I make a double batch of this Cashew Toffee every single year for the past 15+ years! Buttery rich toffee that’s tender with fantastic flavor from roasted cashews. Tips included for making the BEST toffee!
You can make this easy toffee recipe with only 6 simple ingredients, it comes together quickly and easily. Making homemade toffee does not have to be difficult, see our tips and tricks below to ensure an easy candy making process!
Simple Cashew Toffee
This cashew toffee is a slight variation from the traditional toffee recipe I have made in the past. While I normally love traditional recipes, when it comes to homemade candy, this is just so good! The candy is not difficult to make at all. Although it does require your full attention for about 30 minutes, so plan accordingly.
Trust me though, it is easier than you think and the results are an amazing homemade candy. This cashew toffee is great to make around the holidays and gift to family, friends, or neighbors. Everyone is sure to enjoy this sweet and salty treat!
Tips for Making the Best Toffee
Making candy at home is not super difficult, but it does require some patience and attention. Here are a few tips and tricks for ensuring your homemade toffee turns out great every time.
- Use a stainless steel pan. I make toffee every year and I have learned that while I love my enameled cast iron or porcelain pans, they do not work well with candy making. Stick to a good quality stainless steel pot. I use a 4-quart because the candy will bubble up a bit and more space is always a good idea.
- Cook the toffee on medium high heat. On my electric stove I set it between 6 and 7. If you cook at high heat, it will likely burn and lower heat, well, that takes forever. Find that happy medium and your candy will cook perfectly.
- Use a really good cooking thermometer. My all-time favorite cooking thermometer is the Thermapen. It is super fast and incredibly durable. Another great thermometer is the ThermoPop which is a more basic version that works just as well too. They are worth the investment, these are the only cooking thermometers that last longer than a couple years for me.
- High Elevation toffee cooks to just 290°F. If you live at high elevation, cook your candy to 10 degrees less than the recipe states. This applies to all candy, by the way, not just toffee.
- Prepare ahead. Measure the cashews and the white chocolate, lay the parchment on a pan and have it close. Toffee tends to cook fairly slowly…then very fast at the end, so have everything ready so you don’t have to scramble.
Cashew Toffee Ingredients
Cashew: You will need 1 cup of cashew, halves and cut into pieces, for the wonderful crunch in this toffee treat.
Sugar: Using ½ cup of granulated sugar will give the toffee just the right amount of sweetness.
Brown sugar: Add in ⅓ cups of packed brown sugar to give this treat a wonderful depth of flavor.
Butter: You need 1 cup of butter, or margarine, to give the candy great texture and shine.
Water: To help create the right consistency, use ¼ cup of water.
Baking chips: Use ½ cup of white vanilla baking chips to add some wonderful creamy texture and chocolatey taste to this dessert.
Step by step on how to make the BEST Cashew Toffee
Prep
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Then, line a quarter baking sheet with parchment paper.
Next, break the cashews halves into pieces. You can chop them slightly or just break them up in the bag with your hands. They don’t have to be perfect, just want some smaller pieces along with the halves. After that, spread the cashews in the baking sheet and bake for 6 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the nuts are lightly browned. Divide the cashews in half and set aside.
Keep the parchment paper in the pan for use later on!
Toffee mixture
Now, in 4-quart heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, brown sugar, butter and water and cook over medium-high heat (see tip# 2 above), stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The mixture will come to a full boil after about 5-7 minutes.
Proceed to lower the temperature to just under medium and boil the mixture for 15 minutes, when candy begins to stir as 1 mass. The temperature on a candy thermometer will be 300°F or small amount of mixture dropped into cup of ice water forms a hard brittle strand. Be sure to stir frequently during this process, the mixture will darken as it gets closer to 300 degrees. See tip# 4 above if you live in a high elevation.
Transfer to Pan
Next, stir in 1/2 cup of the cooked cashews and then immediately pour the toffee into the parchment lined pan. Tilt the pan to spread the mixture a bit. You don’t want it to be too thin; there’s no need to fill the pan.
Sprinkle the top with the white chocolate chips. Let those stand about 1 minute or until the chips are completely softened, then using a spatula, spread the softened chips evenly over the top of the toffee. It is ok if they do not melt and spread completely. Last thing is, sprinkle the top of the chocolate with the remaining cashews.
Place the baking pan in the refrigerator about 30 minutes or until the topping is firm. Then, using a knife, break the toffee into 1-inch pieces.
Serve and enjoy!
CASHEW TOFFEE
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashew halves and pieces
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup butter or margarine
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup white vanilla baking chips
Instructions
- Prep: Start by preheating the oven to350°F. Then, line a quarter baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Break the cashews halves into pieces. You can chop them slightly or just break them up in the bag with your hands. They don't have to be perfect, just want some smaller pieces along with the halves. After that, spread the cashews in the baking sheet and bake for 6 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the nuts are lightly browned. Divide the cashews in half and set aside. Keep the parchment paper in the pan for use later on!
- Toffee mixture: Now, in 4-quart heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, brown sugar, butter and water and cook over medium-high heat(see tip# 2 below), stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The mixture will come to a full boil after about 5-7 minutes.
- Lower the temperature to just under medium and boil the mixture for 15 minutes. At that point, the candy should begin to stir as 1 mass. The temperature on a candy thermometer will be 300°F or small amount of mixture dropped into cup of ice water forms a hard brittle strand. Be sure to stir frequently during this process, the mixture will darken as it gets closer to 300 degrees. See tip# 4 below if you live in a high elevation.
- Next, quickly stir in 1/2 cup of the cooked cashews and then immediately pour the toffee into the parchment lined pan. Quickly tilt the pan to help the candy spread around. Don't spread it too thin, there's no need to fill the pan.
- Sprinkle the top with the white chocolate chips. Let those stand about 1 minute or until the chips are completely softened, then using a spatula, spread the softened chips evenly over the top of the toffee. It is ok if they do not melt and spread completely. Sprinkle the top of the chocolate with the remaining cashews.
- Place the baking pan in the refrigerator about 30 minutes or until the topping is firm. Then, using a knife, break the toffee into 1-inch pieces. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use a stainless steel pan. I make toffee every year and I have learned that while I love my enameled cast iron or porcelain pans, they do not work well with candy making. Stick to a good quality stainless steel pot. I use a 4-quart because the candy will bubble up a bit and more space is always a good idea.
- Cook the toffee on medium high heat. On my electric stove I set it between 6 and 7. If you cook at high heat, it will likely burn and lower heat, well, that takes forever. Find that happy medium and your candy will cook perfectly.
- Use a really good cooking thermometer. My all-time favorite cooking thermometer is the Thermapen. It is super fast and incredibly durable. Another great thermometer is the ThermoPop which is a more basic version that works just as well too. They are worth the investment, these are the only cooking thermometers that last longer than a couple years for me.
- High Elevation toffee cooks to just 290°F. If you live at high elevation, cook your candy to 10 degrees less than the recipe states. This applies to all candy, by the way, not just toffee.
- Prepare ahead. Measure the cashews and the white chocolate, lay the parchment on a pan and have it close. Toffee tends to cook fairly slowly…then very fast at the end, so have everything ready so you don’t have to scramble.
Nutrition
How long is homemade candy toffee good for?
You can store homemade toffee in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or at room temperature for 2 weeks. It’s a fantastic treat to make ahead of time!
Can you freeze cashew toffee?
You sure can! You will want to freeze it in an airtight, freezer-safe container and it should last up to 4-5 months. It would be a good idea to place a piece of parchment paper between each layer of toffee, this will prevent each piece from sticking together.
Why is my homemade toffee with cashews chewy?
Your toffee might be chewy because there is too much moisture in it. If toffee is undercooked it can leave it moist and chewy, making sure to boil the mixture the full allotted time should help draw some of the moisture out of it.
Do I have to use cashews for this toffee candy recipe?
No you do not, you can use any other type of nut you have on had or whichever you prefer. This toffee would be great with salted peanuts, walnuts, or even pecans. You can make a batch with all types of nuts if you’d like!
If you loved this toffee, try more amazing holiday recipes here!
- Homemade Peppermint Patties
- Mint Chocolate Pudding Cookies
- Chocolate Caramel Bars
- Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups
- Easy Cracker Toffee
- Easy Peanut Clusters
- Soft Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookie Bites
- Layered Christmas Jello Cups
- Tiger Butter Fudge
- Gingerbread Cookie Bites
- Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- Eggnog Cookies
Cashew Toffee is a simple and popular holiday dessert, it is made easily by adding cashews to a traditional toffee recipe! This chocolate covered toffee tastes delicious and makes a great treat to share at holiday parties or events.
KIA ORA says
I have cashews and now I know just what to do with them! Thank you
L says
Hi. Thanks for you amazing recipe, I’ve made it a few times and everyone loves it. I have one problem though. As I said , I’ve made it a few times and it has turned out perfectly well. However a couple of times , just when the temperature gets to about 250 , it starts to get grainy Is there anyway I can avoid that.
Jessica says
Is your heat on too high? What kind of a pan are you using? I like to use a really solid, strong pan and perhaps try turning the heat down a bit once it really starts boiling. It might take you a few minutes longer, but that might help!
Caren says
Can I use white chocolate chips not the disc kind?
Jessica says
Of course! I use them often too!
Catherine Shaw says
Salted or un salted , and can you use macadamia nuts?
Jessica says
I use salted cashews and I’ve never used macadamia nuts before- it’s worth a shot!
Kellye D Taylor says
I made this toffee, but when I spread it on the foil lined cookie sheet it got very oily. Where did I go wrong?
Jessica says
It sounds like it wasn’t cooked all the way. Was it brittle? Did it crack after it cooled?
gab says
Can I use almonds ? instead of cashew nuts ?
Jessica says
I think it’d be delicious with almonds!
Sherri says
Can this recipe be doubled?
Jessica says
I usually don’t make a double batch of candy like this one- it tends to be a bit more temperamental. I tend to just make 2 batches instead. 🙂
Pam says
I just make this for the Ohio State Fair. It placed 1st in the class and also was awarded Best of Show!
Nellie says
Congratulations Pam!
Barbara Griffiths says
how much brown sugar?
Jessica says
It’s listed in the recipe- 1/3 cup. : )