What Is Toffee? Find Out All the Sweet Details
Anyone with a sweet tooth knows how exciting it is to receive a food gift during the holidays, especially when it’s toffee. While it’s delicious year-round, there’s something about toffee that makes it the perfect Christmas treat. The rich, buttery, crunchy, and sweet confection is a timeless classic that will never go out of style for those who love sweets.
But what exactly is toffee? The term is often used in relation to other desserts that aren’t quite the same, like sticky toffee pudding, for instance. So, what defines toffee, and how is it different from other sweets like caramel or butterscotch? And do the candy and the other toffee-inspired desserts refer to the same thing? Let’s explore!
What Is Toffee?
Toffee is a candy made from butter and sugar, which is cooked to the hard-crack stage (around 300°F on a candy thermometer) and then cooled to form a crunchy texture. Sometimes called butter toffee, it’s often coated in chocolate. You may also see it labeled as English toffee since it was originally invented in—yes, you guessed it—England.
While toffee itself is delicious, the flavor it imparts is perhaps even more popular. Made from butter and sugar, toffee offers a distinct taste profile that is also used in various other desserts. Examples include sticky toffee pudding, cracker candy, and toffee cookie bars.
What Is the Difference Between Toffee and Caramel?
Caramel shares similarities with toffee in that it’s both a confection and a flavor that can be used in numerous recipes. The key difference is that caramel is primarily made with white granulated sugar, often combined with water. While butter may be included in a caramel candy recipe, it doesn’t define the flavor or the candy.
To sum it up: cooking white sugar and butter creates toffee, while cooking white sugar and water results in caramel. And what about butterscotch? That’s made from brown sugar and butter! The temperature to which these ingredients are cooked, as well as any additional elements like heavy cream for caramel sauce or milk for butterscotch pudding, affects the consistency and final outcome. Keep your candy thermometer nearby and follow the recipe instructions for the best results.
