Butter Toffee Cashew Crunch

When you care enough to give the very best, this recipe for Butter Toffee Cashew Crunch candy should be at the very top of your gift-giving list.

You're going to love how easily this delicious cashew brittle with chocolate comes together.

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Jump to:

• Why this recipe works -
• The ingredient list:
• Kitchen tools and equipment needed:
• Is a candy thermometer necessary to make this recipe?
• What happens if the toffee doesn't get to the hard-crack temperature?
• Caution! There is a danger of heating toffee over too high of heat.
• What you need to know about high-altitude candy making -
• Can this toffee cashew crunch be stored in the fridge after it's made?
• Can this candy be frozen after it's made?
• The easy step-by-step instructions:
• Additional homemade candy recipes:
• Printable Recipe Card
• Butter Toffee Cashew Crunch

Why this recipe works -

I love toffee. I love cashews. I love chocolate. And I love candy! But this isn't about me!

If you do, too, then this easy to make homemade candy recipe for crunchy butter toffee cashew crunch is one you'll want in your recipe arsenal!

Not only will this homemade candy make a terrific and thoughtful gift from your kitchen, but it's also one that you'll make time and again throughout the year, if only because you love toffee, cashews, chocolate, and candy!

The ingredient list:

**Note - The following lists of ingredients plus kitchen tools and equipment contain affiliate links (highlighted in blue) for your consideration and shopping convenience. #CommissionsEarned

• Butter (I use salted)
• Granulated Sugar
• Coarse Salt
• Pure Vanilla Extract
• Roasted Salted Cashews
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Kitchen tools and equipment needed:

• Candy Thermometer
• Heavy Bottom Saucepan
• Wooden Spoon or Spatula
• Whisk
• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper or Aluminum Foil
• Baking Spray
• Microwave-Save Bowl (for melting chocolate)
• Candy Bags or Candy Boxes for Gift Giving (optional)

Is a candy thermometer necessary to make this recipe?

Yes, it is!

In order to make toffee, you need to get the sugar and butter mixture to the "hard-crack" stage which is anywhere between 295 - 309 degrees Fahrinhight (146 - 154 degrees celsius).

The only way to do this with the utmost accuracy is to use a candy thermometer.

What happens if the toffee doesn't get to the hard-crack temperature?

It wouldn't be the end of the world, certainly. It's candy after all. LOL

However, the consistency would be more like a chewy caramel, or taffy, which is never a bad thing.

All that said, for this homemade candy recipe I was aiming for a crunchy butter toffee, so the recipe is written as such.

Caution! There is a danger of heating toffee over too high of heat.

Why? Because the mixture can "break" and separate leaving the butter and the sugar as two separate entities that never fully combine.

Always heat your toffee over medium or medium/high heat. Never over high heat for extended periods of time!

Remember...good things come to those who wait!

What you need to know about high-altitude candy making -

Please note that if you're making this recipe at high-altitude, you'll need to adjust the designated temperature on the candy thermometer just a touch.

Instead of shooting for 300 degrees, aim instead for 297 or 298 degrees as the hard crack stage. For more information regarding candy making in high altitudes, please refer to this article from Spruce Eats.

Can this toffee cashew crunch be stored in the fridge after it's made?

No. Don't do it!

Keeping chocolate in the refrigerator will cause condensation, which will make the dark chocolate turn hazy and spotty.

*Complete Disclaimer* - I tried to rush the hardening stage while making this recipe (for photography purposes) by placing my chocolate drizzled toffee cashew crunch outside when the weather was a tad too cold.

The results (as you can tell from the photos) are very small white blemish spots on my candy which shouldn't be there. The "spots" in no way affect the flavor of the candy, but they don't look quite as "pretty" as they should.

Take that out of the book of "do as I say, not as I do," and don't make the same mistake I did, thinking that only a few minutes won't matter. Take your time, and let them harden naturally, without the use of cold temperatures.

Can this candy be frozen after it's made?

YES! Odd right, don't refrigerate, but freezing is okay? What's up with that?

As long as the candy is wrapped very well, with all the air removed from the packaging, this butter toffee cashew crunch can be frozen for up to three months without harm to the appearance, or taste.

Since freezing happens relatively quickly, there is far less time for condensation to form so the chocolate should remain unblemished.

The easy step-by-step instructions:

• Melt the butter in the heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the sugar and whisk to combine.
• Add the candy thermometer to the pan and cook the mixture over medium/high heat, stirring pretty much continually.

• Once the mixture is at a low boil, add the salt and stir.
• Continue stirring over medium/high heat, cooking the toffee until the mixture reaches approximately 300-degrees (hard-crack stage) on a candy thermometer.
• Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and spray liberally with baking spray.
• Once the toffee reaches the hard-crack stage, remove from the heat and immediately stir in the vanilla extract, and the cashews.

• Once the cashews are thoroughly coated in the toffee, spread them out into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
• Cool completely.
• Once cooled, break the candy into bite-sized pieces.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the semi-sweet chocolate on low/medium power (stirring often) until smooth and creamy.
• Drizzle the melted chocolate liberally over the butter toffee cashew crunch, and allow the candy to harden at room temperature.
• Break again into bite-sized pieces, if desired.

Additional homemade candy recipes:

• Coconut-Pecan Praline Candy (pictured below) from (yours truly) Kudos Kitchen

"You can either thank me for this recipe of coconut pecan praline candy or curse me out! They’re so good and so addicting you may eat them all by yourself! Sorry. Not sorry!"

• Double Chocolate Graham Cracker Toffee (pictured below and featured in the video) from (yours truly) Kudos Kitchen

"This Double Chocolate Graham Cracker Toffee wins my (self-proclaimed) blue ribbon award for the best and easiest candy I have ever made. Since I’ve made it twice in the past week, that’s proof positive! When you make it, you’ll understand why! Trust me."

• Colossal Homemade Candy Roundup (pictured below) from your favorite Food Bloggers all around the web

"Today’s best Homemade Candy Recipe Roundup is for those of us who enjoy giving, making, and eating delicious homemade gifts of love during the holidays. Sweet!"

• Homemade Butter Toffee Cashew Crunch (pictured below) This is the place!!

Printable Recipe Card

I sincerely hope you've enjoyed today's homemade candy recipe for butter toffee cashew crunch as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you!