Homemade toffee

This recipe for homemade toffee comes straight out of the Betty Crocker cookbook, page 165 of the Bridal Edition, to be exact. (One of the best gifts, ever, by the way. Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

I stumbled on this recipe when my husband was in graduate school, I was staying home for the first time taking care of a toddler, and we had no money for extra Christmas gifts to friends and neighbors. I’ve always enjoyed toffee and thought it might be fun to make it myself and give as gifts.

Needless to say, it was a big hit. It’s still the most-requested Christmas treat in our house and at family gatherings, with homemade caramels coming in at a close second! (I’ll be sharing that recipe next week, so stay tuned!)

For everyone who’s been requesting, here’s the homemade toffee recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I always use more, but we like lots of chocolate!)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (I usually make two batches of this recipe…one with nuts and one without. It’s delicious either way.)

Instructions:
1. Heat sugar, butter and water to boiling in heavy, 2-quart saucepan, stirring constantly; reduce heat to medium. Cook, about 13 minutes, stirring constantly, to 300 degree on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into a cup of very cold water separates into hard, brittle threads. (Here, Betty Crocker tells you to “watch carefully so mixture does not burn.” She’s not kidding!)

2. Immediately pour toffee onto ungreased cookie sheet. If necessary, quickly spread mixture to 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle with chocolate chips; let stand about 1 minute or until chips are completely softened. Spread softened chocolate evenly over toffee. Sprinkle with pecans, if desired.

3. Let stand at room temperature about 1 hour, or refrigerate if desired, until firm. Break into bite-sized pieces. Store in airtight container.

If you decide to make this, I’d love your feedback. Hopefully, homemade toffee will become a new favorite at your house, too! Happy baking!