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 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! 🙂