Reviews & Comments

There are a few reasons toffees and caramels separate. One of the most common triggers is when the candy has undergone an abrupt temperature shift, either becoming too cold or too hot in a very short period of time. Try not to "shock" your candy by drastically turning the heat up or down during cooking. Additionally, it is especially important to watch the candy in the beginning of the cooking process, while the butter and sugar are melting together, because separation can often result if these two elements melt unevenly. If you have very effective stovetop burners I recommend turning them to medium-low to allow the butter and sugar to melt gently in the beginning stages. Toffee and caramel can also separate if the recipe calls for constant stirring and the candy isn’t stirred often enough. Additionally, separation is more likely to occur when using thinner (cheaper) saucepans, as they don’t conduct heat efficiently and lead to “hot spots” that can cause the butter to separate. Finally, humidity can cause the butter to separate, so if your kitchen is very warm and humid, it’s not a good time to be making candy. So, can your separated candy be saved? If your candy separates during the cooking process, there is a chance you can save it. Sometimes separated toffee or caramel can be saved by removing the saucepan from the heat and stirring constantly and smoothly until it comes back together, then gradually returning it to the heat, stirring constantly. You can also try adding a spoonful or two of very hot water to the toffee to help it come together. Start with one tablespoon and stir the candy to help it come together. Add additional spoonfuls if necessary, but do not add more than 1/4 cup of water total. If you have already poured your candy out to cool by the time it separates, the candy is unfortunately too far gone to save. However, you can probably wipe off the excess oil and crush the toffee to use in baked goods or as an ice cream topping.

ok... so I have been making this for years..from The Betty Crocker I have copyright of 1969... have been making this toffee forever.. and it is the only recipe that is good for toffee, but what i do is put foil in a pan first... lighty butter _VERY LIGHTLY butter..then put the nuts on the pan...then the toffee, and after the toffee is on just lay down the chocolate chips all over..put a sheet over it, till the chocolate is melted, then take a spoon and smooth the chocolate all over then cool and refridge.. after that, take the foil out put it on a cutting board, and just break it up into random pieces... Hope this helps keeping the nuts on~ but the downfall, is sometimes the chocolate breaks off... Oh well, HaPPY BAKING~

Don't make this with light butter...a disaster:)

This is a very quick and easy recipe! Everybody loves it.One of the first things to go on the Christmas platter! The only reason why it's not a five spoon is all the nuts on top do not stay when breaking apart.

This is a great recipe! Have been making this since 1976. Enjoy.