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, 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
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
- 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 for up to 1 week.
Recipe 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’m in the UK and used unsalted Lurpak butter, which is 82% fat. Added in 1 tbsp of water to the ingredients as suggested, and everything worked perfectly! I would definitely recommend using a thermometer though – mine took a lot longer than 10 mins to reach 295-300F and had I not used a thermometer, I probably would have poured it out too soon.
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and tip, Cat! It’s wild how much stovetops can vary—I actually made a batch this morning, and it only took 5 minutes to cook instead of my usual 8! It’s a great reminder that kitchen humidity can also affect cook time. I’m so glad using a thermometer helped your toffee turn out perfectly 🙂
I wanted to doubt the poor reviews…. But try another recipe. This one separated so quickly and was impossible to bring back together. Waste of ingredients.
I made this but found the instructions unclear for someone without a candy thermometer. I recognize that it’s recommended, but I wish there were more specific instructions for those without. The pictures were somewhat helpful, but I wish there were more and more detailed explanations of what to look for. Mine ended up being soft because I was worried it would burn (after reading the notes) so I took it off perhaps earlier than I should, but then again it had been ten minutes.
Turned out great! The toffee is very good alone and can’t wait to try it in a cookie recipe. Loved how easy and quick it was. Followed the directions as written and had no issues!
thanks for this awesome recipe! i don’t think i’ve ever seen toffee bits in canada…
great results on first attempt. i’m thinking of using these bits inside my homemade bonbons for christmas.
has anyone had success freezing the bits? i’ve got about one cup left over, and it would be great to use this batch closer to the end of november.
Using them in bonbons sounds amazing, great idea! And yes, these freeze well! Just store them in an airtight container until you’re ready to use them 🙂
Despite constantly whisking over medium-low heat in a thick bottomed saucepan, it broke so many times between 270-280°. Each time I would remove it, add a T. of boiling water, vigorously whisk it again until molten butter splashed everywhere and every part of my hand and arm were burned, and then bring it back to temperature, all the while never giving up whisking. Finally, after 25 minutes, it reached 305° even though it was completely separated, and I poured it out in frustration. While the tray and silpat were covered with separated butter, the mass in the middle still hardened and I was able to use it.
love this recipe, its absolutely delicous & super easy iput this in cookies and its divine i heat mine to 310F i find the toffee won’t melt as much in the oven when i bake it in my cookies. great recipe thx!
There is too much sugar to butter in the ratio, which makes for potentially inconsistent results because you have to mix it just so. Not too little, or it separates, not too much, or it also separates. I’ve tried this recipe about a dozen times, and it’s turned out about half the time. Much more consistent results with other recipes using a 1 cup butter to 1 cup sugar recipe. Time to abandon and use a more consistent recipe.
I used half american and half european butter because that’s all I had. Added 1 tbsp water and cooked to 300°F per recipe recommendations and it came out great!
BTW I used the metric measurements which I recommend for accuracy.
Awful worst recipe ever. We did exactly as said to a T. But the second we added sugar to the butter it clumped up straight away. And when it started to seperate after 8ish mins we couldnt remix as it was already thick from the beginning and not at temperature!
I have been using this recipe for about a year as I was tired of spending so much money on store bought toffee bits for my chocolate cookie recipe. This recipe is simple and easy to follow. I am still shocked every time I make this recipe because the toffee turns out so good. EVERY. TIME. I have to swat hands away from the toffee once it’s cooled and broken into bits! It is a game changer for my cookie recipe, it tastes better each time I bake them with the homemade toffee. But it is essential to use a whisk during the heating process and a thermometer to hit the right temperature for this recipe. It just turns out so good every time and we can never go back to store bought. I have even made a mistake by using white sugar instead of light brown, this doesn’t burn as easy but produces a light toffee colour and flavour (kind of similar to Werther’s candy). Thank you for this lovely recipe! (PS. I also really appreciate the weight in grams as I prefer to weigh out all the ingredients for consistency)
Broke towards the end of cooking (around 280 degrees) and wasn’t able to re-emulsify. I used American-style butter, followed all of the directions, and was whisking constantly. Not sure what went wrong.