Toasted hazelnut toffee is possibly the perfect homemade candy ~ the crisp toffee shatters when you bite into it but then melts in your mouth!
I find myself on a little bit of a toffee making bender. It all started when I re-tested my English toffee recipe as I was updating that post from way back in 2016. Toffee can be challenging, even for confident cooks, so I thought it would be fun to share my easy method and a few key tips so that anyone can make this classic holiday candy. You’ll get a great sense of accomplishment when you master the perfect crisp crunchy toffee and after that you can take it in so many different directions to create your own custom recipes. Toasted hazelnut toffee is my latest…I think it has a wonderful fall vibe and is simple to make. (Toasting the nuts is the key to the rich smokey flavor of this toffee.)
Table of contents
ingredients for toasted hazelnut toffee
- unsalted butter
- use a good quality butter, I use Land O’Lakes.
- white sugar
- salt
- corn syrup
- just a touch of corn syrup helps prevent the sugar from crystalizing in the toffee.
- baking soda
- it produces carbon dioxide gas and the gas bubbles get trapped in the toffee, creating aeration. This aeration results in a slightly lighter and airier texture in the final toffee, making it less dense and brittle. Don’t skip this ingredient!
- raw hazelnuts
- you’ll toast and rough chop these beforehand.
equipment for toasted hazelnut toffee
- heavy 3 qt saucepan
- candy thermometer
- baking sheet
- foil
- if you use nonstick foil you can skip the spray.
- baking spray
- you can also use butter.
tips for making hazelnut toffee
I’ve narrowed these tips down to the most essential.
Start with good quality butter. Don’t use the discount brand for making toffee.
Have everything ready and at your fingertips right at the stove.
Use a good sturdy medium sized sauce pan. My 3 qt saucepan is 81/2″ in diameter and 4″ high. The size of the saucepan matters because it helps determine how fast and how evenly your toffee will cook.
Cook on medium to medium high heat.
Use a candy thermometer or other instant read food thermometer and make sure it’s accurate.
Temperature is key: make sure you cook your toffee to 300F, or the hardball stage. This is where you will get that crisp texture to your candy. Cooking it to a lower temperature will result in a sticky chewy toffee.
homemade toffee faqs
You can use any kind of nuts you like! Use almonds, pecans, walnuts, peanuts, or a mix. Make sure they’re toasted for the best flavor and texture.
Great question! My hazelnut toffee is sort of a hybrid of both:
Toffee: Emphasizes butter and sometimes milk, contributing to a richer, creamier taste and often a softer texture.
Brittle: Primarily uses sugar and water, resulting in a sweeter, more purely sugary flavor and a harder, more brittle texture.
 Store leftover toffee in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. It can also be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Yes! Wrap your toffee in parchment or waxed paper, then pack it in an airtight container or freezer bag. Let your toffee thaw in the refrigerator overnight for optimal results. Avoid thawing at room temperature because it can become soft and sticky.
Toasted Hazelnut Toffee
Equipment
- foil or nonstick foil
- candy thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted*
Instructions
to make the toffee
- Put the butter, sugar, water, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy medium sized saucepan over medium to medium high heat.
- Stir to combine everything and dissolve the sugar as the butter melts. When the mixture begins to boil, stir only occasionally, and let cook until it registers 300F on a candy thermometer or an instant read thermometer. It will start out as a pale liquid but will start to darken and turn golden. You can start checking the temperature when you see the mixture start to darken.
- When you have reached 300F remove from the heat and quickly stir in the baking soda and toasted nuts. Be careful at this stage, it is hot!
- Immediately pour the toffee onto your prepared baking sheet and spread out with an offset spatula, if necessary. The toffee will start to set up right away, so act quickly. You can spread it out very thin, or leave it a little thicker, it's up to you.
- Let the toffee harden on the baking sheet at room temperature. This won't take very long, under an hour for sure.
- Carefully peel off the foil and use a large knife to break the toffee into pieces. It will likely shatter rather than cut in neat squares, and that's to be expected.
- Store the toffee at room temperature
Nutrition
more homemade candy recipes
- Easy Nutcracker Bark (with printable recipe tags!)
- English Walnut Toffee
- Easy Microwave Peanut Brittle
- Peppermint Bark Pretzels
- Chocolate Covered Dates
- Chocolate Hazelnut Torrone ~ 3 ingredients!
Thanks for the great recipe. Question: do you think this toffee would be a good recipe to make and then break up to fold into homemade ice-cream? Or would just candying hazelnuts be better for ice cream?
Wow, that sounds good, but I’ve never used toffee like that, so I’m not sure, sorry. I would maybe worry that the cold shards of candy might be a bit sharp. You’d really have to break it up well.
I can’t find corn syrup in Italy can I ommit it or what can I use
You can use golden syrup, if you can get that, or leave it out, no problem.