Saltine Toffee Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my saltine toffee grainy? ›

Why is my saltine toffee grainy? The graininess you taste in toffee is always whole sugar crystals that did not fully dissolve when heated.

Low and slow

Simmering the syrup for English toffee to the requisite 300°F temperature can (and should) be a slow process — up to 20 minutes or so. Don't hurry this gradual transformation; syrup that doesn't reach 300°F, or close to it, will make candy with timid flavor and chewy (not crunchy) texture.

Once boiling, cook, stirring only 2 to 3 times, until it turns a dark amber color and the temperature reaches 285 degrees F (137 degrees C) on a candy thermometer, 20 to 30 minutes. Immediately pour toffee into the prepared baking dish.

UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), FOLIC ACID), CANOLA OIL, PALM OIL, SEA SALT, SALT, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, BAKING SODA, YEAST.

Why is my cracker toffee chewy? For firm toffee, the caramel needs to cook to what's known as "hard crack" stage. If you pull the toffee out of the oven and it isn't bubbling all over, leave it in for additional time. If using a thermometer, the temperature of the caramel should reach about 300°F.

Stirring too quickly or too often can cause the toffee to separate. Moderate the heat as needed – turn it down if the toffee is boiling or cooking too fast so it doesn't burn. Cook until the toffee registers 285-290 degrees on an instant-read or candy thermometer and is deep amber brown in color, about 20-25 minutes.

Toffee is cooked longer to a much higher temperature – all the way to the 'hard crack' stage. This means that toffee will harden completely as it cools, and can then be cut or broken into pieces, to be added to other delicious desserts, or simply enjoyed by itself!

Toffee Making Tips + Troubleshooting

Your toffee is better off overcooked than undercooked! Undercooked toffee won't be anything more than a caramel sauce. But overcooked toffee will be just slightly crunchier (almost unrecognizably). So, always err on the side of over-cooking!

You need a very sturdy pan which is KEY to even heat distribution. Thinner, cheaper pans can scorch the cooking candy and/or cook it unevenly. Here are some great choices: Anolon Nouvelle Copper and Cooks Standard. I own a couple pricier copper pots because of the amount of candy I make.

You might wonder why the toffee recipe includes baking soda. It is added at the end of the boiling stage and creates lots and lots of bubbles. These bubbles help to lighten the texture of the finished toffee, resulting in an easier-to-bite candy.

How do you know when toffee is ready without a thermometer? ›

For cooking: cook the toffee until it turns nutty brown. Don't stop cooking it until it's brown. Stop cooking it immediately as soon as it's brown.

For cracker dough to bake to a perfect crisp, it needs to release the steam. Basically, perforating crackers with holes (also called docking) helps release steam from the dough when it bakes to keep the crackers flat.

Saltine crackers may improve symptoms of upset stomach in people with gastroparesis or nausea and vomiting induced by pregnancy or chemotherapy treatments.

Saltine crackers have been the family prescription for upset stomach and nausea for many years as they soak up the acid that sits in an empty stomach, which is often the source of the irritation. Additionally, saltine crackers prevent acid from being released in the stomach.

The problem is that crystals of sugar were re-introduced into the liquid candy. This will cause your candy to crystallize and become grainy. To prevent this, (stove-top method only) wipe down the inner sides of your pan a few times with a wet pastry brush while your candy is boiling.

Graininess occurs when the sugar in caramel sauce hasn't completely dissolved before adding in butter and heavy cream or if the caramel is cooled too quickly. Luckily, you can bring grainy caramel sauce back to a smooth, creamy consistency with an easy fix. Simply reheat it on the stovetop and add more liquid.

If your caramel is still coming out grainy, try adding half a teaspoon of lemon juice. Your candy will be slightly gummier, but the acid in the lemon will inhibit crystallization and reduce the graininess. Your thermometer should be fine, the graininess probably has more to do with technique than temperature.

If too many bits of sugar get stuck to the side of the pan, they will harden and can cause the caramel to seize or become gritty or grainy when you add in the butter and/or the cream. Prevent this by gently swirling the sugar around as it melts, while holding the pan's handle, instead of using a utensil to stir it.