Caramel toffee from Vosges Haut-Chocolate bypasses the classic almonds for a nouvelle combination of roasted, salted pecans and walnuts. Dipped in milk chocolate, it’s a combination of salty and sweet.
May 2006
Updated March 2008
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What Is Toffee?
One Of America’s Traditional Favorites Is Hot & Happening
Learn The ABC’s Of Toffee
CAPSULE REPORT: What is toffee? What’s the difference between toffee and buttercrunch? If there a difference between American toffee and English toffee? And what makes great toffee? We consulted the experts, and tell all here.
Americans love toffee. At the recent Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, if we noticed any trend it was not the “hot new flavor” (in the past, wasabi, jalapeño, pomegranate, et al), but the number of new companies specializing in toffee!
Toffee Overview
The origins of the word toffee are not certain, but some believe it to be a form of the word “tafia,” a West Indies rum distilled from molasses. Possibly, the toffee, which is still made with molasses today, could have been made from the molasses-type syrup skimmed off the liquor during distillation.
Toffee is made by caramelized sugar and butter...but follow the trail after that and the story gets confusing.
- Some sources tell you that American toffee is a hard substance, synonymous with brittle; while British toffee is more the consistency of what we call taffy—a hard, chewy candy made of brown sugar or molasses and butter.
- Other sources say that British toffee is hard, and American toffee is softer.
These things we will agree upon:
- Toffees are hard, chewy candies made by combining some type of sugar (white, brown, molasses) plus water and butter. American recipes can add vanilla and other flavorings, and also add milk or cream. The ingredients are boiled together at a high temperature until the mixture is golden brown and stiff.
- The toffee is then spread into a shallow pan or onto a surface to thicken and cool. The slab is then broken into smaller, irregular pieces. Some toffees are poured into individual molds to create individual square or round pieces.
The Difference Between English & American Toffee
- Brits favor a recipe with brown sugar or molasses, which creates a darker flavor. Americans tend to use white sugar, which brings out the buttery qualities; although some American candy makers add some brown sugar to their mixes.
- What is called English-style toffee in the U.S. is the hard sheet of toffee many candy makers create and then break into pieces with a hammer. If that doesn’t conjure up an image, think of the center of a Heath bar. (The full name of this favorite newsstand candy bar is Heath Milk Chocolate English Toffee Bar—a product first made by the Heath brothers in Robison, Illinois in 1928, and now owned by the Hershey Corporation).
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You can’t have too many ways to eat toffee. Erin’s Fuji Apples, coated in caramel and Belgian milk chocolate and studded with large pieces of toffee, is another good idea. |
Toffee Versus Buttercrunch, Butterscotch & Caramel
- What is called American-style toffee is the softer product, also called buttercrunch, almond buttercrunch—is an American invention. Many producers of buttercrunch call their products “toffee” or “almond toffee,” adding to the confusion. One of the best-known products is Almond Roca, launched in 1923 by Brown & Hale of Tacoma, Washington. (Roca means “rock” in Spanish. In those days, most almonds came from Spain and the name suited the crunchy center.) To make buttercrunch, toffee is coated with chocolate and roasted almond pieces.
- The Difference Between Caramel, Butterscotch & Toffee. Caramels are the softest of this group of candies, butterscotch is harder and toffee is the hardest. This is based on both ingredients and to how high a temperature the ingredients are boiled. To recap the ingredients: Butterscotch and toffee are made by combining sugar, butter and water; butterscotch and American-style toffee, as opposed to English toffee, can add vanilla and other flavorings. Butterscotch is then boiled to the soft-crack stage (270°F to 290°F on a candy thermometer), toffee to a hard-crack (295°F to 310°F). Caramels add milk or cream (and sometimes, flavors) and are cooked at a lower heat, to the firm-ball stage (248°F). Both of these factors make them softer and chewier.
What Makes a Great Toffee?
As with anything else, it’s primarily quality ingredients, then the specific recipe proportions.
- Most toffees are produced in the same fashion using the two main ingredients, sugar and butter. With just two ingredients in the mix, top quality sugar and the freshest creamery butter create the best product.
- Some producers use corn syrup or molasses to produce a harder, denser product. Corn syrup won’t taste as good as sugar. Molasses will taste different.
- In cheaper toffees, vegetable oil can be used instead of butter, and it makes a huge (hugely bad) difference. Worse, very cheap products omit the fat altogether, and sell a product made of just sugar and water.
- Other factors include cooking speed, timing, temperatures for adding additional ingredients like nuts and specialty flavors (lavender, ancho chile) and altitude. Cooking at sea level produces a slightly harder and darker toffee than one cooked at higher altitudes.
These variables, or a combination of them can make quite a difference in the finished product.
Our favorite toffees come from high altitudes (e.g., Enstrom’s, in Colorado), sea level (Lula Belle, in Los Angeles) and in-between. So, unlike other businesses, where the mantra is “location, location, location,” with toffee, the word is, “quality, quality, quality.”
Caring For Toffee
 We received this giant (12") fortune cookie coated with toffee. It was our good fortune indeed! You can get one from Lady Fortune for $27.95. There’s a fortune inside, of course!
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Most toffee needs no special treatment, but some manufacturers advise that their product be refrigerated. Refrigeration is generally required in two situations:
- A high percentage of butter in the recipe. Some toffees have such a high proportion of butter that they are virtually a “dairy product” (Enstrom’s Toffee, one of our favorites, is one-third butter). If the toffee is kept at room temperature for an extended period, the butterfat will oxidize, i.e., turn rancid. In warm weather, the toffee also will become soft, and loose a lot of its “crunch.”
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- Cracked versus formed pieces. Some toffees are molded into individual patties, then completely covered in chocolate. Others are produced in large slabs, which are then broken up into smaller pieces. This causes an exposed edge that is not covered in chocolate—and is exposed to air and oxidation.
Of course, if the candy “disappears” in a day or two, there’s no need to worry about anything going bad. But some people like to enjoy their treasures over a few weeks. A box of quality toffee can keep two months under good conditions (airtight container, away from heat). But don’t keep any fresh-made food product longer than this. If you can’t enjoy within a few weeks, share the wealth and give it to someone who can!
Toffee Time
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Mom’s Toffee Fortune Cookie. It’s a gift and greeting card all in one—a jumbo (6") toffee fortune cookie for new moms, Mother’s Day, or just to say “Mom, you love toffee and I love you.” Click here for more information.
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Almond English Toffee. Made in the U.S. from Hawaiian sugar and California almonds with artisan techniques: cooked in a copper kettle, laid out on a marble table and cut into strips. Click here for more
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Almond English Toffee —Sugar-Free Toffee. Classic almond toffee made in small batches by the same artisanal company. Click here for more information. |
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Marich Toffee Caramels. If you want a toffee flavor at the soft, chewable stage, try these classy caramel balls from Marich. We’ve eaten many a box. Certified kosher by KOF-K. Click here for more information. |
Toffee Coffee. If you’re a true toffee lover, or know someone who is, try a pound of almond toffee-flavored coffee, fresh-roasted for you the day it’s shipped. Click here for more information. |
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