This is such a luxurious and decadent treat—sure to impress all of your friends and family.
English Toffee has to be one of my personal favorite candies. The combination of rich buttery toffee with dark chocolate and nuts is the perfect bite. If you are going to ship this as part of a holiday treat box, I recommend using chopped nuts. If you are making it to place on a tray (without all the jostling), you can use slivered or sliced almonds for a pretty finish.
Safety Note: When making hot candy, I highly recommend wearing long sleeves, long pants, and closed-toed shoes. Candy can reach very high temperatures and frequently spatters out of the pot. I have some bad burns on my hand from a batch of peanut brittle that got a little wild. For the same reasons, you will want to keep kids and pets out of the area.
Gear and Prep:
Once the candy is ready to pour, you need to be ready, or you could risk burning a batch, or even worse, burning yourself (I’ve got the scars to prove it!). So, before you get started, you will want to gather the following:
1. Large heavy-bottom pan
2. Wooden spoon (do not use a metal spoon)
3. 2 buttered or parchment-lined sheet pans
4. Cup or spoon rest (something to hold your sticky spoon when not using)
5. Oven mitts – used to move your hot pan when ready to pour (preferably flexible mitts so you can more deftly pour and maneuver the pot)
6. Candy thermometer (if you don’t have one, you can use a glass of cold water to test the candy; it just isn’t as precise and is a bit more stressful)
English Toffee Ingredients:
1lb of butter (2 cups)
⅔ cup of water
2 cups of sugar
Topping:
1-2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips
1-2 cups of chopped or slivered almonds (or nut of your choice)
Step 1:
Bring water and butter to a boil, and then add the sugar.
Step 2:
Cook, stirring frequently until it reaches 290°F (it will start smoking at the end, so stir vigorously starting around 280°F).
Step 3:
Pour onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and use your spoon to spread evenly.
Step 4:
Allow to cool for a few minutes, just enough to harden so it doesn’t sink when a chocolate chip is added to the top, but still warm enough to melt the chocolate.
Step 5:
Add the chocolate chips to the top in an even layer and let them melt.
Step 6:
Once melted, spread the chocolate and then sprinkle with nuts.
Step 7:
Let the chocolate set overnight, then use a sharp knife to break it into the desired-sized pieces.
