English Walnut Toffee ~ there’s nothing quite like making homemade candy, and this crisp nutty English toffee is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten ~ make it for friends and family, but definitely make extra to squirrel away for yourself!
The toffee is crunchy but not jaw-breaking ~ the large proportion of chopped walnuts gives it a wonderful texture.
A few weeks ago my husband and I bought Amazon Local tickets to one of those chocolate tasting fairs, where you pay an entrance fee and then, once you’ve got your badge and your hand is stamped, it’s a chocolate free for all, with small gourmet and specialty chocolate companies packed into a huge convention center, all practically flinging their chocolate samples at you.
We tasted chocolate with Thai chilies, with guava, allspice and orange, lavender, and even gold leaf…but actually the most memorable taste to come out of the afternoon was a classic toffee. You only need four super commonplace ingredients to make it: butter, sugar, walnuts and dark chocolate chips. I just loved it, and so did everyone else in the house.
A great toffee is surprisingly easy to make, but it’s rather specific. I recommend reading through the directions ahead of time. Once you get the hang of it, you can churn out this fabulous homemade candy with very little effort.
TIP: Have everything ready before you start. Get your pan lined with foil. Measure out the chocolate chips and chop all the walnuts. Once you start cooking it will go fast, and you need to move quickly.
I recommend giving this a try if you need any last minute gifts. You can’t go wrong with this one.
*Note: after a few readers have had trouble with the butter separating from their toffee I’ve re-tested and slightly updated the recipe.
English Walnut Toffee
Equipment
- a clip on candy thermometer
Ingredients
- 2 sticks or 1 cup, unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp corn syrup
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 rounded cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts for garnish
Instructions
- Line a square 9x9 baking pan with foil, leaving the ends overlapping the edges so you can lift the toffee out when it has set for easier cutting.
- Put the butter, sugar, corn syrup and water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar.
- Gently boil the mixture, stirring constantly, until it darkens in color and reaches 300F on a candy thermometer.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped walnuts. Pour the hot candy into the prepared pan, smoothing out with a spatula. Be very careful as this is very hot.
- Scatter the chocolate chips evenly across the surface of the toffee and let sit for a couple of minutes to let the chocolate melt. Spread the chocolate out evenly with a spreader. Then top with chopped nuts, pressing them in gently so they will stick to the chocolate.
- Let cool until set, either at room temperature, or in the refrigerator.
- Remove the foil and cut into pieces.
Notes
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- You will need a clip on candy thermometer for this, and most candy recipes. They are easy to find, even at the grocery store.
- Use a heavy bottomed pot so the heat is conducted evenly.
- Stir the toffee almost continuously while it is cooking.
- If you're a white chocolate lover, try my Candy Cane Toffee recipe.
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Not sure what I did wrong. It looked great at first but then the butter separated and became runny. I poured a 1/4 cup of butter liquid out before I added the walnuts. Thought that would work but it did not. I made peanut brittle earlier today that came out perfect!!!
Did you use a candy thermometer to get the mixture to the correct temp? That’s the only thing I can think of that might have gone wrong.
I had the same issue. I think the heat was too low. I had the candy thermometer clipped to the side of my heavy bottomed pan. I pulled it from the heat and added some hot water while wisking and then brought it up to temp and was able to save it.
These look so good and I love that it is only 5 ingredients that I always have in my cupboard. My kids love pecans more than walnuts so I will likely sub them in:) Thank you!
The easy ingredients are definitely part of its charm, I agree. I think pecans would be great, maybe even toast them first!
this sounds so yummy!
I adore toffee, although I have never made it myself. I’d have to give it all away otherwise I’d eat the whole batch!
Trust me, keep a big chunk for yourself!!
Treats like this always say Christmas to me. I don’t normally make or even eat them at other times of the year. These do look wonderful.
This is the second recipe I’ve now seen for toffee this week, without going looking for it, and just tonight a friend talked about making toffee, so I guess I should try this recipe! Ingredients sound simple enough.
My family loves these kind of treats..Happy Holidays Sue.
I have made this one..very good.. the last one I made was w/ a cute Amazon mold..
Thanks for this one..will compare mine..that looks like yours..
Toffee in a mold? That sounds really interesting! Have a wonderful week, Monique.
favorite treat of the season, right here.
I agree, don’t know why it took me so long to post it 🙂
Looks perfect!
Would you believe I have a recipe for toffee (with almonds) on my computer waiting for an opportunity to make it? It is a recipe I got from a restaurant, and actually pretty similar to yours. I should go ahead and make mine so we can virtually compare notes… 😉
hope you are having a great weekend!
Sounds like a plan, I’d love to try variations. Have a great weekend yourself Sally!