Monday, December 19, 2011

Toffee

Every year for Christmas there are those few Christmas goodies that make Christmas, Christmas in my mind. Mom has already posted a few…. Red velvet cake, sherry dream bars, chocolate chess pie but there is one she hasn't posted yet that also has always been a part of our Christmas tradition: Toffee.


Candy like  toffee is not only super delicious and easy to make and is very easy to package, store, and give as gifts.  One batch makes about two pounds deliciousness.

Ingredients:
2 cups of butter
2 cups of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1/3 cup of water
1 package of milk chocolate chips
1/2-1 cup chopped pecans

Cover a 9x13 cookie sheet in aluminum foil.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Once butter is melted add the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Continue to stir until the mixture starts boiling. Continue stirring frequently for about another 20-30 minutes (if you have a candy thermometer, boil until the candy reaches 290 degrees). The liquid will transition from a light color to a rich golden brownish color. The longer you cook it the harder the candy will get.

Once the candy thermometer has reached 290 degrees, pour the candy mixture onto the lined cookie sheet. Remember do not touch! It will be VERY hot! After the candy has set for about 5 minutes or so, pour the chocolate chips on top. Wait a few minutes and the chips will melt and use a rubber spatula to evenly distribute the chocolate on top. Then sprinkle nuts on top of the melted chocolate and gently pat the pecan chips into the soft chocolate to ensure it sticks.


The toffee will need to sit and harden for several hours or you can put the toffee in the refrigerator/freezer to speed up the process. Once the chocolate has cooled simply pull the toffee off of the aluminum foil and break into small pieces with your hands and serve!

1 comment:

Susan Vilar Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator said...

This is very close to a version my mom made when we were kids. This past Christmas I made 4 batches of this to give to friends, and take to work.

I also cook to 290.

Instead of topping with chocolate (which breaks off) I break up the cooled toffee, and dip it into chocolate with just a bit of the toffee showing to pick it up. It works really well!