Butter Toffee

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This 7-ingredient Butter Toffee recipe, also called buttercrunch, is insanely delicious with a caramel nut bottom and a layer of chocolate on top. It's the ideal holiday treat to make as a gift and is easy to customize with different toppings and mix-ins.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Cooling Time2

Total Time2 40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: candy, christmas, holiday, holidays

Servings: servings

Calories: 149kcal

Ingredients

1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans or almonds
2 cups unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons corn syrup
⅓ cup water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars milk, semi sweet, white chocolate or a combination varieties
Optional topping: large flake salt, crushed peppermint

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread pecans or almonds in a single layer on a half sheet baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes. Stir halfway through the toasting time to ensure even browning. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
Line an 15x10-inch half sheet pan with parchment paper, allowing some overhang to make it easier to lift the toffee out later. Sprinkle 1 cup of the toasted nuts evenly in the pan.
In a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt. Place the saucepan over medium heat, and stir periodically until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth.
Continue to cook the mixture, stirring periodically with a wooden spoon or high-temperature silicone spatula (NOT plastic), until it reaches a light amber color and a temperature of 300-305°F on a candy thermometer. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn. If the temperature is rising too quickly, slightly lower it.
Once the toffee has reached the correct temperature, remove it from the heat and immediately stir in baking soda and vanilla extract. The mixture will bubble up, so be cautious!
Carefully pour the hot toffee mixture into the prepared sheet pan.
Allow the toffee to cool completely at room temperature (about 2-3 hours) until it hardens. Blot any excess oil from the surface with a paper towel.
Melt chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl or over a double boiler. Once melted, spread evenly over the cooled toffee.
Sprinkle chopped nuts on top while the chocolate is still warm.
Once the chocolate has set, use the parchment paper to lift the toffee out of the pan. Break or cut it into pieces.

Video

Notes

Storage:

It's so important to store the butter crunch in an airtight container at room temperature. It will keep well for up to a week, so it's the perfect treat to make in advance for a holiday party.

Expert Tips:

Work quickly and be prepared. Have all of your ingredients pre-measured in advance, this toffee comes together extremely quickly so it's best to have everything ready so nothing burns.

Use a candy thermometer. I can't stress enough the importance of buying this inexpensive piece of equipment! It's truly the key to success for making it correctly.

Be sure to let the butter toffee cool completely before spreading over the melted chocolate. This ensures that the toffee and the chocolate don't swirl together and form two separate layers.

Line the baking sheet with extra parchment paper. You'll want it to hang over the sides of the baking sheet so that the toffee doesn't stick to the sides and is easy to lift out.

Nutrition