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.
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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
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 (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.
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.
- 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.
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.
Recipes Using Toffee Bits:
Homemade Toffee Bits
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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
- Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a heavy-bottomed small saucepan, begin melting the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and salt to the partially melted butter 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 Notes
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Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I went to buy some toffee bits for some scones I’m making. $5.99 at the store! No thank you! So I decided to try my hand at making it myself. I was a little worried to make this with some of the comments saying that it separated and whatnot. Went for it and it worked! Followed the recipe as it was explained. I was thrilled. It’s delish too! Thank you!
I used vegan butter and added the extra tablespoon of water as suggested. The toffee turned out great! It’s delicious!
Nope didn’t work. Patiently cooked over med heat in heavy bottom pot. Broke at 280 degrees.
Didn’t come out as expected. I thought it was weird that you stir constantly, but I just watched another persons recipe and they did too. Probably shouldn’t have used a whisk.
Hi Eddie! Thanks for giving this recipe a try and for following up with your second comment. We removed your earlier review per your request. We’ve tested this recipe over 20 times (using just a whisk!) and it’s worked well for many members in our baking community, so I’d love to better understand what you mean by “didn’t come out as expected.” Was it the texture, flavor, color, or snap that seemed off?
This is definitely a recipe where constant stirring is key. It keeps the mixture emulsified so the butter and sugar don’t separate. If left alone, it won’t cook properly and can burn easily. Tessa has some super helpful Tips for Making Toffee just above the recipe that might help troubleshoot.
I hope you’ll give it another go! This is one of my favorites, especially when added to chocolate chip cookies!
Your recipe was easy to follow and do! I feel silly for buying toffee bits for all these years! I will definitely try more of your recipes!
Can I add red food coloring to this recipe?
Want to make red toffee for Halloween cookies.
Any help is appreciated!
Hi Sohail! We haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why not! Be sure to use gel food coloring for best results, and you’ll quickly whisk in the coloring just before the toffee reaches temp. Let us know how it turns out. And please share a pic of your cookies, I’m curious to see the results!
Looks easy but made it twice and keep stirring and following directions as stated and towards the end of the temp it completely separated??
Hi Michelle! I’m sorry to hear the toffee gave you trouble. Without being in the kitchen with you, it’s hard to say exactly what went wrong, but I’d love to help troubleshoot! Did the mixture stay smooth at first and only separate right near the end? And just to confirm—were you whisking constantly throughout the cooking process? Even a quick pause can sometimes cause separation.
Believe it or not, the type of saucepan used can make a big difference too. A thinner pan won’t conduct heat evenly and can create hot spots that cause the mixture to split. Heating too quickly in the beginning (above medium) can also cause separation, so be sure to keep the heat at medium while the mixture is melting. Stir slowly and gently—but as the recipe mentions, if it does start to separate, remove it from the heat and whisk vigorously to bring it back together. Did you try that either time?
Also, what kind of butter did you use? If it was European-style (like Kerrygold), that could be the issue! We tested the recipe with European butter, and while it can work, it needs a small adjustment. Be sure to check out the Recipe Notes for those details. Let me know if I can help further!
Holy moly, amazing toffee! It’s so easy to make and works amazing in the suggested recipes! 100/10!
This toffee came together quickly and easily, and it’s tasty! I’m definitely making another batch.
I only had 160 grams of light brown sugar so I added 40 grams of dark brown sugar. Turned out great! Will be using this toffee for my favorite cookie recipe- your brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies!
I went ahead and got some light brown sugar 😀. It turned out FANTASTIC. Used some in my chocolate chip cookie recipe and it made them even better. No more store bought toffee bits because these are so much better and so easy to make. Already had to make a 3rd batch. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. You are greatly appreciated!!!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear how much you enjoyed the recipe, Vickie! A third batch is such a compliment 🙂 Thanks for following up!
I only have dark brown sugar😔, can that work or would it change the taste?
Hi Vickie! Our team hasn’t tested that, but other readers have used dark brown sugar with success! Feel free to give it a try and let us know how it goes.