This easy and amazing butter toffee recipe is the ultimate homemade holiday gift! Covered in milk chocolate or dark chocolate, it’s crunchy, creamy, and chocolatey. Store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks!

Who can resist a piece or two of butter toffee during the holiday season? Not me…which is why you’ll find this classic holiday treat in my cookbook “Home for the Holidays“. Yes that’s right, I literally wrote the book on holiday entertaining!

This chocolate covered butter toffee is one of my personal favorites to make for Christmas. I make about 12 pounds between November 1st and December 31st. And include it in all my holiday goodie bags…along with chocolate bark and chocolate fudge, of course!

Wait… What is Toffee?

Toffee is a butter-based candy that’s characteristically: sweet, buttery, and ALWAYS crunchy.

Unlike caramel sauce or butterscotch, which often cooks to a soft crack, toffee cooks to a hard crack stage.

You can serve it plain or top it with melted chocolate, nuts, sea salt, or even dried fruit. This homemade toffee in particular is:

• Crunchy and crispy
• Rich in buttery flavor
• Spiked with dark rum for an unexpectedly delicious kick
• Covered in melted chocolate chips (use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or semi-sweet)
• Topped with crunchy almonds and flaky sea salt

What do I Need to Make Butter Toffee?

• Oil: Use a bit of vegetable or canola oil for greasing your pans and utensils. Don’t skip this step, or things will get sticky fast!
• Almonds: We’ll mix almonds into the candy mixture and top the melted chocolate with the nuts.
• Unsalted Butter: In a pinch, use salted butter and skip the called for sea salt.
• Rum: If you don’t have rum on hand, whiskey or bourbon will work beautifully as a substitute. Or use 3 Tablespoons of vanilla extract instead.
• Water: This recipe requires just 1 tablespoon of water.
• Sugar: A combination of granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and light corn syrup creates our sweet and crunchy base. Unfortunately, I don’t have a substitute suggestion for the corn syrup.
• Baking Soda: Make sure to use fresh baking soda – not baking powder!
• Chocolate: Use high quality semi-sweet chocolate chips, such a Ghiradelli or Guittard. You can also use dark chocolate or milk chocolate chips, if desired.
• Flaky Sea Salt: This is optional, but I love adding a sprinkle of Maldon flaky sea salt on top of the wet chocolate chips.
• Large Rimmed Baking Sheet: For spreading the toffee on.
• Candy Thermometer: You’ll need a candy thermometer for this recipe. I don’t suggest attempting to make it without one.

Making Toffee 101: How do I Make Toffee?

1. Get Your Gear Ready: Have all of your ingredients out and measured. And your candy thermometer is nearby! Lightly oil your baking sheet, as well as your spatula.
2. Toast the Nuts: Toast the almonds until golden brown and fragrant. Cool briefly then chop and set aside.
3. Make the Toffee: Combine the ingredients and cook until the butter has completely melted. Increase the heat and cook, without stirring, until the mixture registers 300 degrees (F). Stir in the baking soda and some of the nuts.
4. Assembly: Pour the toffee onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it into a rectangle. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and spread smooth. Then sprinkle with remaining almonds and sea salt.

What Can Go Wrong?

• Use a digital kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients. The more precise you are with your ingredients, the better your toffee will be.
• Use a candy thermometer and closely monitor the temperature as it cooks.
• Avoid making toffee on especially humid days. Believe it or not, even humidity can effect the success of your toffee.

You might also like my Gingerbread Sticky Toffee Pudding!