Sea Salt Pecan Toffee is the answer to your snacking and sweet tooth dreams. The end. Do I exaggerate? Sometimes, yes. But right now? Not really.
There aren’t a whole lot of foods that I label as “The Best Ever” or “crazy insane amazingly delicious” but this toffee recipe is exactly that. All of those things. It is EVERYTHING.
Pecan Toffee
If you have never made candy or toffee or any hot sugary boiled treat, do not fear it. Because I have a wicked easy toffee making tip that you’re going to love. No candy thermometers are needed.
Want the toffee-making tip that you’ll never forget? Set a brown paper bag near the stove and let the mixture boil until it matches the bag in color. (You can also use a jar of peanut butter for color reference.)
I have never used a thermometer for making toffee. (Admittedly, at this point, I don’t need the paper bag any longer. I just eyeball it.) This takes between 18-20 minutes and I ALWAYS set a timer for 17 minutes.
Just in case I find myself distracted, the timer prevents me from letting the candy burn. It will go from perfectly amber colored to burnt in about 30 seconds, as soon as it turns light brown, pull it off the heat.
Once you’ve made this a few times, you’ll be able to smell when it’s done too.
Sea Salt Toffee
We’ve made this toffee at least six times since Christmas because everyone I shared it with has requested it again and again.
Three different people have called or texted to ask what the heck was in the toffee because they could not stop eating it.
I have already emailed the recipe out twice with promises that I would get it on the blog soon. One friend had me laughing with her text, “Is there ACTUAL crack in this? Drugs? What did you put in it? I can’t stop eating it!”
I have yet to meet anyone who can resist the salty-sweet combination in this salted toffee with pecans.
If you love salty-sweet combinations, like these Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies, this pecan toffee is going to make you very happy.
Toffee with Pecans
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:
- butter
- sugar
- water
- kosher salt
- vanilla
- whole pecans
- flaked sea salt, for topping
Salted Toffee
The finishing salt is really important in this recipe. There aren’t a lot of fancy spices and ingredients in my kitchen, but Maldon flaked sea salt is a key ingredient in this toffee.
You can buy it in some grocery stores, but I found the best prices by far on Amazon. (I promise that if you buy it, you’ll use it for more than just this recipe!)
However, if you don’t want to buy a fancy salt, coarse sea salt or even kosher salt will work. Just be extra careful when sprinkling the salt on the toffee, as the smaller grains of salt can quickly turn something “salty” instead of giving just a hint of salt with the sweet toffee.
Easy Toffee Recipe
In a heavy bottomed stainless skillet, over medium heat, combine the butter, sugar, water and salt. As the butter melts, stir a few times with a wooden spoon or spatula to combine. Bring to a boil and then don’t stir or touch the mixture again until it is caramel colored.
While the toffee is boiling, prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silpat mat. (Do not use waxed paper, it will melt.) Scatter the pecans across the prepared baking sheet.
Once the toffee is caramel colored, remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Stir to combine. Quickly pour the toffee over the pecans.
Sprinkle with Maldon salt. Let cool completely. I often set the pan in the refrigerator to speed up the process, but it will also cool at room temperature.
When the toffee is cool, break into pieces. (I find that flipping the toffee over and hitting it a few times with a wooden spoon works quite well.)
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
I have a fairly well-known love for toffee. This Chocolate Covered Pretzel Toffee is an annual favorite, as is the Dark Chocolate Toffee Ice Cream that we make as often as possible.
This Graham Cracker Toffee is a newer favorite for my family and let me tell you, it’s pretty fantastic. It’s a tiny bit salty (feel free to sprinkle extra salt on top to kick that up a bit) and plenty sweet, perfect for snacking AND for crumbling over ice cream. Yes, I did that last year and it was a huge win.
As I was writing this recipe to share with you, I looked around for some more toffee recipes to share with you and I found Brown Butter Toffee Shortbread, Almond Club Cracker Toffee, and Salted Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Seriously? I LOVE the blogging world. The creativity that surrounds me inspires so many delicious things. And don’t forget to Check out all of our Gluten Free Dessert Recipes here!
Sea Salt Pecan Toffee
Ingredients
- 2 cups butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups whole pecans
- Maldon salt for topping
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed stainless skillet, over medium heat, combine the butter, sugar, water and salt. As the butter melts, stir a few times with a wooden spoon or spatula to combine. Bring to a boil and then don’t stir or touch the mixture again until it is caramel colored.
- While the toffee is boiling, prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silpat mat. (Do not use waxed paper, it will melt.) Scatter the pecans across the prepared baking sheet.
- Once the toffee is caramel colored, remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Stir to combine. Quickly pour the toffee over the pecans. Sprinkle with Maldon salt. Cool completely.
- When the toffee is cool, break into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
{originally published 2/26/17 – recipe notes and photos updated 12/4/23}
tlee says
This was not a good recipe for me. Too sweet and I did not care for the vanilla. I wish I had made a smaller batch and not consumed 3 cups of fresh pecans.
Laurie says
This toffee is EVERYTHING. If it’s in the house, I can’t stop snacking on it!!
Mary McCarty says
I ATTEMPTED to make this recipe and followed it exactly! The butter separated. After googling to find out what went wrong, and this being my first attempt, it stated you must use good quality “salted” butter or add 1/4 tsp of salt per stick of butter. It also stated you MUST stir it slowly when stirring (hence the stirring of the vanilla). It also states that you must slowly dissolve the sugar at low heat then turn up the heat to medium high until caramel color. The sad thing is I made 6 batches of this stuff and each batch the butter separated more and more. So think about 12 boxes of butter, 12 cups of sugar, 12 cups of nuts etc. Please google several recipes and see what their directions state because this recipe is to expensive to waste. I did wipe off the excess butter from each of my sheets which did help some though it was still slightly greasy to touch.
Mary says
Hi Mary,
I sympathize with your frustration with the recipe, as I’m always disappointed when things don’t turn out perfectly. That said, I do not understand why you kept making it (i.e. six batches) if you did not like the results. I’ve made this toffee dozens of times and like I mentioned above it is a butter toffee and slightly oily. But the butter should not be separating or causing whatever other issues you were dealing with. I honestly do not know what went wrong for you. Hopefully it’s still delicious and you will be able to enjoy it.
All the best,
Mary
billye says
This was simply amazing and so simple! Your recommendation NOT to stir it after it began to boil AND to pull it off the heat once it got the color of a paper bag was brilliant! Merry Christmas!
Renee says
Do you toast pecans or us fresh?
Mary says
I use plain raw pecans, but toasted would be great as well.
Bill Depczynski says
Can you substitute other nuts for this recipe? Peanuts, cashews, or walnuts?
Mary says
Absolutely! This toffee is great with any nuts.
Mona Lisa says
Love this , Very good
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like it, Mona!
Vicki says
I adore toasted nuts. Can I lightly toast the pecans first or will the toasting combined with the hot toffee be too much?
Mary says
You can absolutely toast the pecans.
Tracy A says
Love the toffee and all the helpful hints…but mine comes out wet or oily feeling. What am I doing wrong? I would prefer if it were dry to the touch.
Mary says
Butter toffee should be somewhat oily initially. If that bothers you, you can wipe it with a paper towel. However, it shouldn’t be “wet” or soft after it cools completely.
Shelley Muller says
Live in New Zealand. What can I use for Kosher and Maldon salt. Never seen it here.
Mary says
Course sea salt will work nicely. Or any other larger grain salt.
barb skidmore says
Have’nt made this yet but sure sure would make a njce Christmas gift.
Lori says
The video doesn’t seem to match the listed ingredients, in terms of quantity. It looks like 16 T (1 cup) of butter were added, but the recipe calls for two cups (32 T).
Mary Younkin says
I often shoot half recipes for videos. The method/process remains the same. That said, it has led to many questions and I no longer do that, Lori.
Linda Steiner says
The taste is delicious but mine came out a bit hard and sticky to the teeth. What did I do wrong? Appreciate your suggestions.
Alicia says
I was curious about that, as well, since it looked “bendy” in the video, when breaking it. Does that mean it will be chewy? Thanks.
Mary says
This is hard toffee, it definitely doesn’t bend. It cracks.
Joan A Wood says
I After I poured my candy over the nuts the butter seemed to separate out. I finally drained it off (almost a full cup of melted fat). Candy did not set completely, so I put it in the oven at 300 degrees for 15 mins. Why would the butter separate out? Did you mean two sticks or two cups of butter?
Mary says
I have no idea how or why that would happen. The recipe is for 2 cups of butter, 4 sticks total. You can see how it should work and look in the video at the top of this post.
Debbie Smith says
Made this today and it was easy and delicious. I needed to put it away because I kept going back for more!!!
Mary Younkin says
I feel the same way about it, Debbie. This toffee is irresistible!
Millican Pecan says
I definitely will make this for Christmas gifts! Everyone loves homemade treats, even though some say you “shouldn’t” and then proceed to eat the whole thing. Your recipe looks great, and I’ve read all the notes from your readers who have tried it, so I feel I can do this!
Mary Younkin says
I hope you love this toffee!
Patty Williams says
Oh yum! I think we will add this to our Christmas baking list! Always live having a mix of cookies, candies and snack mixes!
Patty W says
*LOVE* though we do sometime live for baking goodies!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like the toffee, Patty!
Robin says
It’s AWESOME!!!
Mary Younkin says
YAY! I’m thrilled that you love the toffee, Robin!
Michele S says
So delicious! This was my first time with toffee so I was a bit nervous. I halved the recipe and followed the directions exactly, and it came out so well. The only improvement I’d do for next time is to pour it out onto the parchment faster, because I went slow and some of the butter started to separate out. I used fleur de sel as the sea salt because that’s what I had in my home. Great recipe!
Mary Younkin says
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it, Michele.