I have deep grooves in my back teeth, and regular toffee would get stuck in there easily, so I am looking to cook toffee that would turn out soft rather than hard.

Explanation; about ten years ago my mother cooked up such toffee by mistake. While I do not know for certain, I believe it was the following recipe the was botched:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

Heat to boiling, until 285°F

My mother and I figured that perhaps everything was doubled except sugar (by mistake), so I attempted to recreate it like so. After letting it settle, the butter was starting to separate a little bit (it wasn't that bad). While the toffee was at room temperature or above, it was really hard and sticky, like caramel, and it was melting into the other pieces of toffee. After cooling it in the fridge it was surprisingly softer but not quite what I was hoping for. The texture of the original toffee from a decade ago was compared to peanut brittle by several people, however I don't remember it vividly enough to confirm.

I don't want to vainly waste ingredients so I'd appreciate any ideas on how to get my toffee as described.

  • 1
    Can you describe a bit more what you're trying to make? Peanut brittle isn't really soft at all. Are you looking for something more like taffy? Or when you say soft are you talking about the fact that brittle isn't as solid? Brittle actually sticks less to your teeth because it's harder, not because it's soft - is that what you mean? – Cascabel Jul 16 '15 at 5:00
  • What you need is fudge rather than toffee. That basically means much more fat (butter and condensed milk, usually), but the results are much softer and easier on the teeth (in terms of stickability, not decay!) – ElendilTheTall Jul 16 '15 at 8:18
  • What about cooking it to a lower temperature? Shouldn't that translate to a softer toffee? – Popup Jul 16 '15 at 11:57
  • I've never had peanut brittle myself so I have no idea. It's hardness is kind of how a cracker is (thicker of course). With a not-so-forceful crunch you'd easily break it into fragments, and it'd dissolve very easily, unlike regular toffee. The color of the toffee was much lighter and robust color (probably why it was compared to peanut brittle). It certainly wasn't fudge, and must be able to be made without milk, however I do believe that more butter is crucial, however it wasn't making it how I had hoped in my last batch. – Dominic Jul 16 '15 at 19:38
  • I will try cooking it at a lower temperature and see if that does any justice. I know my current stove is electric, I have no idea what the last one was, so maybe that'd make a difference. – Dominic Jul 16 '15 at 19:42

Basically the hotter you get the sugar, the harder it sets.

One thing you should take note of is the color, the darker the color, the hotter you got it.

Go slowly when melting the sugar, get it to the temperature you want, and then add the rest of the ingredients in. Melting the sugar slower, makes sure that the edges don't get overcooked and burnt.

The more liquids and fats you add, the softer it will set.

  • I'll give it a shot. You recommend using the same ingredients the recipe calls for? Now, I'm suppose to cook it at the same temperature, heat it to boiling, but stop cooking it at a lower temperature? If so, what temperature would you recommend stopping it at? In addition, I am currently putting all the ingredients in at once and melting them together, you're recommending I start melting the sugar first with the water? The water may evaporate too much. – Dominic Jul 17 '15 at 0:46
  • Try somewhere between 240-245 that's the general temperature range for caramel candy. – Jay Jul 17 '15 at 14:05
  • You can drop a bit of the hot sugar mixture into cold water to test the consistency. The cold water quickly cools the sugar and let's you manipulate it. If it doesn't set hard enough, go hotter. – Preston Jul 17 '15 at 22:18
  • Check temperature chart at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_making – TFD Aug 15 '15 at 23:47

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