Toffee

I've never made any sort of candy before, other than caramel as a topping for cinnamon buns. Which, let's face it, isn't exactly complex.

The creation of this toffee was part of the mother's day extravaganza that I planned, based off of my mom's favorite candy - the heath bar. Obviously, this toffee was a central part of the cake, and I was terrified that it wouldn't turn out properly. I had planned on having some emergency backup store bought toffee, but couldn't find any in Perth on a Sunday. I almost couldn't find a candy thermometer, either. By the time I tried the fifth and final cooking supply store I was close to just deciding to eyeball the toffee. I'm glad I didn't have to, though, because having a candy thermometer made this recipe surprisingly easy to make.

One important note is to use a really large pan. When boiling, the toffee mixture quadruples in volume. I wasn't prepared for this, and had to do some quick moving and pour the burning hot melted sugar from a small saucepan to a larger one halfway through.

As to serving - I chose to allow the toffee to cool in a large slab so I could simply shatter it into shards to sprinkle on my cake. If you would like bars of toffee, then it's best to use a sharp knife on the toffee while it is still warm and cut the toffee into slabs. Then, when the toffee has completely cooled it should just snap apart.

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Toffee Recipe

2 cups (455 gr) butter

2 2/3 cups granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup light corn syrup

Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Cut the butter into small, even squares.

Place the butter, sugar, water and corn syrup in a large heavy saucepan and heat over medium heat.

Stir mixture constantly until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.

Insert a candy thermometer into the pan and bring the candy to boil.

Occasionally brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystallization of the sugar that sticks to the sides.

Continue to boil the candy, stirring frequently, until it reaches 300 degrees on the candy thermometer. If the mixture separates, simply stir vigorously until it reincorporates. It will turn a dark, golden brown color.

As soon as the mixture hits 300 degrees, pour the toffee onto the baking sheet. Do not scrape out the pan, and be careful of the hot sugar as it will really burn if it gets on you!

Spread the toffee evenly across the pan with a spatula.

Allow the toffee to cool completely, and either break into slabs or use the back of a spoon to shatter into shards.