This is the hub’s recipe for Double Pecan Chocolate Toffee. He makes several pans of it during the holidays, mostly to give to my mother. He has never made a pan of toffee for me, but that is fine. I would eat the entire batch if he did!
A classic English style toffee
Double Pecan Chocolate Toffee is a classic English style butter toffee made with lovely Texas pecans. I slightly roasted the pecans before I added them to this toffee recipe, but you can add regular off-the-shelf pecans as well.
I had to follow the hubs around the kitchen collecting all the kitchen pearls of wisdom he dropped regarding making Double Pecan Chocolate Toffee. He has this recipe committed to memory and never measures. I transcribed this recipe as he made the toffee.
Use the right tools
He has a set of kitchen tools specifically reserved for making this candy, but these tools are kept hidden away so I don’t steal them. I have to admit, my use of kitchen tools is pretty brutal, and I tend to wear things out. He likes to use the same pan, the same spatula and the same thermometer every time he makes Double Pecan Chocolate Toffee. Check the recipe: I have posted a list of the exact tools there.
Although it is an advanced skill, making your own candy at home is fun! Sugar work is a beast and if you aren’t careful, you could get badly burned. But if you take a few precautions, clear the kitchen of children and pets, wear shoes, a shirt with sleeves and a protective apron, you should be fine.
The hubs always carefully watches the pan to assure there are no crystals forming on the side. He keeps a bowl of water and a silicone brush ready to brush down back into the cooking pan any sugar which helps prevent crystallization.
This really is one of our family classic recipes…Enjoy!
Double Pecan Chocolate Toffee
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 18 servings 1x
Ingredients
3 cups whole pecans (345g)
1 lb. butter, room temperature (480g)
2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
2 tsp. vanilla extract (10ml)
1 ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (240g)
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Heavy 4.5 qt./4.5lt. saucepan or Dutch oven
9” x 13”x 1” (23cm x 33cm x2.5cm) baking pan
Protective heat resistant gloves for candy making (Optional)
Instructions
Prepare your candy making area first. Arrange your cookware, utensils and measure out all ingredients ahead of time so you can work quickly. Spray interior surface of 9” x 13”x 1” (23cm x 33cm x 2.5cm) baking pan with cooking spray. Fill a small bowl with water for use with a pastry brush.
Roughly chop 2 cups of the whole pecans and then finely chop the remaining 1 cup of pecans. Place the 2 cups of roughly chopped pecans in the prepared baking pan, distributing the pecans evenly across the pan. Set aside.
Place the butter and sugar in the saucepan or Dutch oven and heat over a medium low heat. The butter and sugar will begin to melt together. Gently stir the mixture with a heat proof rubber spatula. Place a candy thermometer in cooking pan. Watch that the mixture does not build up against the side of the pan. If so, use the pastry brush dipped lightly in water to brush down the interior of the pan.
Once the mixture reaches the soft ball stage (234 to 241°F (112 to 116 °C)) stir the mixture consistently and smoothly. Avoid touching or splashing the mixture or stirring too quickly to avoid burns on your skin. Continue to watch for sugar building up on the sides of the pan which should be brushed down with the moistened pastry brush. The mixture should turn golden brown. The cooking time is approximately 10 minutes.
Once the mixture reaches the hard crack stage (295 to 309 °F (146 to 154 °C)) remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour in the vanilla extract. Mix gently but thoroughly.
Carefully pour the toffee mixture into the prepared pan filled with pecans. You can tilt the filled pan to fill every corner with toffee but be careful as molten sugar can burn your skin.
After 1-2 minutes the toffee should harden but still be hot to the touch. Evenly sprinkle over the chocolate chips and allow to rest for 1-2 minutes. The chocolate chips will begin to melt. Using a pastry spatula, lightly smooth over the chocolate chips so you spread the melting chocolate evenly over the toffee. Allow to rest for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle over the finely ground pecans evenly and allow the toffee to rest until completely cool for several hours or overnight.
Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.
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