Unless someone is avoiding sugar, or butter, or both, for health reasons, I’m not sure I know anyone who doesn’t like English Toffee. I’d like to credit intense research to find a recipe that works for me, but that would be glorifying watching an Instagram feed by someone whose recipes and demonstrations seem to fit for my experience and adventures in new concoctions. So, I’ll credit Kaleb Wyse, and happily share. I’ve made a slight modification, which I’ll share in the recipe, itself. For best results, you’ll need a candy or instant read thermometer.
INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) salted butter
1-1/2 cups white granulated sugar
3 Tbsp corn syrup (to accommodate those with a corn allergy, I substitute Lyle’s Golden Syrup – many larger markets carry it, and you can get it online through everybody’s favorite, Amazon)
9 oz dark chocolate chips (bittersweet work best)
1-1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Butter a 9″ x 13″ sheet pan, and set it aside.
Have an instant-read thermometer ready, or a candy thermometeer that will fit your saucepan.
In a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, and corn syrup (or substitute). Over low heat, bring it to a boil, stirring slowly. Continue to boil until the mixture reaches 290-300° (this is called the hard crack stage) – should take 15-20 minutes. The mixture will be light amber in color and will smell of caramel and butterscotch.
Once the temperature is reached, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, then pour into the prepared baking sheet pan.
Let the toffee cool for one minute, the sprinkle with a scant 1/2 of the chopped nuts, spread evenly over the entire mixture. Alternatively, you can sprinckle the nuts evenly over the bottom of the pan before you put the toffee in it, but you’ll want to pour the toffee carefully so that you don’t push all the nuts to the perimeter.
Once you’ve sprinkled the nuts over the toffee, do the same with the chocolate chips, and let it sit until the chips are melted, about two minutes. Then, using an offset spatula, spread the chocolate evenly over the surface, finishing by sprinkling the remaining nuts over the melted chocolate.
Let the toffee cool completely – about 4 hours. You can speed up the process by letting it cool and then putting it in the fridge.
Once cooled completely, remove the toffee from the pan (it should come out as a single piece, so don’t consume it on the spot as you would a Heath Bar. Break the toffee into desired pieces. The many small pieces are your reward for a job well done.
never 2 old 2 start cooking 