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Toffee - Bonfire Toffee - Treacle Toffee Recipe

By Elaine Lemm, About.com

Bonfire Toffee

Bonfire Toffee Broken with a Hammer

Photo © RFB photography
Bonfire toffee is the absolute treat on Bonfire night in the UK. The Treacle Toffee Recipe for Bonfire Toffee is simple, quick and easy to make but must be approached with caution; toffee gets very, very hot (up to 140 °C/ 270°)as it is boils. Treacle Toffee keeps very well stored in an airtight tin so make enough for Bonfire night and extra toffee for Christmas.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
  • 1lb/450g dark brown sugar
  • ¼ pint/120ml water
  • ¼ level tsp cream of tartar
  • ½cup/115g black treacle/molasses
  • ½cup/115g golden syrup/corn syrup
Preparation:
Makes 1¼lb/500g toffee
  • Butter a 12" x 4"/30cm x 10cm or 7"/18cm square tin.
  • In a heavy based 4-pint sauce pan dissolve the sugar and water over a low heat. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Using a sugar or toffee thermometer boil to 270°/140°C (soft crack). If you do not have a sugar or toffee thermometer - when you drop a bit of the syrup into cold water, it will solidify into threads that, when removed from the water, are flexible, not brittle. The toffee strands will bend slightly before breaking.
  • Once this stage is reached (about 10 minutes maximum) pour the toffee into the prepared tin and leave to cool.
  • Once the toffee is cold remove it from the tin and break with a toffee hammer or solid sharp object, and the toffee will crack into pieces.
  • Store in an airtight tin if you can resist it long enough! [blockquote shade=grur]Guide's Response to User Reviews
    "The success of this toffee depends on it reaching the correct temperature, any lower and the sugar doesn't melt sufficiently to produce a sharp, hard toffee. Adding water, not butter, creates a very brittle, shiny toffee; butter would make it cloudy." - Elaine Lemm, Your Guide to British Food
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