January 8 National English Toffee Day

donna

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Toffee has been around for about 200 years. In 19th century England they had Toffee Parties in the winter. They especially had them in January, and so the start of Jan 8th as National English Toffee day.

In the early 18th century sweets were expensive to make. It was affordable to the wealthy class. Later in the century the price of sugar and its by-product treacle dropped. Thus, sugar became more available to other classes. Additionally, "taffia" , a West Indies rum, was often used as an inexpensive sweetener. Some say toffee got its name from taffia.

Toffee was popular in the U.S. in the 19th century. It was made in many households. This type of toffee known as English Toffee is very buttery and often made with almonds. It was available
in both chewy and hard versions. The famous Heath bar is a type of candy made with an English toffee core.

An easy recipe for plain toffee:

1 lb sugar, light brown
1/3 pint water
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 level tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Put all ingredients into a large heavy bottomed saucepan and stir over a steady heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Bring mixture to a boil and cook until mixture reached the hard crack stage, 290 degrees. To test for the hard crack stage drop about 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture into a cup of cold water, if it is hard then it is done. If soft and chewy cook a little longer and test again.

Pour into oiled or buttered tin and either allow to set as a slab or mark in squares as toffee becomes partially set. When cold break into squares, wrap in cellophane and store in an airtight container.

makes 1 to 1 1/2 pounds toffee.
 
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A little history on the Heath Bar.

The Heath Bar was first marketed in 1914 by L.S. Heath of Robinson, Illinois. He bought a confectionary shop for his sons, Baynad and Everett Heath.

It was a very popular bar during the depression. People felt it was a great buy and so delicious. The popularity of the bar grew after the U.S. Army placed their first large order for the candy. During World War II, the army had the candy bar as part of the rations in each soldier's sack. It had a long shelf life and was very tasty for the soldiers.

In 1996 Hersey acquired the Heath Bar. It remains a very popular candy.

I love them. A great treat with a cup of coffee.
 
A delicious cookie recipe from Hersey's kitchens using Heath Bits 'O Brickle.

1 1/3 cups Heath Bits 'O Brickle Toffee Bits
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until well-blended. Add eggs, beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well-blended. Stir in toffee bits.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 48 cookies.

On a cold day like today, these be great fresh from the oven. Have with milk or a cup of coffee. A great treat for a January day.
 
I used to make toffee for Christmas. When cool, I'd pour melted chocolate over the top and sprinkle with finely chopped nuts. When cold, I used a hammer. Sort of a primitive Heath bar?

IMHO, a candy thermometer is worthwhile, although perhaps not period for most folks. For me, the first test for hard crack was always too soft, the second overcooked!
 
Mary Dee some trivia on Candy Thermometer:

The candy or sugar thermometer is quite old. The first was created by Bennet Muzilla of Frankfurt, Germany in 1272. He used it to measure the temperature of sugar solutions while making hard candies.

The ones like we use today came later in late 19th century early 20th century.
 
Mary Dee some trivia on Candy Thermometer:

The candy or sugar thermometer is quite old. The first was created by Bennet Muzilla of Frankfurt, Germany in 1272. He used it to measure the temperature of sugar solutions while making hard candies.

The ones like we use today came later in late 19th century early 20th century.

Wow! That's very interesting about the candy thermometer! I would never have guessed they were used one back in the 13th century. I figured they were making candy blindly back then.
 
As @donna had asked me to, I did a little research on that inventor, Bennet Muzilla. The name is definitely not German, I suppose it is Arabic. That would be fitting, because the Arabs invented a lot of fine desserts and in the wake of the crusades, some (both recipes and Arabs, lol) came to Europe. Unfortunately I could not find anything about a man called Muzilla, living in Frankfurt around 1270, and the Wikipedia article that states him as the inventor did not give a source.
But I found something interesting about candy thermometers. Here is an article about the candy thermometer used in the early 20th century:
http://researchingfoodhistory.blogspot.de/2010/01/candy-thermometer.html?m=1
 
Thanks to Faraway Friend for her research. I had tried looking for Mr. Muzilla but could find nothing . I thought Andrea would be able to help and has. Thanks for the additional info on the candy thermometers.
 
Here's another recipe for English Toffee with Chocolate -

Ingredients
  • 1 pound unsalted butter
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups dark chocolate, chopped
  • 2 cups milk chocolate, chopped
  • 2 cups finely chopped toasted almonds
Directions -
1. Grease two sheet pans with butter.

2. Melt the butter, sugar, water and salt over a low flame, stirring with a wooden spoon. When the mixture starts to boil, turn the heat up to medium.

3. When the mixture has reached 305 degrees Fahrenheit, turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla.

4. Pour into sheet pans and set in the fridge to let the toffee cool.

5. Once the toffee has cooled, remove it from the refrigerator.

6. Melt the two types of chocolate over a double boiler, stirring to combine.

7. Once the chocolate has melted, pour it onto the toffee, smooth with a rubber spatula and then sprinkle the chopped toasted almonds on top. Work quickly, because you don’t want the chocolate to cool before the almonds stick!

8. When the chocolate has cooled, use your hands to crack it into pieces.

9. Pack them in a tin and enjoy!

https://www.brit.co/how-to-make-english-toffee/
 
Lady Aimes Toffee. This recipe is from reader of
"The Household Magazine". This a good one to try.

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/8 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup chopped raisins
few grains of salt
3/4 cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon of any flavoring
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup cooked coconut

Combine sugar, syrup, milk, and salt. Boil to hard ball stage. Add butter, flavoring, chopped nuts, raisins and coconut. Pour into well buttered pan. When cold cut into long narrow bars.
 
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