Treacle toffee recipe

Treacle toffee is a sticky, Bonfire Night treat, and it's easier to make than you might think. 

We love this dark and rich toffee, with a bold smoky flavour that's just perfect for Guy Fawkes Night. It's a very traditional sweet, which revellers have been eating around bonfires for centuries. Sometimes called plot toffee, or claggum in Scotland, it has a much stronger and more distinctive flavour than classic toffee, and it's a little less sweet. We really recommend having a sugar thermometer for this recipe - it makes everything so much easier and more reliable. The really fun bit comes after you've made and set the toffee. Then you can break it apart with a rolling pin or a small hammer. To keep it from flying all over the place as you smash, place a clean tea towel over the top before you bang it. 

Ingredients

• 350g salted butter, softened
• 200g black treacle
• 425g dark brown muscovado sugar
• 397g can condensed milk

Method

1. Gently melt the butter, treacle, sugar and milk in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally. If you stir too often you risk the sugar crystallizing which will result in a grainy treacle toffee.
2. Once the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth turn up the heat to high and boil to 130ºC, stirring so the mixture doesn’t catch and burn on the bottom.
3. Once your toffee mixture has reached 130ºC, pour into a 24cm x 32 cm baking dish lined with buttered greaseproof paper and leave to sit for 10 mins before putting in the fridge to set.
4. Once set, bash with a rolling pin to break up and serve, or alternatively pop into little bags as gifts for friends.

Watch how to make treacle toffee

Top tip for making treacle toffee

To make regular toffee, follow this recipe with only the butter and sugar.

Why did my treacle toffee turn out soft?

This happened when you undercook the toffee, leaving you with a much chewier texture. It will still taste nice - you just won't get the crack texture, so make sure to measure the temperature accurately with a sugar thermometer.

Can you overcook treacle toffee?

Yes, leave it bubbling too long and you can burn the toffee, leading to a bitter taste. Once it's overcooked, you can't rescue it, so make sure to gently stir it as you cook, and be ready to pour it out when it reaches the correct temperature.

Help! My toffee has separated - how can I fix it?

Sometimes toffee separates into two layers, either in the pan, or when you pour it into the cooling tin. The top layer will be oily (like melted butter) and the low layer will be thicker solids. Using salted butter helps to prevent this, but it can still happen. Make sure you stir the mixture regularly but not vigorously and being to rough can cause separation. To rectify, lower the temperature and keep gently stirring until it comes back together.

You might also like...

• Toffee apples
• Honeycomb toffee
• Hairy Bikers peanut butter toffee