think it melted). So is there an alternative or an addition that can be made to make it hard?? I wanna make it again and again and I would just Love for it to stand out in the cookies as it is Really good. Thanks
Use one tablespoon of water and a thermometer really helps. I usually pull it at around 140-145 C. Also stirring frequently helps it not separate.
That’s very sweet of you, many thanks I’ll definitely try doing so next time.
So easy, I’ve failed at caramel making more times than I can count but this was stupendous and so easy to make. Your instructions point by point were perfect. Thank you.
I’m so glad to hear that, Tazzy!
This is my second recipe making the toffee. So far so good it just has to harden for another 15 minutes and hopefully it will be good.
This recipe is amazing and delicious, and best of all – it’s easy! The first time I made it I didn’t use a thermometer and took it off the heat too soon because I was afraid to burn it. It never hardened. I was able to save it by heating it back up and melting it and getting it to the right temp. It worked like a charm! Just made my second batch for your brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies, which are also magnificent!
The recipe worked perfectly. I needed a crunchy filling for some almond cookies. It was so easy to make, and tastier than the store-bought kind. I think a pinch of vanilla would be nice, not sure if that would disrupt the process.
You can add a small splash of vanilla once the toffee is cooked and is just off the heat. It doesn’t mess anything up, but if it’s added too early the vanilla burns. So it just needs to be mixed in after cooking before spreading it out!
PS I agree that this took nowhere near 10 minutes. Mine would have been burnt to a crisp well before then.
I only had Kerrygold butter on hand, and it worked to make toffee that did not separate by adding about 1 Tb of water (I was not precise) to the melting butter.
Thank you