Easy to Make Toffee, no candy thermometer needed!

Do you want to make candy? But think that making candy is really hard? Well, so did I until I found this recipe for Easy to Make Toffee! You will love it, and so will everyone you share it with! So, let's make Toffee, shall we?

My Grandmother needed to do it all, and she did!

During World War II my grandmother made candy. She knew that with sugar rationing, candy making would be a nice little cottage industry, one that she could make money with and help support her family. Later when I was old enough to notice a cookbook just for candy making, with pride she told me about her little candy-making venture. She also explained that is reason, there would be a few pieces of homemade candy on every dessert tray she prepared. But I also think candy making, while providing needed income for the family, also offered her own sweet tooth a treat! No Sunday dinner at Grandmother's or my own home as a child was without dessert...

Let me just this! 

Anyone lucky enough to have a Grandmother with a candy making cook book on her shelf in the kitchen, is pretty lucky indeed! Now as a grandmother myself, it all makes sense to me. A homemade household makes for a happy home. Sure she could have just gone to the store for candy to give us when we visited, but she didn't. And because she did not, I got a loving lesson about my own heritage. One I live and offer to my own family as well. But in truth, we do buy candy from the store as well. Why? Because not every candy recipe is a easy as this one...and I have not as yet, developed my Grandmother's skill in candy making. 

We don't all have the same skills in the kitchen...

For me, there was just one problem with candy making, I was afraid of the whole soft-ball stage, the brittle threads tested in cold water stage, and most of all the candy thermometer! Yep, I was a fearful candy making baby in my own kitchen...and then, one day I found this recipe and started taking back my candy-making fears. I even have a candy thermometer in the drawer and have begun to expand my repertoire. So yes, let's make Toffee, shall we? because the hardest part of making this recipe is waiting for it to cool! And I skipped showing how to break and package Easy to Make Toffee, my guess is, you already know how. 

Some additional thoughts on this recipe:

If you have small baking pans, you could pour the toffee base into individual sized portions before topping with the chocolate and nuts. 

If you live in a humid climate, once made and broken into pieces, you may want to store in the freezer to keep it crunchy!

Jumbo muffin tin cups make fun mini portions perfect as a tuck in extra for anyone with a sweet tooth. 

Candy keeps forever in the freezer, so feel free to make ahead and have it ready to go. 

For those with nut allergies, pretzels are a delicious substitution for the walnuts, and they add a salty kick!

Ingredients needed for this recipe:

• walnuts
• butter
• brown sugar, you can make your own, recipe here.
• chocolate chips

You will also need the following:

• small baking pan or spring-form pan
• foil
• large saucepan - to prevent splatters of hot candy mixture!
• stirring spoon
• measuring cups

Now we are ready to begin!

Easy to Make Toffee

Easy to Make Toffee!
adapted http://whichname.blogspot.com/
UPDATED: 12.04.2024

1/2 c butter
3/4 c brown sugar
1 c largely broken walnut pieces (between 1/4 - 1/2 inch in size)
1/2 c chocolate chips

Cover the bottom and sides of an 8" pan with foil, butter the foil generously (or use a pan spray, if desired) scatter walnuts over the bottom of the pan. 

Note: for gift-giving, prepare using a spring-form pan. Cover in foil, then butter the foil. Scatter the walnut pieces over the bottom of the pan.

Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat, add the brown sugar. 

Continuing with medium heat, cook stirring constantly while the mixture boils for 6-7 minutes. 

Please note: depending upon your stove you may need to adjust the burner up or down as you cook to avoid burning the butter/sugar mixture. 

Pour cooked toffee mixture evenly over the walnuts, rotate the pan gently for the Toffee to into the corners of a square pan. 

Sprinkle with the chocolate chips, let sit one minute, gently spread the melted chocolate to cover the entire surface.

When cool, either leave in a whole piece for individual gifts, or break into pieces. Package as needed.  

For gift-giving, I like to present Easy to Make Toffee whole and let them break it before enjoying it. Simply remove the candy still encased in the foil from the spring-form pan, and gift wrap as desired.

Storage options for Easy to Make Toffee. Store covered at room temperature until gone! Candy never seems to go bad! See note above regarding high humidity climates. 

UPDATE:  For your convenience, a "copy and paste" version of Easy to Make Toffee has been included below. 

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Printable "copy and paste" version:

Easy to Make Toffee!

adapted http://whichname.blogspot.com/

UPDATED: 12.04.2024

1/2 c butter
3/4 c brown sugar
1 c largely broken walnut pieces (between 1/4 - 1/2 inch in size)
1/2 c chocolate chips

Cover the bottom and sides of an 8" pan with foil, butter the foil generously (or use a pan spray, if desired) scatter walnuts over the bottom of the pan. 

Note: for gift-giving, prepare using a spring-form pan. Cover in foil, then butter the foil. Scatter the walnut pieces over the bottom of the pan.

Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat, add the brown sugar. 

Continuing with medium heat, cook stirring constantly while the mixture boils for 6-7 minutes. 

Please note: depending upon your stove you may need to adjust the burner up or down as you cook to avoid burning the butter/sugar mixture. 

Pour cooked toffee mixture evenly over the walnuts, rotate the pan gently for the Toffee to into the corners of a square pan. 

Sprinkle with the chocolate chips, let sit one minute, gently spread the melted chocolate to cover the entire surface.

When cool, either leave in a whole piece for individual gifts, or break into pieces. Package as needed.  

For gift-giving, I like to present Easy to Make Toffee whole and let them break it before enjoying it. Simply remove the candy still encased in the foil from the spring-form pan, and gift wrap as desired.

Storage options for Easy to Make Toffee. Store covered at room temperature until gone! Candy never seems to go bad! See note above regarding high humidity climates. 

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