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This classic toffee recipe is the perfect homemade treat. With crunchy pecans and chocolate, it’s simply delicious!
If you love this classic holiday candy, you’ll definitely want to try our other favorites – Pretzel Toffee and Christmas Crack (aka saltine cracker toffee)!
Everyone Loves It!
Toffee is a hard candy usually made by boiling together sugar and butter, and topped with chocolate after it hardens.
It’s a popular recipe we love to make for holidays and is one we love to gift too!
Here’s why we love to make it:
- Simple. There are only a few ingredients, and the steps to make it are pretty straightforward.
- Addicting. I can never get enough of that sweet, buttery flavor paired with smooth chocolate on top that homemade toffee offers!
- Big batch. It’s super easy to make in big batches.
- Great Holiday Gift. It’s perfect for entertaining, wrapping up in treat boxes, or gifting to neighbors and friends on holiday cookie plates.
Ingredients
- salted butter – Make sure to use real butter, margarine won’t work for this recipe.
- sugar
- vanilla extract
- salt
- milk chocolate chips – or semi-sweet chocolate chips/dark chocolate chips – even white chocolate chips work.
- chopped pecans – Other toppings include chopped almonds (or your favorite nuts), toffee bits, chopped candy cane bits, and holiday sprinkles.
How to Make Toffee
- PREP. Line a 7×12-inch jelly roll pan (or baking sheet) with parchment paper.
- TOFFEE. Combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Clamp a candy thermometer to the saucepan.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth, then bring to a boil while whisking constantly.
- Continue whisking the mixture as it boils until it reaches 290°F or the “hard crack” stage. This will take 10–15 minutes, and the mixture will be amber-caramel in color.
- When it reaches hard crack stage, immediately pour toffee in an even layer onto the prepared baking sheet.
- TOPPINGS. Let sit for 1–2 minutes, then sprinkle chocolate chips on top. After 1 more minute, spread chocolate smooth with an offset or rubber spatula and sprinkle chopped pecans on top.
- SET. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours to harden, then cut into toffee pieces with a thick, sharp knife.
Pro Tip
If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can do a hard crack test. Have a bowl of ice water next to the stove and do the following:
- Use a spoon to drop a dollop of the candy syrup into cold water. Wait about 10 seconds.
- If the dollop is pliable and bends, the syrup is too soft and needs to boil longer.
- If the dollop snaps, it’s at the hard crack stage and is ready.
Recipe Tips
This homemade toffee recipe is quite easy to make, but here are some tips to make the process easier.
- Saucepan. Use a large, heavy-bottom saucepan. If the bottom of your saucepan is too thin, the toffee can burn.
- Boil low and slow. Bringing the syrup to a boil too quickly can cause the butter to separate from the sugar. Be patient as the boiling process can take about 15 minutes.
- Sugar crystals. Stir occasionally using a wooden spoon or offset spatula. Sugar crystals and separation tend to happen when you stir too frequently. If crystallization does happen, be careful not to scrape it off the sides, or bottom of the pot.
- Easy clean-up. Line the jelly roll pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Storing Info
- STORE. Keep in an airtight container at room temp for 7-10 days. Stored in the refrigerator, it can keep an extra week or two.
- FREEZE the toffee by placing it in a freezer-safe bag or dish for up to 1 month.
For more homemade candy recipes:
Toffee Recipe
This classic toffee recipe is the perfect homemade treat. With crunchy pecans and chocolate, it's simply delicious!
Equipment
- 1 Candy thermometer
Ingredients
- 2 cups salted butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Line a 7×12-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
- Combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Clamp a candy thermometer to the saucepan.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth, then bring to a boil while whisking constantly.
- Continue whisking the mixture as it boils until it reaches 290°F or the "hard crack" stage. This will take 10–15 minutes, and the mixture will be amber-caramel in color.
- When it reaches hard crack stage, immediately pour toffee into the prepared pan.
- Let sit for 1–2 minutes, then sprinkle chocolate chips on top. After 1 more minute, spread chocolate smooth with an offset or rubber spatula and sprinkle chopped pecans on top.
- Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours to harden, then cut into pieces with a thick, sharp knife.
Video
Notes
Make ahead of time. Toffee can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1–2 weeks. You can also refrigerate it to extend the shelf life to about 3 months.
Variations. To change up your toffee, switch out the milk chocolate chips for semisweet, dark, or white chocolate, or use chopped almonds, toffee bits, candy cane bits, or holiday sprinkles in place of the pecans.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g, Calories: 584kcal, Carbohydrates: 54g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 41g, Saturated Fat: 24g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 86mg, Sodium: 313mg, Potassium: 29mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 52g, Vitamin A: 1015IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 47mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Taste is really good. Size of pan is not correct! DO NOT use a 7×11 pan … it’s too small! Next time I will definitely use a 9×13! Most areas are close to an inch thick. Toffee should not be that thick IMO!
Great recipe and top tips. Will definitely keep and try again. Going to share as a Christmas gift
Yum!! Looking forward to this.
Easy and delicious!
Thank you for sharing this with your readers.
Classic Toffee is so delicious and easy to make. Not just a Christmas favorite, but a treat any time of the year!
I love this recipe! My mom used to make this every year and we would give it away at Christmas. This is exactly her recipe except the pecans. She used almonds.
Awesome recipe!! Thanks so much for sharing. I have never made toffee before. This was a very detailed and easy recipe follow.
Could I put the chopped pecans into the toffee, instead of on top of it? Or both?
Yes, you could!
LOVE THESE and love toffee. My favorite Christmas treat of all.
Do walnuts substitute well for the pecans?
Yes!! They would be a great swap!