English Toffee

English Toffee has been popping up all over blog land the past few weeks.  I'm not sure if I have ever eaten homemade English Toffee.  It looked really good, so I was kind of thinking of trying it, but I wasn't sure.  Then, I read somewhere that it pretty much tastes like a Skor candy bar and that was all I had to hear and I was convinced to make these.

When I was younger, during the Summer, my friends and I would ride our bikes to the local swimming pool.  We pretty much would have lived there if we could.  This pool was the coolest pool around. It had regular diving boards, it had high-dive diving boards and it had a HUGE water slide.  Every day on the way out, without fail, I would buy a stick of peppered beef jerky and a Skor candy bar from the front desk!!  I loved to eat all of the chocolate off the candy bar and then suck on the toffee part. I probably haven't actually eaten a Skor bar for the last 10 years. So, I was pretty excited to try out this recipe. 

I was really surprised with how EASY this toffee was to make.  I have heard horror stories of English Toffee, but I guess I got lucky, because mine turned out really good!  It really does remind me of a Skor bar and it is hard to stop eating it once you start!  

English Toffee

adapted from: here and here
(Printable Recipe)

1 c. butter

1 c. sugar

3 Tbl. water

1/8 tsp. salt (omit if you use salted butter)

1 1/2 Tbl. light corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract   

3/4 c. chocolate chips

chopped nuts, opt.

Melt butter in a heavy-bottom sauce pan, over medium-low heat.  Add the sugar, water and salt; stir well to incorporate. Bring to a boil and add the corn syrup.  While stirring, use a wet pastry brush to wash down the sides of the pan to dissolve any undissolved sugar crystals.  Continue boiling and stirring until mixture reaches 280-285 degrees (this is at high altitude, so if you are not at high altitude, then you will probably need to cook it longer - 290-295 degrees).  Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract.  Stir to combine and pour into a well-buttered cookie sheet or an 8x8 casserole dish.  Do not scrape the sides of the pan.  Use a rubber scraper and spread out to desired thickness.  You can either drop the chocolate chips onto the hot toffee and spread out when melted or you can melt the chocolate in the microwave and spread over the toffee.  Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if adding.  Allow to set up completely, then break into chunks.  Store in an air-tight container.        

**Simple test to know if candy has reached the correct temperature: dip a spoon into the candy.  Run cold tap water over the top of it.  If the candy turns hard and brittle, then it is done** 

Jenn's Notes:  No notes today, I just did what the recipe said and it turned out perfect!