Equipment
Ingredients
Toffee Base
- 115 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 225 g dark muscovado sugar
- 115 g black treacle
- 115 g golden syrup
- 15 ml water
- 5 ml white wine vinegar
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 114 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbohydrates
- 19 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sugar
- 16 g
- Sodium
- 11 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 3 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 12 mg
- Potassium
- 101 mg
- Calcium
- 23 mg
- Iron
- 0.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 15 mg
- Phosphorus
- 4 mg
- Zinc
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 39 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 0 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Niacin
- 0.1 mg
- Folate
- 0 mcg
- Water
- 6 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Line the 20cm square baking tin with parchment paper, ensuring the paper comes up over the sides for easy removal later. Lightly oil or butter the parchment paper.
Combine the cubed butter, dark muscovado sugar, black treacle, golden syrup, water, and white wine vinegar in the heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Place the saucepan over a low heat and stir gently and continuously until the butter has completely melted and you can no longer feel the gritty sugar crystals on the bottom of the pan.
Insert the sugar thermometer. Increase the heat slightly to bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Do not stir the mixture from this point onward. Boil until the thermometer reaches exactly 140°C/284°F, known as the hard crack stage.
Immediately remove the pan from the heat. With extreme caution, pour the molten toffee directly into the prepared baking tin. Do not scrape the bottom of the pan to avoid introducing crystallized sugar.
Leave the toffee to set completely undisturbed at room temperature for at least 2 hours. Do not put it in the refrigerator.
Once completely cool and hardened, lift the toffee out of the tin using the overhanging parchment paper. Wrap the block in a clean tea towel and firmly strike it with a toffee hammer or heavy rolling pin to shatter it into bite-sized shards.
Chef's Notes
- Accuracy is paramount in sugar work. I highly recommend testing your thermometer in boiling water before beginning to ensure it reads exactly 100 degrees Celsius.
- Avoid stirring the mixture once it comes to a boil. Agitating the sugar syrup at high temperatures encourages crystallization, which will ruin the smooth texture of the final product.
- Black treacle is essential for the authentic, slightly bitter, smoky flavor of Bonfire Toffee. While dark molasses can be used as a substitute, the flavor profile will be slightly sweeter and less robust.
- When pouring the boiling sugar into the tin, be extremely cautious as sugar burns are severe. Keep children and pets away from the stove during this process.
Storage
Troubleshooting
Toffee is chewy and sticks to teeth rather than snapping cleanly
Cause: The sugar syrup did not reach the hard crack stage of 140°C/284°F before being removed from the heat.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once cooled. Consume as a chewy caramel or discard if too sticky to eat comfortably.
Prevention: Ensure your sugar thermometer is fully submerged in the liquid and calibrated by testing it in boiling water beforehand.
Mixture turns grainy and seizes up before reaching the correct temperature
Cause: Sugar crystallization caused by stirring the mixture after it came to a boil, or undissolved sugar crystals on the side of the pan.
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Never stir the mixture once it begins to boil. The addition of vinegar in the recipe naturally helps prevent this reaction.
Cultural Context
Bonfire Toffee, also known as Treacle Toffee or Plot Toffee, is a traditional British confection intricately tied to Guy Fawkes Night on November 5th. Historically, the dark, smoky flavors of black treacle perfectly complemented the autumnal chill and the scent of woodsmoke from the bonfire. It is traditionally made in a large slab and shattered into jagged shards with a small metal toffee hammer.
