Homemade Toffee Bits

This Homemade Toffee is buttery, crisp, and perfectly sweet with that irresistible caramelized flavor. Made with just a handful of simple ingredients, it’s an easy homemade candy that’s perfect for adding to holiday treats, gifting, or enjoying straight from the candy jar!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword homemade toffee bits

Prep Time 25

Cool Time 20

Total Time 45

Calories 72kcal

Author Tawnie Graham of Kroll's Korner

Equipment

Candy Thermometer

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. salt

US Customary - Metric

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Instructions

Prep the pan: Line a rimmed baking sheet or 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Have this ready before you begin because the toffee needs to be poured immediately once it reaches temperature.
Melt ingredients: Add the butter, sugar, water, and salt to a small/medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low to medium heat.
1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp. water, 1/4 tsp. salt
Bring to a gentle boil: Stir gently and continuously. Once the mixture begins gently bubbling, continue cooking over medium to medium-low heat, stirring steadily and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan so the mixture cooks evenly.
Cook the toffee: Continue cooking until the mixture reaches 300-305°F on a candy thermometer, about 10-12 minutes depending on your pan and stovetop Start Timer. As it cooks, the mixture will bubble and foam before thickening, smoothing, and becoming glossy. The finished toffee should be a rich golden-caramel color and smell deeply buttery and caramelized. Keep an eye on the heat: If the mixture browns quickly, smells burnt, or you notice dark spots forming on the bottom, reduce the heat. Slow and steady is better than rushing the toffee.
If the butter separates: Don't panic if you notice a layer of melted butter pooling around the edges. Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully stir or whisk until the mixture comes back together. Return it to lower heat and continue cooking and stirring. Avoid suddenly increasing the heat, which can encourage the butter and sugar to separate.
Pour immediately: Pour the hot toffee onto the prepared pan. Use a heatproof spatula to quickly spread it into a thin, even layer. Don't worry about making it perfectly uniform since you'll be chopping it into bits.
Cool: Let the toffee sit undisturbed at room temperature until completely cool and hard, about 20-30 minutes. Start Timer
Make the toffee bits: Once completely cooled, break the toffee into pieces and chop with a sharp knife into small, irregular bits. For cookies, I like a mixture of tiny pieces and slightly larger chunks, so you get toffee throughout every bite.

Notes

Use a candy thermometer: Color is helpful, but temperature is the most reliable way to know when your toffee is finished. For cookie bits, I recommend 300-305°F (hard-crack stage). This gives you crisp toffee without taking it so dark that it can taste bitter after being baked again in the cookies.
Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan: Thin pans develop hot spots that can scorch the sugar before the entire mixture reaches the proper temperature.
Don't crank up the heat: Medium-low to medium is plenty. If the mixture gets too hot too quickly, the butter is more likely to separate and the sugar can burn.
Keep stirring steady, not aggressively: You want to keep the mixture moving and prevent scorching without splashing hot sugar up the sides of the saucepan.
Some bubbling and foaming is normal: The appearance will change considerably as the water cooks out of the butter and the sugar becomes more concentrated.
If the toffee looks greasy: This usually means the butter is beginning to separate. Take it off the heat, stir or whisk it back together, then return it to lower heat.
If the toffee looks grainy: Sugar crystals may have formed. Keep the heat moderate and avoid scraping dried sugar crystals from high up on the sides of the pan back into the mixture.
Work quickly once it reaches temperature: Toffee continues cooking from residual heat and begins setting almost immediately.
Let it cool completely before chopping: Warm toffee will bend or stick rather than breaking into crisp pieces.
Store: Store the homemade toffee bits in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Keep them away from heat and humidity, which can make the toffee sticky.

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