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.
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.
Start by placing butter, sugar, water and salt in a saucepot, and bring it to a boil.
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.
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.
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.
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
Homemade Toffee Bits
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Super simple — thanks for this, worked great!
Hi.. how can i add chocolate in this?
I don’t recommend adding chocolate to the toffee, until it’s already set. Once you make the toffee and pour it on the pan. Let it fully harden. Then, you can spread melted chocolate on top. Once the chocolate hardens, you can crack it into chocolate covered toffee bits.
Second time making toffee…your recipe,was fab
This was so simple and delicious but I had to drain some excess butter off and wipe with a paper towel. Is this normal?
This comes from heating the mixture too quickly. lower the heat a bit next time.
I need toffee bits for a toffee blonde in a jar that im making.. how long will the toffee bits last?…. will they keep if they are in a jar with the other dry ingredients?
They should last for weeks with dry ingredients. If there is any moisture in the jar though, they could lose their texture.
Hello, I am honestly praying you get this question as soon as possible. I need to have these cookies by 3:00pm 8/11/18. Basically today. I was wondering if we can replace brown butter for the stick of butter. I’m making chocolate chip cookies and toffee cookies for a birthday party. I have used the Heath Bits O Brickle brand of toffee bits in the past. I’ve added it chopped extremely fine for the base of the CCC & the toffee cookies of course. I just happened to read the ingredients again and I somehow missed that they have almonds in them. The cookies are for kids and adults, and I just can’t risk any allergic reactions. Also, how do you think a bit of high quality real vanilla extract stirred in upon completion of the toffee. I would do this off the stove and continue to stir it in. If you think it would add a nice additional layer of flavor for the toffee, how much would you suggest to use per one batch of your recipe?
Hope to hear back soon. Fingers crossed.
FIRST TIME MAKING TOFFEE and I USED THIS RECIPE ….. IT WAS ‘PERFECTION’ THERE ARE NO OTHER WORDS TO DESCRIBE HIW IT TURNED OUT! I USED THE EXACT AMOUNTS OF EVERY INGREDIENT AND ‘BAMM’ IT TURNED OUT FABULOUS!
THANK YOU SO MUCH CHRISTIE !!
You’re so welcome. I’m glad you had such great success!
Amaaaaaazing recipe, thanks for sharing! Just one question, how do you make it last longer? Cuz I cooked it and it turned out great, but in the next day it soften up.
Thank you for this recipe. I needed toffee bits for a cake, but my local grocery stores no longer carry them. I tried your recipe and let the mixture come to a nice amber color and the temperature was about 275. Unfortunately it had a slight bitter taste. I then made a second batch and did not let it cook quite as long. It came out perfect.
I’m so glad the second batch worked and that you enjoyed it. I bet the cake was great.
I made it for a bake sale. The lady who bought it is going to serve it for
Easter dinner. I told her to let me know how it tastes. I’m not sure how the homemade toffee held up in the cake as opposed to the store bought ones. Hopefully it will be better.
These were delicious, but they completely melted in my cookies.
That is supposed to happen… but when the cookies cool they turn hard again..