This Simple Nutty Sea Salt Chocolate English Toffee is quite the treat! Make a batch for yourself and another to share with friends, I promise they’ll go nuts for it!
So, this Simple Nutty Sea Salt Chocolate English Toffee is amazingly easy and you’ll start making batches just out of boredom… I know, it’s a bit crazy, but I legitimately made four batches over a two day period even after first batch came out perfect!
If you read the post for the “crack” cookies called “The Best Almond Toffee White Chip Cookies – Gluten Free” you may recall that I couldn’t find toffee nibs. Instead of using the next best option, Heath Bar Bits, I decided to make my own toffee! After realizing this was the easiest thing I’ve ever made, I asked myself, “Why not do it again, but this time make it English Toffee?!”
Ingredients for Simple Nutty Sea Salt Chocolate English Toffee
First and foremost, let’s talk about the ingredients. To make this scrumptious Simple Nutty Sea Salt Chocolate English Toffee recipe, you will need unsalted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, semi-sweet chocolate and chopped/slivered nuts. If you’re a nutcase like me, you’ll definitely want to add extra nuts! I used a mix of slivered almonds, chopped pecans, and chopped macadamia nuts! The extra crunch and nutty flavors help bring this toffee to the next level.
Before you enjoy this sweet treat, let’s take a moment to appreciate the history of English toffee:
It’s said that this candy originated in England in the early 19th century and was originally called, for obvious reasons, “buttercrunch”! Over time, the recipe for English toffee evolved, and variations with different nuts and flavors were created. Traditional English Toffee used specifically almonds, but let’s be real – the nutty combination is the way to go!
So Simple: Simple Nutty Sea Salt Chocolate English Toffee
If you’re like me, making candy sounds like a bit of daunting task! Candy thermometers, double boilers, all sorts of extra equipment, speediness… What else am I missing? Realistically, it’s not so complicated! And yes, while I’ve test this recipe multiple times with a thermometer, I generally don’t use one. The key to success is in the color and the mixing!
The Color
It’s very straight forward. When you think of English Toffee, or any toffee, do you think pale yellow? NO!!!! You think rich, golden brown! This color is the key to cooking without a thermometer. Once your salt, butter, sugar, and vanilla are melted and on the way to a boil, watch for the color. Essentially, you will want to meet a minimum temperature of 290-295°F, which will directly correlate to the rich golden color. Once you reach the desired color, remove from the heat, pour the liquid toffee quickly into a parchment lined baking sheet and add nuts! It’s really that simple, just don’t forget to continuously mix.
The Mixing
Remember that you may want to use a relatively heavy-bottomed, non-stick saucepan. Using a thinner aluminum sauce pan will work, but make it easy on yourself if you can. Non-stick lets the toffee in liquid form slip out like butter (wait, it is!) and makes for an easy clean up. A thin pan, like I said, will do, but the likelihood of your toffee burning is a bit higher, so you’re going to have to be diligent about mixing while it’s cooking. In general, sugar and butter are both ingredients that are apt to burn, so thick bottom pan or not, you’ll want to be 100% focused on mixing for about 5 minutes until the mixture reaches the golden color.
The Chocolate
Okay, here comes the best part, chocolate!!! If you used that non-stick pan, you’re in luck! Place the pan back on the burner, add your chocolate, and let it melt on low heat! If you’re using morsels, it should melt a bit quicker than a large bar of baking chocolate, but either way works. The trick is keeping the temperature low so the chocolate melts and doesn’t boil or burn. As soon as it’s melted, move it over to your cooling toffee (already layered with nuts) and pour it on! Of course, add more nuts and flaky sea salt before the chocolate solidifies!
Voila, you have yourself a batch of delicious English toffee that is nuttin’ short of perfection!
….Oh, you thought we were done with discussing chocolate? Not yet! Regarding this recipe, I prefer using a semi-sweet chocolate, like the Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet morsels, as they cook consistently and are delicious. With that said, don’t limit yourself to semi-sweet, you can also use milk chocolate morsels or my second favorite dark chocolate! Who doesn’t like dark chocolate with nuts and sea salt?
Breaking Your Simple Nutty Sea Salt Chocolate English Toffee
I know, I said “Here comes the best part” before, and I meant it… But this really is the (other) best part!
Take all that pent up sugar high and break your toffee into pieces! There are so many ways to do it and that’s part of the magic! If you have a clean box, place an upside-down custard cup in it and drop the entire parchment sheet of toffee! Or, smash the toffee strategically with a meat tenderizer or spatula.
Figure out your best method and have fun!
Tips and Tricks to Simple Nutty Sea Salt Chocolate English Toffee
Do you know somebody with nut allergies and want to make toffee for them? Use roasted pepitas and sunflower seeds! Seeds are nut allergy safe and have that great crunch and texture.
You can also melt your chocolate in the microwave. It’s one more dish to wash, but you can place the chocolate in a microwave safe container and microwave in 20-30 second intervals. After each interval, use a spatula to mix the morsels around. Continue until all the chocolate is melted. If you need more guidance on this, feel free to see Feel Good Foodie’s “How To Melt Chocolate In The Microwave.“
If you’re sharing your Simple Nutty Sea Salt Chocolate English Toffee with friends and family, get some decorative bags like these Cellophane Decorative Treat Bags! Even if you manage to burn the toffee, your friends will be impressed by the presentation! 🙂
If you’re trying to set your chocolate quickly, place the entire baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Don’t leave it in any longer than that, the longer it is in, the more potential moisture will accumulate on the toffee, softening it.
If You Like This Simple Nutty Sea Salt Chocolate English Toffee, Try These:
Simple Nutty Sea Salt Chocolate English Toffee
Course: Dessert, Snack, Treat10
servings5
minutes6
minutesThis Simple Nutty Sea Salt Chocolate English Toffee is delicious, quick, and easy! You won’t be disappointed!
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Ingredients
1 Cup 1 Butter (I use Salted Land ‘o’ Lakes)
1-1/2 Cups 1-1/2 Granulated White Sugar
1-1/2 tsp 1-1/2 Himalayan Pink Salt
2 tsp 2 Vanilla Extract
1-1/2 Cups 1-1/2 Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (12oz Bag)
3/4 Cup 3/4 Chopped Pecans
1/3 Cup 1/3 Chopped Macadamia Nuts
1/3 Cup 1/3 Slivered Almonds
1 tsp 1 Flaky Sea Salt (I use Maldon)
Directions
- Prep your ingredients and line a quarter baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a medium saucepan, combine Butter, Sugar, Pink Salt, and Vanilla Extract.
- Set the heat to medium to get the butter melting, mixing with a silicone spatula every few seconds. Once all is melted and combined, turn the heat to medium/high and continue to mix until it starts to bubble (about 4-5 minutes)
- Continue mixing and you’ll see a gradual change in color from a pale yellow to a rich golden color.
- If you have a candy thermometer, the temperature should be between 290°F and 300°F.
- Immediately pour the toffee into a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Sprinkle half the nuts on top before the toffee sets up.
- In the same saucepan, add the chocolate morsels. Melt the morsels on low heat using a spatula to mix the them around.
- Once entirely molten (don’t let it boil), pour the chocolate on top of the toffee and spread it evenly across.
- Sprinkle on the rest of your Pecans, Macadamia, and Almonds. Then finish with the Flaky Sea Salt.
- Let the chocolate set, then break into pieces.
- ENJOY!!!!
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