Homemade Toffee Bits Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are toffee bits made of? ›

Not to be confused with chocolate-covered toffee bits such as Heath bar or Skor bars, homemade english toffee which is made with almonds, or saltine toffee, toffee bits are made simply from brown sugar and plenty of butter. Smaller than bark, this toffee is technically candy, but don't let that intimidate you!

Remove the toffee from the container by lifting it with edges of the foil. Hold the foil and toffee a few inches over a table or counter and drop. You may have to do it a few times and the toffee will break into pieces.

Yes, if you can't find toffee bits, you could substitute them with chopped caramel, butterscotch chips or even Butterfinger baking bits. Keep in mind, however, that these will give a slightly different flavor than toffee.

Store homemade toffee in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Toffee vs Caramel

The difference between toffee and caramel is that caramel is made with white granulated sugar and cooked to 340 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas toffee is made with butter and brown sugar and cooked to 295 - 309 degrees Fahrenheit.

Candy and toffee are different because candy is made from boiled sugar syrup, while toffee is made from caramelized sugar with butter and sometimes nuts. Both have been enjoyed for centuries and have various cultural histories.

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. Think you can save time by bringing the syrup to a full rolling, popping boil in order for it to darken more quickly? Think again.

It's important while the toffee cooks to only stir it occasionally. Constant stirring can cause the toffee to crystallize and separate. For those of you that need to know exactly how often you should stir, I would suggest erring on the side of not stirring more than stirring.

Cream of tartar is a white powder sold in the baking aisle that's commonly used to stabilize whipped egg whites in meringues and cakes, prevent sugar crystallization in candies and caramel, and act as the activating ingredient in baking powder.

The English toffee eaten with regularity in America is also called buttercrunch. What's the difference? Primarily, the difference rests in the ingredients. Toffee in Britain is made with brown sugar, whereas buttercrunch is made with white granulated sugar.

What is English toffee bits? ›

This tasty bits of chocolate and English toffee (AKA butter brickle) are so delicious. They are very much like the Heath English Toffee bar, but broken up into little bits (as the name says). They can be used for baking, for example, in your favorite cookies recipes, or for simply eating out of the bag.

Just what it sounds like! Bits of crunchy sweet toffee, chopped or broken into pieces about the same size as chocolate chips.

You might wonder why the toffee recipe includes baking soda. It is added at the end of the boiling stage and creates lots and lots of bubbles. These bubbles help to lighten the texture of the finished toffee, resulting in an easier-to-bite candy.

Taste is obvious: sweets made with dark brown sugar will have a slightly deeper flavor with those notes of caramel and toffee I mentioned.

While toffee bits don't spoil in the same way some foods do, they can become stale or lose their quality over time. One of the main indicators that your toffee bits have gone bad are changes in their texture - they may become too hard, sticky or even start to dissolve.

Brittles are typically composed mostly of sugar, while toffees contain a fair amount of butter and in some cases milk. This makes toffees fuller and richer in taste, while brittles are more purely sweet and sugary. Brittles are also much thinner than most toffees.

Larger amounts of butter or cream can make chewier, softer toffees that are like caramels, while toffee cooked to a higher temperature becomes brittle but is still chewy to eat. The Maillard reaction, which is caused by heating the dairy and sugar together, is what gives toffee its toasty flavour.