Coffee Toffee
It wouldn’t be the holidays without using a staggering amount of butter, sugar, and coffee to bring joy to those around me.
Coffee toffee has become a bit of a signature dish of mine around the holidays. Like The Boney Ball, it has its own cult following of salty-sweet treat enthusiasts.
As I’ve mentioned before, cooking for other people is my love language. This toffee is my go-to gift because it’s easy to scale up for larger batches and, staggering amounts of butter and sugar aside, is a pretty economical gift that won’t dirty a million dishes or take an entire day to make.
Because we all know the holidays should be spent watching the Winona Ryder version of Little Women for the zillionth time, bitterly lamenting how IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AMY (also for the zillionth time). Beth, you were too pure for this world. Your rotten ass sister and her blasted limes got to live on and marry sweaty drunk (but also still hot; I have terrible taste in men) ol’ Laurie, the predecessor to rich white dudes who work in finance but also go to Burning Man.
Oh, and you also must watch this: Judy Garland’s Christmas special from 1963. Drink each time Judy effs up the lyrics… or maybe don’t, if you’re a lightweight. For what it’s worth, this toffee is a dynamite partner for a few fingers of bourbon.
If you’re making this recipe, you really need a candy thermometer to achieve the best results. Set out EVERYTHING before you start to melt the butter and sugar together; it takes the blink of an eye to go from toffee to torched trash. This is hot like lava, so you’ll need to move quickly and confidently.
Now go grab a butt ton of butter. It’s toffee time!
Coffee Toffee
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
Heaping 1/2 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dark molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee (I use Cafe Bustelo or Nescafe)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat and set aside nearby. Clear a space in your freezer where you can slide the sheet in to cool once the toffee is prepared.
In medium heavy saucepan with a candy thermometer attached, cook butter, sugars, molasses, salt, and instant coffee powder over medium heat, whisking to incorporate every minute or two. Continue to whisk often until the temp hits 250F. Stir constantly until the mixture reaches 300F.
Moving swiftly but confidently, pour the hot toffee onto your baking sheet and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot toffee, spreading evenly over the toffee once melted. Shower the warm chocolate layer with pecans and let cool in the freezer.
Once cooled, gently break into pieces. Sometimes the chocolate doesn’t stick to every single piece, and that’s okay. I think the rubble looks pretty as a bse for whatever container you choose to package these in, be it nice jars for gifting or a plastic deli container for your own enjoyment. Either way, keep this in the fridge until you’re ready to serve or enjoy.
Note: the original recipe calls for hazelnuts, which taste great, but I think are a pain in the ass when making large batches. You do you; it’ll taste great no matter what. I have also made this with chipotle powder instead of the instant coffee and it is equally delicious if you like that Mexican hot chocolate kinda vibe.