Best Toffee Ever

This recipe is my Grandma's.  It is the best toffee you will ever eat, and you probably have the things to make it in your cupboard right now.


You will need:

2 cups of sugar
1 cup of cream
1 dessertspoon of butter
1 dessertspoon of honey
1 Pinch of Cream of Tartar

Put all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until the butter melts.  Bring it to the boil and then DO NOT STIR IT ANYMORE.  Seriously, I mean it, do not stir it.  If you do, you will not get toffee at the end, you will get crystallised gunk and that will make you sad.

Turn the heat down so it is simmering rather than boiling and set your timer for 25 minutes.  Go and find something else to do, lest the temptation to stir overwhelms you.

After 25 minutes, fill a mug with cold water and get two teaspoons.  Dip a spoon in the water and then scoop a bit of toffee out of the saucepan.  Quickly drop it into the mug (using the other teaspoon to get it off the first) let it sit in the water for a few seconds and then taste it to see if it is still chewy or it 'cracks'.  If it's still chewy, it needs more cooking.  You will probably need to repeat this step a few times until it's at the crack stage but that's ok, because at this point it is yummy, but not quite perfect.  You may need to change the water in your mug.  This batch today took about 35 minutes in total I think, but it can vary a lot, so start checking it from about 25 minutes.

If you were smarter than me you would probably have a candy thermometer and know what temperature is 'Hard Crack' stage, but this is how my Grandma and my Mum did it and it works for us.

Once it's done, (and be careful because it can go from perfect to burnt quite quickly), remove it from the stove and quickly pour into a non stick tray.  Only pour what comes out of the saucepan naturally, resist the urge to scrape out the toffee, because that is essentially stirring it and will ruin it. However, you can scrape out the rest and put it in your cup of cold water and eat it while you're waiting for the main lot to cool.

Let it cool for about 5 minutes, then mark it into squares by pressing lightly with a blunt knife.  Keep going over your lines until they stay in the toffee, then let it cool completely and break it up.  Store in an airtight container. I'm not sure how long it will keep for because we always eat it in in a few days.

Here are some bad iPhone photos of the process.  Please keep your comments on the cleanliness of my stove to yourself.

You should make it today.  Or sooner!