Honey toffee
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Ingredients
- 200ml honey
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 20g butter
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 15 mini silicone lined patty pans or baking paper
Note
This recipe, written on a slip of paper with youthful handwriting, was secreted inside a children's book belonging to Kathleen Rouse in the late 1800s Good things made, said and done for every home & household c 1885. It is a ‘butter toffee’ much like caramel or butterscotch. Like many manuscript recipes, no method is given, so I was guided by similar recipes to come up with a workable method. I have doubled the original quantities so there is more to share.
Directions
| Combine the honey, sugar, water and vinegar in a deep-sided saucepan and heat gently, swirling the pot now and then - do not stir it with a spoon - until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat, bringing the mixture to the boil, then let the mixture boil until it reaches 145° Celsius or 'soft-ball stage' (explained below). This may take 5–10 minutes, and be very careful – the mixture will bubble up in the pot. | |
| Once the required heat is reached, remove the pot from the heat immediately, add butter and cream of tartar, gently stirring with a metal spoon until fully incorporated. | |
| For individual toffees, spoon a tablespoon or so of the mixture into mini silicone-lined patty pans and refrigerate until set. Alternatively, pour the mixture into onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until it sets. Break the toffee into large pieces. Store the toffees in the fridge - they will soften and be difficult to manage if not kept cold. | |
| COOKS TIP: A candy thermometer will be useful for making this toffee, to determine when the required 145°C is reached. Otherwise, you can test whether the toffee has reached ‘soft ball’ stage by dropping a small amount into a glass of cold water, and pressing it gently to see that it holds a ball shape. | |