With only 3 ingredients, this Family Favorite Toffee is so simple to make and absolutely delicious! It’s so good, you may not want to share!
I’ve mentioned once before how my mom has quite the collection of recipes. Some of my family’s favorite recipes have come from her crazy collection. This Family Favorite Toffee is a recipe from a 1983 newspaper she saved. She still has that newspaper. It’s extremely worn, but she hangs on to it year after year.
My siblings and I always looked forward to my mom making this toffee. It’s so delicious! with only three ingredient (ok five if you count the toppings), this toffee is really simple to make and will turn out every time if you follow these three simple instructions:
- Use a heavy duty sauce pan (I use an old pressure cooker pan).
- Stir the mixture the ENTIRE time!
- Cook over HIGH heat from the very beginning. The first couple times I tried this my butter would all of a sudden start to separate from the sugar. I stirred and stirred but it never came together. I asked my mom what I was doing wrong and she asked if I was cooking it on high heat. I wasn’t and that’s what my problem was.
Make sure you follow those three simple steps and you will have yourself an amazing batch of toffee that you may or may not be willing to share.
One more thing, the recipe calls for this to be made in two 9-inch pie plates, but if you want a thicker toffee, just make it in one 10-inch pie plate. I make it both ways, but I think I love it even more made in the single plate for a thicker toffee. The pictures are from a batch I made using one 10-inch pie plate.
Fill a small cellophane bag with some of this toffee and tie a bow around it and you’ve got a pretty fabulous neighbor gift. Enjoy!
- 2 sticks butter
- 3 Tbsp. water
- 1 cup sugar
- Top with:
- Chopped almonds or pecans (optional)
- Grated Hershey bar (large size) or milk chocolate chips (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups)
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Butter two 9-inch pie plates (for a thicker toffee use one 10-inch pie plate).
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In a heavy duty saucepan, add butter, water and sugar. Cook on HIGH heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil (it will start to become frothy). Continue stirring until mixture turns the light brown (about the color of a paper lunch sack).
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Remove from heat immediately and pour into prepared pie plate(s).
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Sprinkle with grated Hershey bar or chocolate chips. Let set for a couple of minutes, then spread with an off-set spatula. Sprinkle with chopped nuts if desired.
Jodi that looks amazing. I always buy the toffee from Williams-Sonoma every year, because it is really the best I’ve had. But it is so expensive. I will have to try this now instead. I can’t believe you don’t need a candy thermometer!!!
Teresa, this is so delicious and simple to make. Just make sure you stir it constantly and cook it over high heat! There is a place here in Utah called Garden Gate Candy that sells the most amazing toffee, but it is so expensive too, that’s why I love to make my own. Let me know if you have a chance to make it.
Well. I stirred and stirred and stirred, over high heat. WHile waiting for it to change color, it began to separate. 🙁
I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you. There are so many factors that can affect how candy turns out. A heavy-bottomed saucepan is so important for this candy. Thinner (cheaper) saucepans don’t conduct heat efficiently and lead to “hot spots” that can cause the butter to separate. You can also google it and several other reasons your toffee didn’t turn out. So sorry.
Well, I took what I had, and turned it into yummy gingersnaps!