My Grandma always use to make batches and batches of bourbon toffee for the holidays. She was practically famous for it in her neighborhood and in our family! This is her recipe and it’s absolutely delicious!
It’s loaded with pecans, buttery toffee candy, and then slathered with chocolate. Using a few tips given below, it’s practically foolproof and really easy to make.
Are you intimidated to make your own toffee? Well, let me tell you, it’s actually quite easy to make. The most important thing you can do, before you start, is to read the “Ingredient Notes, Tips + Tricks” section below and read through the entire recipe. Then you’ll be completely ready!
Are you looking for more holiday candy treats? Try my favorite, super easy fudge recipe, peanut brittle, or super easy crockpot candy! If you prefer to stay with another bourbon treat, you simply can’t beat bourbon balls!
Bourbon Toffee Ingredients
- Pecans: See the instructions above for toasting instructions. Toasting the nuts really brings out the nutty flavor. Just be very careful because they can burn easily!
- Sugar: Granulated sugar.
- Corn Syrup: I use light corn syrup in this candy recipe. Feel free to try it with dark corn syrup. It will slightly alter the flavor.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter.
- Bourbon: Adds mild notes of oak, vanilla, and caramel. The finished candy does not have an alcohol taste at all.
- Chocolate: I use semisweet chocolate chips. Feel free to mix it up with any type chocolate you like. If you’re using chocolate in a bar form, be sure to chop it aboute the size of chocolate chips so it will melt easily from the heat of the candy.
- Salt: I like to lightly sprinkle the top of the candy with coarse salt. I like to use French gray salt (Celtic sea salt) or himalayan pink salt. Maldon salt, harvested from Great Britain, is also popular in culinary circles.
Notes + Tips + Tricks
- Gather all your ingredients before you get started. You probably already do that whenever you cook, but when making candy it’s even more important. Once your toffee reaches 290-300°F (143-149°C), you need to immediately remove it from heat, stir well, and pour mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Humidity will affect the texture of the finished toffee. Rather than having its signature crispiness, it can be limper or saucy.
- Temperature and its dissipation are really important, so use the largest burner of the stove to ensure the sides of the pot heat along with the bottom. Make sure you bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
- Using a higher heat can easily lead to scorching and burning. You’ll also want to use a strong temperature-neutral spoon to avoid hot spots. A wooden spoon works well but a high temperature rated silicone will do the trick too.
- Butter- it’s important to use the real deal butter for this one. Margarine is mainly vegetable oil and light butter tends to contain water, making it lighter on fat and calories.
How to Toast Pecans
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, spread pecans in a single layer.
- Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes.
- Shake a baking sheet or use a spoon to stir and turn pecans.
- Return baking sheet to oven for another 5 minutes or until pecans begin to become fragrant.
****Be very careful not to over-bake because pecans have a high quantity of natural oil and can burn very easily.
Why Didn’t My Toffee Harden?
Likely because you didn’t cook it long enough. Using a candy thermometer helps to avoid this problem.
Can You Overcook Toffee?
Absolutely! When cooking the toffee, as the temperature rises, the toffee will deepen in color.
Properly cooked toffees should be an amber color. If you pass this stage and allow the toffee to darken beyond this color, it will taste burnt. There is no way to fix this.
Storing + Freezing + Make Ahead Tips
- How To Store: Toffee is best stored at room temperature, away from heat, in an airtight container. It will last several weeks.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes, place in an airtight container or in a zip-top bag and it’ll last in the fridge for 3 months. As if that would ever actually happen! LOL.
- Make-Ahead Tips: You can make this recipe ahead entirely and store it in an airtight container or in the freezer. Thaw it well first before eating.
Step By Step How To Make Bourbon Toffee
- Spread pecans in the middle third of a standard cookie sheet (brushed with oil) leaving a 2 1/2 inch border on the top and bottom of the sheet.
- Bring sugar, corn syrup, butter, and bourbon to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Cook until mixture is golden brown and a candy thermometer registers 290°F to 310°F (about 15 minutes).
- Pour sugar mixture over pecans on a baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot toffee. Allow everything to sit for 30 seconds. Chocolate chips will melt.
- Spread melted chocolate chips evenly over top.
- Then sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
- Allow cooling for about 1 1/2 hours. Break into chunks.
More Festive Treats You’ll LOVE
- Polar Bear Paws
- Dubai Bars (Super Viral Recipe!!)
- No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
- Butterscotch Haystacks
- Haystacks
- Whipped Shortbread Cookies
- Italian Wedding Cookies
- Pignoli Cookies
- Microwave Fudge
- 7 Layer Bars
- Rocky Road Candy
- Peanut Butter Fudge
- Frito Bars
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bourbon Toffee
This rich sweet homemade bourbon toffee is a yummy crunchy treat with toasted pecans and chocolate bliss in every crave-worthy bite.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 3 cups pecans chopped and toasted
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 cup butter
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon , more or less to taste coarse salt, optional
Instructions
- Brush a cookie sheet with a thin layer of vegetable oil. Spread 2 cups pecans in a single layer, in the center of the baking sheet, leaving at least a 2 1/2 inch border on the top and bottom of the sheet. (you are essentially forming a square in the center.)
- Bring sugar (1 cup), corn syrup (1 tablespoon), butter (1 cup), and bourbon (1/4 cup) to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until mixture is golden brown and a candy thermometer registers 290°F to 310°F (about 15 minutes).
- Pour sugar mixture over pecans on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the chocolate chips (1 cup) over the hot toffee. Allow everything to sits for 30 seconds. Chocolate chips will melt. Spread melted chocolate chips evenly over top then sprinkle with remaining 1 cup chopped pecans. Sprinkle with coarse salt if using.
- Allow cooling for about 1 1/2 hours. Break into chunks. Store in an airtight container.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Gather all your ingredients before you get started. You probably already do that whenever you cook, but when making candy it's even more important. Once your toffee reaches 290-310°F (143-149°C), you need to immediately remove it from heat, stir well, and pour mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Humidity will affect the texture of the finished toffee. Rather than having its signature crispiness, it can be limper or saucy.
- Temperature and its dissipation are really important, so use the largest burner of the stove to ensure the sides of the pot heat along with the bottom. Make sure you bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
- Using a higher heat can easily lead to scorching and burning. You’ll also want to use a strong temperature-neutral spoon to avoid hot spots. A wooden spoon works well but a high temperature rated silicone will do the trick too.
- Butter- it’s important to use the real deal butter for this one. Margarine is mainly vegetable oil and light butter tends to contain water, making it lighter on fat and calories.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/8 of the recipe | Calories: 585kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 207mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 731IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg
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Hello, this looks amazing! My question is, the ingredients say 1 cup butter but the directions say 2. Is it one cup?
Thanks!
Hey Darlene. Thanks for catching this. It’s 1 cup of butter. So glad you’re trying this. I made quite a few batches this holiday season. It’s sooo good!
Hi, about to make this, the ingredients say one cup butter but directions say 2. I don’t want to mess this up.
Thanks
Is it possible to substitute something for the Bourbon?
Hi! I’m not sure. You can try our Christmas Crack recipe instead.
Really good recipe overall, and easy to follow. Pretty much zero bourbon flavor (agreed with everyone who tried it). I think I’m going to do it again but this time either do half the bourbon in the boil and half at the end (taking it off the heat, also when I added some vanilla) or all once it’s off the heat, as it seemed to cook off during the process.
Thanks, Fred!
Solid recipe! I didn’t have corn syrup so I used molasses and it turned out great! The chips didn’t melt initially so I have to leave them in the oven at like 250° to get them to melt, other than that great! I also topped with candy canes and added macadamia nuts
Hey, Curtis! That sounds amazing! Thank you so much for your positive feedback 🙂
Hi there! Your directions say to take the sugar mixture off the heat and add vanilla but there is no indication of how much vanilla to use. Any suggestion would be appreciated.
Hi Laura. Sorry the vanilla was a type. I don’t add vanilla to this recipe.
Hello. This sounds delicious! I’ve never made anything candy before, so I want to make sure I get the temperature in the proper range. A couple times, it said to be between 290 and 300 degrees, and a couple other times, it says between 290 and 310. To be safe, I’ll aim for the 290, but is the upper limit 300 or 310? Or does that extra ten degrees not matter?
Your recipes are always so awesome, and the way you present them is very welcoming.
Thanks!!!
Hi Sonya, there is a range because when you’re watching a candy thermometer it can move to a higher temperature very quickly. If you go to 300 degrees the toffee will be a bit darker.
It’s my first time making something like this toffee. I was so nervous about the temperature and everything. Thank you for the videos and tips, it turned out so well!
I’m so happy it helped you, Elaine! Thank you for your review 🙂
The perfect holiday gift!
Right! Thanks, Adie!