English Toffee

English Toffee 

From my Mom who taught me;).  Original recipe from Mabel Hoffman's Chocolate Cookery.  Just about everyone's favorite at Christmas time.   

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (in Japan, 226 grams)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 T light corn syrup

2 T water

1 C finely chopped almonds 

4 oz chocolate, broken into pieces (Hershey Bar is what we prefer)

Directions in a nutshell: 

• Set candy thermometer into 2-3 quart heavy saucepan. 
• Melt the butter.
• Stir in sugar.  Add water and syrup.  
• Stirring occasionally over medium or medium high heat, let mixture bubble til it reaches soft crack stage, about 282 degrees.  
• Immediately Stir in 1/2 C nuts, spread mixture out on a cookie sheet, sprinkle the chocolate pieces on top, wait a few minutes, spread out the now melted chocolate and sprinkle with another 1/2 C nuts.  Let cool until chocolate is set. Break into pieces.  Freezes well. 

MORE DETAIL that you need, but here it is: 

Materials and set up (so that you can work quickly and efficiently):

• 2, 2 1/2 or 3 quart heavy saucepan - so important - do not use a lightweight saucepan
• wooden spoon
• small glass of water, tablespoon measure
• 1/2 c of the almonds measured and next to saucepan 
• large glass of very hot water, next to the saucepan, to quickly place the candy thermometer when you are ready to stir in nuts.
• rimless cookie sheet - slightly flexible 
• hot pad placed under the cookie sheet
• spatula for smoothing out the chocolate 
• Break up the candy bar while it is still in the wrapper.  Unwrap and have the chocolate sitting ready near the cookie sheet. 
• candy thermometer - this year I switched to a digital thermometer and it is GREAT!  What a difference! 

Directions: 
Set the digital thermometer in place in saucepan.  Tip of thermometer should fall a little above the bottom of the pan.  Melt butter over low heat; increase heat to medium high, stir in sugar, then the water and corn syrup.  Stir well.  Over medium high heat (or what works for you and your stove), let bubble gently, stirring now and then,  until it reaches soft crack stage on a candy thermometer.

Soft crack stage is between 270 and 290 degrees.  281-283 degrees seems to be the magic zone!

Once the thermometer beeps at 270 degrees, be prepared to act fast.  Have your nuts ready, the cookie sheet ready (sitting on a hot pad!).  Have the large glass of water right there.  Stirring almost constantly, watch the temp rise, and once it hits 280 or 281, quickly remove the thermometer to the glass of hot water (this is just to have somewhere to gently place the thermometer without going over to the sink - every second counts at this point), and in one motion, add the 1/2 C nuts as you take the pan off the stove, stirring the nuts and then immediately pouring the mixture onto the cookie sheet.  This all takes a matter of seconds.  Just in the few seconds during this process, the temp will rise a few degrees.  Very quickly stir in the nuts as you remove the pan from the heat and then immediately pour mixture onto flat cookie sheet.  Flatten out the mixture with the wooden spoon, as much as you can, within reason.  Immediately sprinkle chocolate pieces on top of hot toffee.  Wait a few minutes, then spread out with a spatula.  Sprinkle with the additional nuts.  Wait a few minutes for the cookie sheet to cool somewhat, and then finish cooling the toffee in the fridge.

The toffee can now be broken up into irregular pieces.  If I am packaging the toffee in a tin, I line the tin with waxed paper or parchment, and I don't wrap each piece of toffee.  If I am packaging the toffee into cellophane bags to give away, I usually loosely, casually, wrap each piece in plastic wrap.  This is pretty, practical (clean), and cushions the pieces somewhat.  From one batch of toffee, I can fill 3 decorative bags with a modest amount, plus a small reserve of "off cuts" for the family to enjoy.  Keep the toffee in the fridge or keep it in the freezer to give away later.  It freezes beautifully and everyone seems to love it!  Over time, you will learn that sweet spot of getting batches which are not underdone, but not smoky either.  Also, if you are sending the toffee in the mail, try if possible to send it when the weather is very cold!

xxoo
Mom

Notes from Japan 2020- 

soft crack is 132-143 degrees Celcius.   I went to 137/138 degrees.  

I used Land O Lakes butter a friend got for me from the commissary. 

David hand chopped all the almonds!