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Homemade toffee bits are so easy to make, and they taste so much better than the store bought bag ‘o bits. Use them in cookies, in muffins or on ice cream.

Homemade Toffee Bits

Here’s how to make homemade buttery, sugary goodness in less than 15 minutes.

You can break them up into smaller pieces for cookies, or you can break them into larger chunks to eat as a snack. Go ahead and dip them in chocolate. It’ll be our secret.

Homemade Toffee Bits from Zestuous

Start by placing butter, sugar, water and salt in a saucepot, and bring it to a boil.

butter melting in a pot

After it boils for about 8 minutes, it will begin to caramelize. It’ll be tempting by don’t stir it.

If you stir it, the sugars will crystallize and you’ll end up with grainy toffee.

butter browning in saucepot

This is an important point of the process.

You want it to brown to a dark golden color for rich homemade toffee bits, but if you cook it too long, it will burn and become bitter.

It’s better to pull it off the heat a little early, just make sure it reaches 300F degrees with a candy thermometer. That will ensure it hardens when cooled.

toffee cooling on silpat mat

Pour the mixture onto a Silpat-lined cookie sheet, and allow it to cool until hardened.

It smells so good, it’s going to be really tempting to taste it. Don’t do it! I speak from experience.

This candy is screaming hot, and will burn you. Be patient. It’s almost ready.

bowl of homemade toffee bits

Once cooled, break it into bits and enjoy it in cookies, muffins or on ice cream.

You can store it in an air-tight container for a week or so. But they’re so good, it probably won’t last that long.

Recipes Using Homemade Toffee Bits

3.74 from 61 votes

Homemade Toffee Bits

By: Christie Vanover
Homemade toffee bits are so easy to make, and they taste so much better than the store bought bag ‘o bits. Use them in cookies, in muffins or on ice cream.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Servings: 20 tablespoons

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp water
  • pinch kosher salt

Instructions 

  • Place all ingredients in a saucepot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat (about 5 minutes.)
  • Continue cooking for about 8 more minutes, until the mixture reaches 300 degrees and begins to turn brown.
  • Pour onto a silpat-lined baking sheet and spread thin.
  • Allow to cool. Place in a plastic bag and break the bits with a can or measuring cup.

Nutrition

Calories: 60kcalCarbohydrates: 5gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 40mgSugar: 4gVitamin A: 140IUCalcium: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Did you try this recipe?Be sure to rate it, leave a comment and save it so you can make it again. Show off your awesome results on social by tagging @zestuous

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Christie Vanover

About Zestuous

Hi. I’m Christie, the head cook and award-winning competitive pitmaster for Team Girls Can Grill. I have won multiple grand championships and have dozens of top ten category finishes. People know me as the girl who is forever hovering over a grill, smoker or campfire with tongs in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.


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126 Comments

  1. I am going to make your recipe tomorrow. I just wanted to say thanks for posting a recipe for home made toffee bits. They would not be easy to find.

  2. I’ve scrolled through all of the comments and have seen inconsistent advice about stirring or not stirring to avoid separation of the butter/sugar. Once the ingredients are incorporated, do I stir constantly at med-low heat or leave it to boil for 8 minutes without stirring? I’ve experienced the separation issue 3 times now and want to perfect this technique once and for all! Thank you for answering my question.

    1. I have found I get the best results, if I don’t stir. Also, I get the best results when I use Challenge or Kerrygold butter.

  3. I live where buying a bag of toffee and a lot of other convenience things aren’t available so do a lot of things homemade. I found several toffee recipes that are exactly the same but I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to stir or not stir. Thank you for stating in your instructions not to stir and why not to stir.

  4. Hi, I’m wondering if you really need a thermometer or can you just stop cooking when it is dark golden brown

  5. My suggest…. have a container ready for the finished product. I was having difficulty finding a lid, by the time I did I had eaten most of it. Think I even tried a round lid… was a rectangle container.

  6. Gosh, easy peasy! Except I am the flub. . . when I poured it out it was soppy with butter. I read one of the comments you made that the heat was too high so will try it again in a few minutes. They taste correct! Look fabulous, albeit a bit greasy, so I am confident this next time will be perfect – like yours.

    This is the third recipe I have tried this morning. I followed the recipe’s exactly and they came out horrid. So, I am on the right track with yours! I want to use them in cookies and I know they will be fabulous!

    Thank you for such a great recipe. I am going to check out some of your other recipes.