The best Toffee recipe EVER! Sweet milk chocolate, crunchy pecans, and rich, buttery toffee – what’s not to love? This Better Than Anything Toffee is easy to make and makes the perfect treat OR gift year-round!
Looking for more holiday treats? Make sure to try my Buttermilk Pecan Pralines, Candied Pecans and Divinity!
Toffee Recipe
The holiday season marks my favorite time of year. If you hadn’t guessed already, I’m a leeetle obsessed with food. Making good food for my friends and family is my happy place. One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is make candy. I have a TON of candy recipes on my site. Some are super easy using only the microwave and a handful of ingredients like these M&Ms Marshmallow Dream Bars while others are more challenging but worth every second like these Buttermilk Pecan Pralines.
I have my personal favorites that never fail to make an appearance each holiday season and this Better Than Anything Toffee recipe is one of those.
Easy Toffee Candy
This recipe reminds me a lot of old school pound cake recipes in that the amounts are simple to remember. One cup of butter, one cup of sugar, one cup of pecans and one cup of milk chocolate chips. A pinch of salt and a little vanilla extract are optional but add a lot of flavor to this easy candy recipe.
So, why do I love toffee so much? Because EVERYONE else does! I have given a lot of food gifts over the years but trust me, I take note of which ones get the biggest reactions. This Better Than Anything Toffee is one such recipe.
Best Toffee Ever
Yes! I said easy! I know some of you guys are going to get a little freaked when you see that you need a candy thermometer for this recipe. Don’t.
It makes candy making fun and fool-proof! This entire recipe takes about 20 minutes from chopping the pecans to spreading the chocolate on top. Then you just have to let it chill for awhile while you enjoy a steaming mug of Slow Cooker Peppermint White Hot Chocolate.
I’m gonna put this picture right here just in case you have any doubts that this recipe is absolutely worth your time…
More Christmas Favorites
- Christmas Crack – An Easy Saltine Toffee Recipe!
- Christmas Peppermint Patties
- Kolaczki (Polish Cookies)
- Peppermint Snowball Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
What Is Toffee Made Of?
Not a whole lot as it turns out! There are so many things I love about this Toffee recipe and the short ingredient list is one fo them. As always, you can find the full printable recipe with complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need:
- pecans – other nuts will work in this recipe too: almonds, walnuts, pistachios, etc.
- butter – use a good quality butter because it’s one of the main ingredients in this candy recipe.
- sugar – plain granulated sugar is what we’re using.
- kosher salt – for balance and flavor.
- vanilla extract – use the best quality you can.
- milk chocolate chips – semisweet can also be used. If you have baking bars, those work too, just chop up before using in the recipe.
How To Make Toffee
- Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
- Spread the chopped pecans in a single layer on top of the parchment.
- Add butter, sugar, and salt to a heavy bottomed 3 quart pot.
- Bring to a boil over medium low heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar.
- Stir occasionally, slowly and evenly, until the candy has reached 290F to 300F, or “hard crack” on a candy thermometer.
- Once the candy has reached 290°F to 300°F, remove from heat and gently stir in the vanilla extract.
- Carefully pour over the pecans.
- Let the candy sit for a few minutes before sprinkling the chocolate chips over the top.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Remove the foil and gently spread the softened chocolate into an even layer.
- Place the candy in the refrigerator and let cool completely.
- Lift the parchment out of the baking dish and place the toffee on a cutting board or solid surface.
- Use a knife to gently break it into smaller pieces.
- Store in an airtight container in a cool place.
Storage Information
Toffee should be stored in an airtight container for up 2 weeks. You want the toffee to stay cool and dry so store it away from heat and moisture. Toffee can get sticky so keep that in mind if you live in a humid environment.
Top Tips for the Best Toffee
- Use a quality candy thermometer like this one (best for large batches) or this candy thermometer (great for small batches AND large batches and it does a lot more). Digital is my favorite. You literally can’t mess it up. I give the range of 290F – 300F for this recipe. I have cooked it from one end of this range to the other and it’s all good. 300F is hard crack so the toffee will be more brittle the higher you go.
- There is a whopping 4 main ingredients in this recipe, 5 if you count the vanilla extract, 6 if you count the salt. Use the very best quality ingredients for the best quality toffee. I use Challenge butter it’s the brand I’ve used and trusted for years and years. Made with 100% real cream, it’s my butter of choice.
- I used milk chocolate chips for the top layer. You can use three Hershey’s bars in place of the chips if you prefer. The chocolate is a little softer and will melt faster as it’s being held but it is delicious.
- Not a pecan fan? Cool. Use what you want: almonds, walnuts, etc.
- Freaking out over the fact that I didn’t top the toffee with finely crushed and chopped nuts? This recipe doesn’t need it since there are so many nuts IN the toffee. If you still can’t handle it, feel free to top your toffee as you wish.
This recipe can be easily doubled. Use a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan instead of the 9-in square pan and you’ll be all set.
In the mood for candy making? Try these Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles (easiest candy EVER), these Chocolate Mint Cream Cheese Buttons (always a crowd pleaser) or check out my 30 Last Minute Christmas Treats here. Lots of great recipes!
You can find all of my CHRISTMAS RECIPES HERE 🙂
More Candy Favorites
- Martha Washington Candies
- Peppermint Fudge
- Buttermilk Pecan Pralines
- Divinity Candy
- Homemade Gumdrops
- Chocolate Covered Mint Patties
How to Make Toffee
Better Than Anything Toffee Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
- Spread the chopped pecans in a single layer on top of the parchment.1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
- Add butter, sugar, and salt to a heavy bottomed 3 quart pot.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Bring to a boil over medium low heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar.
- Once the candy is boiling, stir occasionally, slowly and evenly, until the candy has reached 290°F to 300°F, or "hard crack" on a candy thermometer.
- Once the candy has reached 290°F-300°F, remove from heat and gently stir in the vanilla extract.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Carefully pour the mixture over the chopped pecans.
- Let the candy sit for a few minutes, undisturbed, before sprinkling the chocolate chips over the top.1 cup milk chocolate chips
- Cover the baking dish with foil and let sit for 5 minutes or until the chocolate has softened.
- Remove the foil and gently spread the softened chocolate into an even layer. An offset spatula works best for this.
- Place the candy in the refrigerator and let cool completely. Give it at least 2 hours.
- Lift the parchment out of the baking dish and place the toffee on a cutting board or solid surface.
- Use a knife to gently break it into smaller pieces. Store in an airtight container in a cool place.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published November 11, 2017.
Disclosure: I was compensated for this post by Challenge Butter. All opinions are, as always, 100% my own. Thank you to my readers for supporting the brands that make Mom On Timeout possible!
Trevor says
I was excited to try this today. Followed the recipe word for word. Ended up with chocolate covered greasy sugar. What gives?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Review the video and instructions. Something isn’t right 🙂 Make sure you stir it enough that the mixture is homogenous – you shouldn’t see a separation of butter at all.
Sally says
This is the same recipe I’ve used for years. Can’t imagine not using a candy thermometer . It’s really not hard. I do have a weird tip. I have only made this for Christmas so the heat is on in the house. I turn up the heat 2-3
degrees. It helps the candy get just the right crisp/crunch. Don’t know why it helps , but it does.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Great tip! Thanks Sally! And yes, you absolutely need a candy thermometer for this recipe.
Lisa Boffa says
Hi,
I am looking forward to making this but have one question, are the pecans raw or toasted?
Thanks in advance
Lisa
Autumn says
Just followed your recipe to a “t” and the toffee separated in the end into a pool of butter. So sad. I’ve seen others comment about the same thing, but no thoughts onto why it occurred. Help?
Rinat says
Can you please write the quantities of the pecans , butter and milk chocolate chips at grams
Autumn says
Not sure about the pecans and chocolate, but the butter is 227g and the sugar is 200g. There’s a great converter online that has all that info at traditionaloven.com
B says
Has anyone made this using dark chocolate?
Shirley says
This is the BEST recipe I have ever tried. Yes I had use dark chocolate because my husband loves it and it worked fine . If you follow the recipe to the tee it works every time I use
Unsalted butter.
Thank you for sharing this .
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks so much Shirley!
Kimberly Benson-Custard says
Yes, yum!
Allison says
I just made it with dark chocolate and it’s really good.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Dark chocolate is always a good choice 🙂 Merry Christmas!
Scott says
Hi!
First time making candy and this recipe was easy! My only issue is the toffee is not brittle; it’s more like a hard fudge consistency. Is this due to not attaining the temp as indicated in recipe?
Also, the color of the toffee is more blonde in color and not the nice caramel color in your pics. What caused that?
Thanks!
DEANN LEMMON says
not long enough it will turn Carmel very fast so needs to be watched carfully or it will burn
nancy young says
I made this last night chal. butter has to much oil , and it didn’t;’t crack I am trying it again today with different butter we will see, maybe iI had the heat to hot but did stir and and I did let it get to 300 but still not cracking.
nancy young says
with different butter we will see, maybe iI had the heat to hot but did stir and and I did let it get to 300 but still not cracking.
Marilyn says
You have to use a good CANDY thermometer and cook the mixture until the temperature is between 290 and 300 degrees. The color should be a warm ‘toffee’ shade. . Don’t over-Cook it but it has to reach the hard crack stage!
Carrie says
I must have done the same thing you did. Mine is very light colored and somewhat sticky.
Nichole says
Hi. I have made a lot of toffee in my time and in my experience, if your toffee turned out light colored and sticky then it wasn’t cooked to a high enough temperature. Use boiling water to make sure your thermometer is working correctly (you can google how to do this) before you try again. Good luck!
Crystal says
This Toffee recipe IS perfect! Followed it exactly as written and it produced wonderful results. Next time, I will double the recipe. Thank you
Angela says
My daughter and I made this tonight. We are anxiously awaiting it to completely cool. I have one question. Once we remove it from the refrigerator to cut it, do we let it set at room temperature or do we need to put it in air tight containers and keep it in the fridge?
DEANN LEMMON says
doesn’t have to be refrigerated but it keeps better that way .air tight container is a must fyi instead of pecans put 1 cup of slivered raw almonds in after sugar comes together and sprinkle sliced almond on top of chocolate while hot you have rocka
Diane rose says
I made this and the butter separated from sugar. Tried it twice.i thought I had too much butter but it said 2sticks. Don’t know what happened.
Julie says
My butter separated when cooking also I patted several paper towels off top of batter just swimming n butter also no cream n this recipe
Sandra says
You must keep stirring during cooking
Nichole says
Yes, keep stirring while cooking (gently), also don’t cook it too fast at too high a temperature. Keep the temperature even, don’t keep adjusting the temperature of you burner up and down (so make sure you don’t have any distractions while you’re cooking your toffee that may cause you to need to turn the burner down and up again).
DEANN LEMMON says
sometimes it is the butter and it has to butter and not margarine or the butter sub also if you melt it too fast it will separate
Brenda says
I learned that butter will separate when heat is too high. Stir sugar and melted butter on med low heat and keep stirring . It won’t separate if you cook at med temp and stir until it reached crack stage.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
That is absolutely true Brenda! That’s why the instructions say to cook over medium-low heat. Thank you!
Suzy says
Humidity matters when making toffee or candy, I can personally attest to that after many botched batches. I’ve tried having a hot skillet on another burner, but really recommend not making it in humid conditions.
Camille says
Love your blog, I made this toffee today, I should have read the comments before cutting it, the chocolate separated on most of it. Now reading the comments I see I should turn over if I’m going to ‘cut’ it. Guess next time I’ll break it up and not cut it. Are there any other secrets to stopping the chocolate from separating ??? Love this easy, tasty recipe, Thank you
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
The chocolate shouldn’t separate at all and there is no reason to turn it over. How long did you wait before topping with the chocolate chips? You still want the mixture to be hot. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times and have never had issues cutting or breaking it apart or with the chocolate separating…
Marcy says
Wow, this is wonderful toffee! Thanks for sharing! I did try replacing the pecans with pretzels for my non nut loving family members. I didn’t love that they way I thought I would. I bet they will. The pecan batch was great. I think just toffee and chocolate would be great too. Here’s a tip for the chocolate falling off: break it, don’t cut it. Take a piece with the chocolate side facing you and break it away from yourself. I only had chocolate fall off the pieces I broke the opposite way. If you have to cut it, cut it with the chocolate side down. The ones I tried cutting chocolate side up seperated almost every time. Turning it over, I only had one separate. It’s a super easy recipe, too. My candy thermometer is broken, so I used a meat thermometer. I took it off at 300 and it turned out just right. It’s not too hard to bite and doesn’t stick it your teeth. I will be making a lot of toffee for Christmas this year!! Thanks again!
Kim says
I thought you said there was no need for a thermometer, but in the directions, you said to use a thermometer. Did Instead it wrong? I don’t have one and would like to make it.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Nope. Never said that 🙂 In fact, I spent a good amount of time talking about the need for a QUALITY thermometer. You definitely need one!
DEANN says
if you put a drop of hot candy in ice water to cool fast and if it cracks when you try to break it it is done. but you need to do this fast because it will burn really fast after it is done. I start the candy with a small glass if ice water to have it ready
Shirley Kiszenia says
I made the Toffee today it was so eSy and taste great I used a longer pan and it’s great thank you .
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Awesome! Enjoy Shirley!
Carla says
Hi, I’m in the process now……..when & or where is the vanilla added?
Carla says
I added it after it reached hard crack. Mine also had extra butter. I think its because I used a non stick pan. And THEN I watched the video, saw when to add the vanilla. (my bad). Can’t wait to to eat it!!!!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
It’s step 6 in the instructions.. I’m not sure why this is being missed lol!
Carolyn says
Can you use salted butter and leave the other salt out?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Salted butter has varying amounts of salt in it. I’m pretty sure it would be fine though.