It seems simple but…
A caramel recipe, at first glance, seems deceptively simple. What could be easier…combine the butter, sugar and a little water, cook it to a certain temperature or a certain colour…pour to chill, top with chocolate and here’s another perfect batch of toffee! !
If you’ve ever made toffee at home, then you know there are a lot of things that can go wrong, often for no apparent reason.
I have personally produced millions upon thousands of dollars worth of candy… I am a professional candy maker.
I’m going to give you some Toffee Maker secrets to help you make that perfect batch of toffee, consistently, batch after batch after batch…and not just ordinary toffee, but world-class gourmet almond toffee!
Toffee Maker Secret #1: Use an accurate candy thermometer. Use the thermometer as a guide or as a road map. It’ll give you an idea when you’ve arrived. As you gain experience, the color of the batch will also tell you when the candy is ready.
Toffee Maker Secret #2: For batch-to-batch consistency, weigh each ingredient with a food scale and use only the best ingredients available.
Toffee Maker Secret #3: Follow the cooking procedure exactly. When making caramel, the procedure and timing are just as important as the ratio of ingredients. What makes toffee…”Toffee”…is the procedure.
Cooking The Batch.
It is important that the butter is brought to the boiling point. Add the water and bring back to the boiling point. Boiling the butter and water will dissolve the sugar crystals very quickly. This will prevent the batch from re-crystallizing during the cooking process.
Toffee Maker Secret #4: Very important! Wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush and water. Any sugar crystal that doesn’t dissolve will cause the batch to re-crystallize. If the batch re-crystallizes, it will be very grainy and will also separate. Personally, I haven’t been able to save a batch of caramel if this happens. You should discard the batch and start over.
Let’s continue…
Some critical temperatures to keep in mind: At about 250°F, the batch would re-crystallize if the heat source you are using is not high enough to dissolve the sugar crystals as they form. At 250° to 280°F, toffee syrup will appear thick and heavy and give the impression that the batch is partially recrystallized. But if your stove is hot enough, the tendency to re-crystallize would be eliminated.
Toffee Maker Secret #5: Every Toffee Maker has experienced this problem. The butter and sugar will separate during the cooking process. To solve this problem, all we need to do is add an emulsifier at the beginning of the cooking process. Lecithin is used for this purpose. The lecithin allows the butterfat to mix with the moisture in the batch. Lecithin is a by-product in the production of soybean meal and soybean oil. Lecithin is purified and non-allergenic for people with soy allergies. Soy lecithin can be found in health food stores, some major supermarkets, and stores that sell candy-making supplies and ingredients.
Toffee Maker Secret #6: Depending on your elevation, adjust your temperatures by subtracting 1°F for every 500 feet above sea level. (For example: at sea level water boils at 212°F, but where I live water boils at about 201°F).
Now let’s go back to cooking the toffee…
As the batch thickens, it won’t stick to the side of the pan. As soon as the batch shows some signs of burning, at around 290°, the heat should be turned down.
From this moment on, the dough will gradually thin out and will adhere to the sigh of the pan again. Cooking beyond 290° to 306°F will burn the batch and invert too much sugar. If this happens, the toffee will be too brittle and won’t develop a soft grain as it ages.
Toffee Maker Secret #7: Toffee must be aged for at least a week. This aging process gives the toffee a chance to develop an ideal grain and maximum buttery flavor.
Let’s continue…
At the end of the cooking process, 300° to 306°F, the batch will be grain free. At this point, add a small amount of Baker’s Special Sugar to begin the granulating process to give the batch a smooth, fine-grained texture.
Toffee Maker Secret #8: Toffee should always be kept refrigerated or frozen and sealed tightly. NEVER, EVER store toffee at room temperature or outdoors!
Candy Maker Secret #9: Every once in a while I get a call or email about the chocolate blooming after coating the candy. The bloom is caused by the moisture in the chocolate. Now, I’m no chocolate expert, but one way to get around the bloom problem is to cover the chocolate (before the chocolate hardens, of course) with crushed nuts. In my case almonds!
Toffee Maker Secret #10: Another problem I’ve heard about is the layer of chocolate coming off the toffee. Some recipes call for coating the pan you cool the toffee in with vegetable oil, such as Pam or other nonstick sprays. I have found that this can cause the chocolate layer to fall off after the toffee cools or is refrigerated. Coat the skillet or cookie sheet with butter instead. This will usually resolve the issue.
Toffee Maker Secret #11: To take your toffee flavor to the next level, pre-roast your almonds. Use whole, raw, shelled, Non-Pareil almonds. Spread the almonds out on a cookie sheet and place in a preheated 350°F oven for about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Toffee Maker Secret #12: Use only cane sugar. Also, when stirring toffee, use only a spoon made of a material that doesn’t absorb heat, such as wood or high-temperature plastic. Never use metal. It will absorb the heat from the caramel and cause it to re-crystallize.
The above procedure and suggestions can be applied or adapted for any toffee recipe, and in many cases, can be applied to any of your candy-making adventures…not just toffee.
The caramel recipe:
2 pounds of fresh salted butter
2.4 lb granulated cane sugar
0.4 lb Baker’s special sugar
4.8 oz chopped raw almonds (to cover the chocolate)
1 pound whole dry roasted almonds
0.8 ounces of salt
0.3 oz lecithin
6.4 ounces of warm water
The procedure:
Place the butter in a heavy skillet. Bring to the boiling point and add the warm water. Bring back to a boil and add the granulated cane sugar. Wash the sides with water and a pastry brush. Bring to a strong boil and add the lecithin. Cook to 250°F*. Add the toasted almonds. Cook to 280°-290°F* and then lower the temperature on the stove. Cook to 300°-306°F. *(Adjust your temperatures to your elevation – see Secret #6 above). Remove the pan from the heat and add the salt and Baker’s special sugar. Mix well and pour onto a buttered cooling slab or cookie sheet. Quickly distribute batches and cut to size. Coat each side with pure milk chocolate and sprinkle with chopped or crushed nuts.