January 8th is National English Toffee Day. (Warning - working with hot sugar is dangerous. Also toffee is really bad for your teeth, and even worse for fillings. It's probably safer to buy a bag of Thornton's Special Toffee.)
Ingredients
1lb granulated white sugar
8oz light brown sugar
½ pint boiling water
½ pint single cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method
- Put 8oz granulated sugar into a strong saucepan and stir constantly over a steady heat
until the sugar has dissolved.
- Slowly add the boiling water until blended.
- Add the cream and glucose and stir for about 5 minutes.
- Add the brown sugar and the rest of the granulated sugar and cook to 245° F. Until it reaches the firm ball stage. (To test for the firm ball stage drop about half a teaspoon of the mixture into a cup of cold water,
if it forms into a firm ball that you can squash between your fingers with some effort, it's done.
- Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract.
- Beat the mixture until it's creamy.
- Pour into a pan lined with waxed paper and spread it out evenly.
- Allow to set as a slab or mark in squares as toffee becomes partially set. Cut into squares when completely set.
Definitions:-
Firm ball stage: A term used in connection with making sweets to determine the temperature of a sugar and water syrup.
To boil: cook a liquid at a temperature of at least 100°C.
To dissolve: to add a solid to a liquid and to stir or heat it until the solid becomes an integral part of the liquid.