Chocolate Toffee Caramel is so delicious that you really want to eat it at any time of year! Not just the holidays! This is addicting, just warning you!
Tis the season that I become a candy cooking fool making yummy things for my clients, family, and friends. This was the perfect week for it as we finally got some wintertime weather and it was way too cold to do anything outside! On Wednesday, my friend Michelle sent me a message with a video of a Chocolate Toffee that I should make. I normally don’t follow other people’s recipes but I decided to give this one a try because I was already knee-deep in making candy. Why not right? Wrong! The dang recipe didn’t work, at all period. I posted a nice comment saying that I couldn’t make the recipe work and that I’d just make my own caramel recipe and turn it into a toffee. The weirdest thing happened, I got 100’s of private messages asking for my recipe because the recipe that was posted didn’t work for them either! Wow! I did love the idea of adding chocolate, almonds, and sea salt to the top, so I ran with that!
I know that toffee and caramels are different animals. Toffee is just sugar, butter, water, and vanilla cooked to a hard crack stage and caramel has added heavy whipping cream and cooked to a firm ball stage. While I like toffee, I think that if it’s not done right it takes on a burned sugar flavor and I really prefer a richer flavor of caramel! So I decided to mix things up a bit and cut my caramel recipe in half and raise the cooking temperature to a “soft crack” stage instead of the normal “firm ball” for the caramel recipe. It totally works! The caramel has a bite to it that makes it seem like a toffee but it’s rich flavor is totally reminiscent of a yummy caramel! When the caramel is spread out thinly and coated with chocolate, nuts and a sprinkle of salt, you may realize that you have a new addiction when you eat it! If you enjoy making candy, Chocolate Toffee Caramel may be your new go to recipe. I know this will be my new treat to make and heck, it’s a lot easier than wrapping 1500 caramels each year!
Chocolate Toffee Caramel is so delicious that you will really want to eat at anytime of year! Not just the holidays! This is addicting, just warning you! ***YOU WILL NEED A CANDY THERMOMETER TO MAKE THIS RECIPE!
Ingredients
2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
1 tbs vanilla extract
1 bag good quality chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60% Cacao)
1 cup chopped almonds (or your favorite nuts)
Flake sea salt (optional)
Instructions
In a large heavy Dutch oven (see picture) combine 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, butter, sugar, and corn syrup. On low heat, stir the mixture until the sugar and butter are melted. Make sure you scrape down the sides so everything is well incorporated.
Attach the candy thermometer to the side of the Dutch oven and cook the mixture until it reaches the “Thread” stage.
Add the remaining 1/2 cup of whipping cream and vanilla. Cook until the soft ball stage on the candy thermometer. Stirring occasionally.
Transfer mixture to a 15×17 cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and about 1/4 cup of the nuts. NOTE: The caramel mixture will not fill the entire pan. Quickly spread out to a thin layer.
Evenly drop the chocolate chips on top of the hot caramel. Wait about 2 minutes and spread evenly with a spatula.
Top with the remaining nuts and sea salt.
Refrigerate for an hour or so.
Break apart the toffee into pieces for serving.
Notes
Tips for candy making… Do not use an aluminum pan to make it. It will burn to the bottom. Cooking at a low temperature is important so that the candy doesn’t cook too fast and burn. Low and slow is best for making candy. The process doesn’t happen quick and shouldn’t. Pay attention to your thermometer as it is your candy making friend. On your second stage of the process and once you reach the softball stage for the second time, really watch the thermometer and stir more frequently. At this point you will see the color changing to a nice caramel color. In Denver, this process takes about 45 minutes. At sea level it will take less time and at really high altitude it will take longer. This is why it’s important to watch your thermometer.
Some of the items that I use for making candy. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, check your local grocery store. Most sell them. I bought this one at Michael’s craft store.
Bubble, bubble, boil and YUM!
If you can find the crystal sea salt, buy it! It’s great to have as a finishing salt. If not, no biggy. A sprinkle of kosher salt will do!
Who wouldn’t want to get a bag of this deliciousness?
I have been a busy gal! My gifts turned out pretty if I do say so myself!
The difference between toffee and caramel is that caramel is made with white granulated sugar and cooked to 340 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas toffee is made with butter and brown sugar and cooked to 295 - 309 degrees Fahrenheit.
The chocolate won't stick to the toffee if the surface is too oily when the chocolate is added. To remedy this, be sure to wipe the surface with paper towels and sprinkle with cocoa powder before spreading with melted chocolate. Temperature can also cause the chocolate to come off.
Toffee is a hard candy made mainly with sugar and butter. In America, the term "English toffee" is generally used for toffee prepared with a coating of chocolate and almonds.
It's important while the toffee cooks to only stir it occasionally. Constant stirring can cause the toffee to crystallize and separate. For those of you that need to know exactly how often you should stir, I would suggest erring on the side of not stirring more than stirring.
Let come to a steady, but NOT rolling boil, at about medium heat, and continue to stir frequently. At medium heat it really shouldn't burn. Last, keep temping toffee until thermometer says 285-295...at 285 do the ice water test by dropping a dot of toffee into some ice water...it should be brittle. If so, it's done.
Why isn't my chocolate topping sticking to the toffee? The chocolate might not adhere well if the toffee surface is too oily or if it has cooled down too much. Try adding the chocolate chips while the toffee is still warm, and ensure the toffee surface is dry.
Simmering the syrup for English toffee to the requisite 300°F temperature can (and should) be a slow process — up to 20 minutes or so. Don't hurry this gradual transformation; syrup that doesn't reach 300°F, or close to it, will make candy with timid flavor and chewy (not crunchy) texture.
You can test to see whether your caramel is done by having a bowl of cold water (we recommend adding ice cubes if you have them to hand) and then using a spoon, remove some of the mixture from the pan, immerse the spoon into the cold water, moving the spoon and then remove from the water and test the caramel with your ...
If caramels are too soft, that means the temperature didn't get high enough. Again place the caramel back into a sauce pan with a couple of tablespoons of water and heat to 244°F. If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can test with a cold water test.
If the toffee or caramel is not handled properly during the cooking process, the butter sometimes separates from the sugar and forms an oily layer on top of the candy. This often happens during the cooking stage, but sometimes it separates as it is being poured out onto a baking sheet to cool.
The word taffy, referring to the boiled candy, is first known to have appeared in the United States circa 1817. The word is also used metaphorically to refer to insincere flattery.
Although named English toffee, it bears little resemblance to the wide range of confectionery known as toffee currently available in the United Kingdom. However, one can still find this product in the UK under the name "butter crunch".
Follow the recipe carefully, and never melt your caramel on your stove's highest setting—it will cause the caramel to scorch and taste burnt. Once it gets a burnt or bitter flavor, it can't be saved. Luckily, sugar is inexpensive, so you can always start over!
Drop a little of the molten syrup in cold water and it will form hard, brittle threads that break when bent. CAUTION: To avoid burns, allow the syrup to cool in the cold water for a few moments before touching it! Toffee, nut brittles, and lollipops are all cooked to the hard-crack stage.
Toffee is a hard candy made by cooking a sugar syrup with butter to the hard crack stage, 300–310°F (149–154°C), and then pouring it out to cool. It can have inclusions or not, and it can be made either very dense and hard or can be lightened by adding baking soda when the candy is almost done cooking .
Caramel, combining sugar with butter, cream, and sometimes vanilla, is cooked to a lower temperature for a soft, chewy texture. Toffee, typically made from sugar and butter, is cooked at a higher temperature, resulting in a hard, brittle texture and a deeper flavour.
Introduction: My name is Velia Krajcik, I am a handsome, clean, lucky, gleaming, magnificent, proud, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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