Every Christmas I make pounds and pounds of Christmas Toffee to share with friends and loved ones. Our friends are always so delighted to receive a package of our buttery, crunchy, impossible-to-stop-eating toffee.
This Christmas, I am sharing our secret family recipe with you. Merry Christmas!
Christmas Toffee
- 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) Kerrygold salted butter
(If you don’t use salted butter you will need to add 1/4- 1/2 tsp of sea salt, depending on how salty you like it) - 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) organic cane sugar
- 3/4 cup (110 grams) sliced almonds, toasted
- 1 Tbsp (15 grams) vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (140 grams; 5 ounces) dark chocolate, or chocolate chips
Making toffee is not that difficult or complicated, but the temperature and timing of things is critical. Make sure to read through the entire recipe before beginning. Have all of your ingredients measured out and ready. It takes a while for the toffee to cook, but once it reaches the correct temperature you have to move quickly through all the next steps.
I recommend using an instant read thermometer to measure the temperature of the toffee. Going by the color alone just isn’t that accurate and can result in toffee that is undercooked and doesn’t set correctly, or overcooked and it breaks your teeth.
Directions:
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the butter into tablespoon sized pieces.
- Combine the butter and sugar in a heavy bottom saucepan. Heat the butter and sugar over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. (My stovetop is electric and numbered from 1-9. I set my heat on 3-4.)
- Keep stirring and cook the butter and sugar mixture until it reaches 315-330F. (The mixture will become fluid and turn light brown, a bit like natural almond butter.)
- Once the toffee reaches 315-330F, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. (Be careful! The mixture will sputter and let off a lot of steam. Allow the steam to evaporate, then stir vigorously.) Stir vigorously until all the vanilla is incorporated and the toffee is smooth.
- Add in 1/2 cup of the almonds and stir until combined.
- Pour the toffee onto the parchment lined baking tray. Smooth it out with a silicone spatula until it is even and almost the size of the baking tray. (You have to work very quickly because the toffee begins to set as soon as it begins to cool.)
- Let the toffee cool for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the chocolate on top of the toffee. Leave the chocolate alone until it begins to melt.
- Once the chocolate begins to melt smooth it all over the toffee using an offset spatula.
- Sprinkle the remaining almonds all over the toffee.
- Place the baking sheet of toffee in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to allow the chocolate to set.
- Remove the toffee from the freezer and allow it to come to room temperature and completely set, 4-6 hours.
- Once the toffee is set, break it into pieces. Share with family and friends. Enjoy!
- Store in an airtight container for about a week. (If it last that long!)
Be careful as you work, toffee is basically molten sugar and it can burn you if you are not careful.