History of English Toffee (2024)

FAQs

What is the origin of English toffee? ›

Cooks in England first created English toffee recipes in the late 1890s. At first, they boiled sugar and butter together. In the early 1900s, cooks began adding almonds to the mixtures. This gave the candy its signature crunchy texture and nutty taste.

In America we call most toffee, English Toffee. What's the difference between English and American toffee? The main difference is that traditional English toffee is created without nuts, while American toffee is created with a variety of nuts. The most common nuts being the almond.

Most food historians agree that the sweet treat likely originated in Wales and then rose to prominence across Britain and Europe where supplies of butter and eventually imported sugar were plentiful. English toffee maintains its extreme popularity due to its unique flavor profile and regional variations.

In America, English toffee usually refers to a candy made with slow-cooked sugar and butter, forming a brittle, which is then coated in chocolate and nuts. Our Irish toffee follows the same basic principle, but with one key difference - the quality!

The Early Origins of Toffee

England and many other European countries took a particular liking to toffee thanks to their plentiful butter supplies. At any rate, toffee took off in the early 1800's, and we know this for a fact since The Oxford English Dictionary first mentioned the word “toffee” in 1825.

If the butterfat separates out then usually this is due to the mixture being either heated or cooled too quickly, which "shocks" the mixture and causes the fat to separate out. It can also be caused by the mixture being heated unevenly (if the pan has a thin base and has hot spots).

For maximum taste and texture, we do recommend that you either enjoy your toffee immediately, or store it in a refrigerator or freezer. Once opened, unrefrigerated product will retain maximum freshness for about a week. Refrigeration adds 3-6 months of shelf life, while freezing adds up to a year or more.

Toffee vs Butterscotch

While butterscotch is cooked to a soft-crack stage, toffee is produced by allowing that same butter and brown sugar mixture to reach the hard-crack stage. Butterscotch tends to be chewy and pliable; toffee is brittle and more breakable.

Low and slow. 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.

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.

Which is the famous toffee in the world? ›

World Famous English Toffee – Cora Lee Candies.

Verdict: Junk. Intense Dark Toffee Interlude (55% cacao) also fits into category E. A whole bar (3.5 oz.) contains 50% of one's daily allowance for fat, almost 100% of saturated fat and over 12 teaspoons of sugar.

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".

Originally designed to clear the palate from Harrogate's famous sulphur water, this toffee is similar to both a Butterscotch and Barley Sugar with a hint of lemon giving it its unique flavour.

The difference between caramel and toffee is greater, as caramel has a more liquid consistency and is usually pure sugar (it doesn't contain butter or flour). Still, the taste of caramel, fudge, and toffee is relatively similar, as they are all made from mostly sugar (as well as butter in the case of fudge and toffee).

Toffee vs Butterscotch

While butterscotch is cooked to a soft-crack stage, toffee is produced by allowing that same butter and brown sugar mixture to reach the hard-crack stage. Butterscotch tends to be chewy and pliable; toffee is brittle and more breakable.

Some sources tell you that American toffee is a hard substance, synonymous with brittle; while British toffee is more the consistency of what we call taffy—a hard, chewy candy made of brown sugar or molasses and butter. Other sources say that British toffee is hard, and American toffee is softer recipe.

a hard, chewy, often brown sweet that is made from sugar boiled with butter.

Candy can refer to any confection that is made mainly of sugar. Toffee is a type of hard candy that softens when sucked or chewed. Therefore, toffee is a type of a candy. This is the key difference between candy and toffee.