Toffee

November 22, 2011 at 2:23 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: candy, chocolate, knitting, natural dyes, recipe, toffee

This is my Xmas candy recipe I made an early batch this morning because I want to send some to my daughter and her husband. The recipe isn’t special it is a regular sugar and butter toffee and I spread dark chocolate on top when its still warm and sprinkle sea salt on top of that. Its a grown up version of heath bars.

Fleur de sel toffee

1 pound butter

2 2/3 granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup light corn syrup

dark chocolate chips and fleur de sel to sprinkle on top.

line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil and butter the foil. bring butter sugar water and corn syrup to a boil in a large sauce pan with a candy thermometer clipped to the side. stir frequently and till the candy reaches 300*(about 12 min). then take off the stove and pour it into the prepared pan.

let the candy cool for one min. and then sprinkle with the dark chocolate let that sit a min.and then spread the melted chocolate with a knife then sprinkle with the salt. After it hardens break the toffee into pieces.

It really is this easy to make candy the hard part is keeping yourself from eating too much candy.

I tried different recipes for toffee and this is the one I like best I can’t remember where I found it. I do know that originally the recipe said only to stir until the butter was melted and the sugar disolved but I find that the bottom of the pan scorches when I do this so I stir the whole time that I am cooking it. And it also said that the toffee would cook much faster than 12 minutes but it always takes me at least 12 minutes on a medium high burner. And you really have to watch the candy thermometer because at the end the temp jumps up to 300* very fast. And when it does it is important to take the pan off the heat and pour immediately I don’t whip it like the original recipe said because the pan always scorches a little and you don’t want that stirred into the candy. When I am done I fill my sauce pan with water and set it on the hot burner to melt the sugar and help clean the pan.

So now I just have to finish packing my box of goodies and go to the market to buy some cheese and then to the post office.

I also finished this yesterday while watching the Packers play football This will look better once it is blocked but I couldn’t wait to show off a picture. I think I might use my block as a pillow cover or maybe I will use it under a vase to protect a table top. I am happy with it except for the odd duck. Yes that yellow and brown duck. That was the second duck I made and the color just didn’t do it for me but I sewed it up and figured it would be my one odd. I like one odd in blankets and quilts but in a small piece it disturbs my eyes too much. So I look at my doily and think maybe I could take some of my walnut dye and ‘paint’ over the yellow and dull it a bit . But that is probable inviting disaster. The dye will surely run over into the orange and blue and I will have a huge mess. So I may have to be content with my odd duck. Over all I am pleased with my natural dyed yarn from this summer and I like the combinations I picked for the blanket. There are a couple of other knitters that are also cutting and knitting the i-cord and when they are done Jana will be able to release her pattern.

She just showed us the finished picture over the weekend and it is gorgeous. Just stunning! I can’t wait until I have an entire blanket finished.