I have been making the following recipe for English Toffee a lot recently. I found it on allrecipes.com and have tweaked it a bit and added some helpful tips for your preparation ease…and your taste buds.
It’s incredibly simple and makes for a divine host gift for a summer weekend away…hence my custom packaging (seen below.)
If your friends and family don’t like this toffee, OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!
Ingredients
2 cups butter
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)
Directions
In a large, heavy-bottomed, non-stick saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Cook over low to medium heat, mixing CONSTANTLY with a small whisk. Allow to come to a simmer, and cook until the mixture becomes a warm amber color. Supposedly the temperature should reach 285 degrees F (137 degrees C) but I just drip a bit into ice water: if it becomes rock hard and brittle it’s ready to go.
As soon as the toffee reaches that proper temperature, pour it out onto 2 wax-paper-lined baking sheets and spread thin and even with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the chocolate over the top, and let it sit for a minute or two to soften. Once melted/softened, spread the chocolate into a thin even layer. Sprinkle the nuts over the chocolate, and compress slightly.
Place the toffee in the refrigerator to chill until set. Once set, break into pieces. You can place the toffee in the freezer for a little while before you break into pieces and it will make the toffee even more brittle. Then store the toffee in an airtight container.
(Murdock is one of my nick names…this one coined by the friends we are staying with on The Cape this weekend)
Blue and white china (above) is Blue Fluted Full Lace by Royal Copenhagen.
Pink and gold oyster plate (below) is an antique but I found a few similarly shaped on eBay.
Here’s what the toffee with nuts looks like: