Toffee pieces are so delicious in many cookies. Chocolate chip, cowboy, and oatmeal cookies are especially well-suited toffee pieces. I bought packaged toffee pieces in the past, but after I started my bakery business, they were hard to find and when I hunted them down, the price was much higher than I was willing to pay. However, my cowboy cookies were very popular where I was selling them and the cookies would not be the same without toffee. So I researched and found a recipe at King Arthur Baking for chocolate buttercrunch and started making the toffee part without chocolate and nuts. Making candy may seem intimidating, but it is actually simple and fast. Do pay attention and make sure you do not have distractions when you make this. It takes patience because it keeps boiling without getting to the proper temperature, but then it is ready all of a sudden. Have everything prepared before starting; ingredients, thermometer, and pans. The hardest part is breaking up the toffee for cookies. This is a delicious candy to eat on its own too, or add pieces to ice cream with caramel sauce.
Toffee
- 227 grams unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 298 grams granulated sugar (1 1/2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon espress powder
- 43 grams water (3 tablespoons)
- 21 grams light corn syrup (1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Melt the butter in a deep 3-quart or larger saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the salt, sugar, espresso powder, water, and corn syrup and heat to a boil. Without stirring, boil gently until the mixture reaches 295-300°F. Watch carefully because the syrup will bubble for a while without changing much, but suddenly it will darken. Check the temperature to see if it is ready. Pay close attention and be patient because too long boiling and too dark will burn the syrup and it will be bitter and taste bad.
While the syrup is boiling, prepare a 9×13-inch pan or a larger baking sheet by lining it with parchment. When the syrup reaches 295°F , remove from the heat and quickly stir in the baking soda. Use caution because it will foam up. Stir thoroughly until all the syrup is smooth and mixed with the baking soda. Quickly pour the syrup in the parchment-lined pan set on a hot pad or trivet and spread it out evenly. Allow to cool.
When the toffee is almost fully cooled, pull it out of the pan and use a metal spatula to loosen it from the parchment paper if needed. Break into chunks and allow to cool completely. You may use a food processor to get it into small pieces, but do it in small batches and be careful to not over process it into powder. I allow some larger pieces and then break those by hand later.
Recipe may be doubled.
I pound as much as possible in a large metal bowl and then carefully process it in batches for small pieces to use in cookies.
Stays fresh for 2 weeks at room temperature in an airtight container. Freeze for longer storage.