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.
Hi, I’m new to candy making (making this recipe as part of a christmas present), and don’t own a candy thermometer. would a meat thermometer work?
Hi Aria! That should work ok, just make sure to not rest it on the bottom of the pan. Some meat thermometer’s temperature range isn’t high enough though for cooking sugar – they’re also much shorter in length. You’ll want to be extra careful handling the thermometer near the hot toffee. Good luck!
Very easy to follow, used Irish butter here in the UK and seemed to firm up just fine! Definitely helped to keep the toffee thin
Hi!
A couple of questions 🙂
If I have a candy thermometer, what temp should I bring this up to?
And if I wanted to make this a “salted” toffee, could you recommend doubling the amount of salt, or would it be too much?
Many thanks, very excited to make this recipe to add to my cookies
Hi Sara! As mentioned in the recipe, you’ll want to stir the mixture until a candy thermometer reaches 295-305°F 🙂 We haven’t tried increasing the salt in this recipe, but I’d recommend adding flaky sea salt to the top instead of increasing the salt. Especially if you haven’t made our recipe before, I highly encourage you to make it as-written before adjusting key ingredients. Let us know what you think when you give this recipe a try! 🙂
Can you add bacon to this recipe? Other recipes have corn syrup, I like that this recipe has only 3 ingredients.
We haven’t tried that!
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 🙂
Veronica, as long as you keep it in a Ziploc baggie it will keep for months at room temperature. Don’t put it in the fridge as it will collect moisture & ruin it. The key is keeping it airtight away from moisture. Have a great day!
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!