It Only Takes 3 Ingredients To Make Your Own Toffee Bits

When I was a child, Heath bars were one of my favorite candies. But my way of enjoying the thin planks of toffee coated in chocolate was possibly not like most. First, I'd quickly lick the chocolate off, so I could slowly enjoy my favorite part: that buttery, crunchy, irresistible toffee. Rich, and a little salty, toffee just hits different; it's altogether sweet and comforting at the same time. As it turns out, making toffee isn't something reserved just for the big candy manufacturers. It's quite easy to make at home, and it takes just three ingredients: butter, sugar, and salt. When you make a batch of it and crumble it up into small pieces, you've got toffee bits – something you can store away and use on all your sweet treats.

Toffee is part of the caramel family. Just like its sweet cousin, it's made by caramelizing sugar and combining it with butter. But caramel often contains cream for flavor and consistency, while toffee does not. Furthermore, the mixture to make toffee is heated to a much hotter temperature in order for it to achieve its signature crunch when it's cooled. Sometimes, toffee is made with brown sugar, which is also the ideal sugar to use for making candied bacon. 

To make toffee, you just need to simply melt butter and add sugar and salt, stirring until the mixture is about 305 degrees Fahrenheit, or what is called the hard-crack stage (a candy thermometer is a must for this step). You then pour the toffee out on a well-greased sheet pan or silicone mat to completely cool. At this point, you can break it up into small pieces, and store the toffee bits in an airtight container away from moisture and heat.

Having a stash of toffee bits in your pantry means you can add a sweet, buttery crunch anywhere you wish. The most obvious placement is in baked goods. Swirl them into your cookie and brownie doughs and batters — they're especially delicious with chocolatey flavors. Sprinkle them on cakes, banoffee pies, well-built ice cream sundaes, and Rice Krispies treats — which are even better when you toast the ingredients first. They can also be incorporated into homemade chocolates and rich truffles to elevate both the taste and texture. 

Toffee bits are even useful for breakfast — simply mix them into your pancake and waffle batter, or stir them into your oatmeal and cold cereal for extra crunch and decadence. They also work beautifully sprinkled over the creamy, frothy topping on drinks such as hot chocolate and coffee.

If you want larger pieces of toffee at your disposal (shards rather than bits), make your toffee as normal, but don't break it up as much. Toffee shards are great for snacking, dipping in chocolate and nuts for gifts, and decorating cakes and pastry. Larger sizes of toffee are easier to add extra ingredients to as well, such as toasted nuts.