Toffee Recipe

This Toffee Recipe is a homemade version of Almond Roca. A buttery, crunchy treat with milk chocolate that’s perfect for the holidays!

Toffee is one of my favorite kinds of candy bars, anything from Heath bars to Skor bars! My mom used to make Almond Roca every year at Christmas time. The whole family looks forward to this treat during the holidays.

Start by greasing a large, rimmed baking sheet very well with butter. Set it aside for later.

Next, combine the butter and sugar in a large, heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat.

Would a smaller saucepan work?

For safety reasons you will want to use a large saucepan. This toffee recipe requires you to work with temperatures close to 300˚F. When you add the water to the hot syrup, it will boil up. You will want to have enough space so it doesn’t boil over.

Allow the mixture to come to a boil while stirring constantly.

Once it is boiling, stir in water, light corn syrup, and salt. Pour the water in carefully to avoid it splashing up out of the pot and onto your hands.

Can this toffee recipe be made without corn syrup?

Corn syrup plays an important role in this toffee recipe. It prevents the sugar from crystalizing and gives the candy a smooth texture. Many of the commonly suggested corn syrup substitutes are not a good choice when making candy. However, if you do want to use a substitute, golden syrup would be a good choice.

Stir the syrup constantly while cooking over medium heat until the temperature is between 285˚F and 290˚F.

Can I make this toffee recipe without a thermometer?

We highly recommend using a candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer (this is the one we used) for making this toffee recipe. That said, you can use the cold water method to identify the different stages in candy making.

For toffee you’ll want to know when you’ve reached the “soft crack” stage.
To test this using the cold water method, remove the candy from heat and drop a small amount of the candy into very cold water.

When the candy separates into hard, but not brittle, threads, you know you have the “soft crack” consistency required for toffee.

Working quickly, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chopped almonds evenly. The saucepan is very hot so be sure set it on a trivet to protect the surface.

Can I make this toffee recipe with other types of nuts?

We made this toffee recipe with almonds, however, it would be delicious with other nuts as well. Here are some other types of nuts you could try.

• peanuts
• cashews
• pecans
• hazelnuts

Pour the mixture on to the pre-greased baking pan and use a silicone spatula to spread it out to fill the pan.

It is really helpful to have another person available to assist with this step. One person can grab the pre-greased pan and scrape out the saucepan with a spatula while the other person pours the hot mixture from the saucepan into the baking pan.

Allow the toffee to cool. Then melt the chocolate chips and spread them evenly over the toffee.

Before the chocolate cools, sprinkle finely chopped almonds over the top of the toffee.

After the chocolate hardens, cut the toffee into bite-sized pieces. Or if you prefer, you can break the toffee into pieces by hand.

Store toffee in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

If you want to give a gift from the kitchen, this toffee recipe would be a great choice. Stack the toffee in a decorative tin or in a cellophane bag for easy gifting.

Want more candy recipes? Try these next:

Homemade Peanut Brittle is sweet and salty, crispy and crunchy. This classic Christmas treat is easy to make and better than store-bought!

These Nut Goodie Bars are melt-in-your-mouth amazing! The combo of chocolate and maple nougat with peanuts is one of my family’s all-time favorites.

This microwave Caramel Candy recipe makes soft, melt-in-your-mouth caramels that everyone loves! Made with only 5 ingredients, they are a family tradition.

Homemade Peppermint Patties are so easy to make and more delicious than the store bought ones! Cool and minty on the inside with smooth chocolate on the outside, they are a Christmas holiday tradition.