Today is my birthday. I am a woman of a certain age and I think it is worthy of celebrating, so I made one of my favorite candies, chocolate-covered toffee, with a hit of coffee. I never buy Health Heath Bars, but every year I manage to convince my boys to give me them from their Halloween bags. This year was no different. Then on my travels for the book tour I ended up with the ultimate version, which has completely ruined me to the Hershey’s product. Not so sweet, a powerful kick of coffee and really lovely bittersweet chocolate. The maker is Poco Dolce and Samantha at Omnivore Books in San Fran turned me onto them after our book signing there. I love her and hate her for that! I bought several varieties and all of them were delicious, but the little bag of coffee toffee was like a bag of chips, you can’t eat just one. I brought them home and considered not sharing with my husband, but after leaving him at home for 9 days with the boys I figured it was the least I could do to share my candies. Big mistake. He ate them all. Well not really, but they were gone. I had only one choice, make my own. It is surprisingly easy and perfect for wrapping up as holiday gifts or just hiding in your desk drawer, or both.
Every year my husband and my boys set off on the loving task of baking my birthday cake. This year my husband outdid himself and made a devil’s food cake with cream cheese icing and a fresh raspberry filling. You can see his lovely work at the end of the post.
Below you can see me make the recipe step by step and you’ll find the recipe at the bottom of the post. Enjoy!
How to Make Chocolate Covered Coffee Toffee
Prepare a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment or wax paper
In a medium-sized heavy-bottomed saucepan, with a Candy Thermometer
Continue to cook and stir the mixture until it reads 275 on the candy thermometer.
The mixture will be much thicker. Stir constantly until it reaches 315 degrees, which will happen pretty quickly. Remove it from the heat and stir until very smooth, just a few seconds.
Pour the toffee onto the prepared cookie sheet.
Using a spatula spread the toffee out into a 1/16-inch thick rectangle. try to keep it as even as possible. Work quickly because the toffee will set fast.
Using a Pastry Wheel
You should get about 60 pieces. Again work quickly so the toffee doesn’t set before you are done.
Allow the toffee to sit until it is room temperature and then break apart the pieces.
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler until perfectly smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to just above room temperature. If the chocolate is too hot it will run off the toffee and not give you a nice coating, if it is too cold it will be too thick to work with.
Set up a second cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment or wax paper.
Drop a piece of the toffee into the chocolate. If the chocolate is a touch warm the toffees may crackle a bit, but that is fine.
Using a fork flip the toffee over to coat the other side.
lift the covered toffee from the chocolate and shake gently to allow the excess to fall away and any large air bubbles to come to the surface. As the chocolate cools down the air bubbles may have to be popped by hand. once this starts to happen, just return the chocolate to the double boiler and reheat for a minute to soften the chocolate slightly.
In order to get a nice smooth bottom, without a bunch of excess chocolate (otherwise known as a “foot”) you want to scrape the bottom of the fork on the edge of the bowl before laying it to set on the parchment.
Lay them on the parchment until they set up.
Continue dipping until they are all covered in chocolate. Allow them to sit out in a cool spot to set up. Because we are not tempering the chocolate (that is another post) you may want to set them in the refrigerator for a few minutes until they are firm.
You will have a bit of chocolate left over so you can add some decoration to the tops if you wish with a parchment bag. Allow the decorations to set up and then serve or
Fill decorative Treat Bag
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound 2 sticks/226g unsalted butter
- 1 cup 200g granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons 75g brown sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons 90ml water
- 1 tablespoon 15ml molasses
- 3 teaspoons instant coffee powder I like Starbucks VIA
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate melted and cooled to just above room temperature
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment or wax paper.
- In a medium sized heavy-bottomed sauce pan, with a Candy Thermometer attached, bring all the ingredients, except for the chocolate, to a boil over medium-low heat. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until it reads 275 degrees F on the candy thermometer.
- The mixture will be much thicker. Stir constantly until it reaches 315 degrees, which will happen pretty quickly. Remove it from the heat and stir until very smooth, just a few seconds.
- Pour the toffee onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- Using a spatula spread the toffee out into a 1/16-inch thick rectangle. try to keep it as even as possible. Work quickly because the toffee will set fast.
- Using a Pastry Wheel or pizza cutter, VERY GENTLY (you don't want to cut so deep that it actually reaches the bottom or you may destroy your silpat) score the toffee into bite sized pieces.
You should get about 60 pieces. Again work quickly so the toffee doesn't set before you are done. Allow the toffee to sit until it is room temperature and then break apart the pieces. - Melt the chocolate over a double boiler until perfectly smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to just above room temperature. If the chocolate is too hot it will run off the toffee and not give you a nice coating, if it is too cold it will be too thick to work with.
- Set up a second cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Drop a piece of the toffee into the chocolate. If the chocolate is a touch warm the toffees may crackle a bit, but that is fine. Using a fork flip the toffee over to coat the other side.
- Lift the covered toffee from the chocolate and shake gently to allow the excess to fall away and any large air bubbles to come to the surface. As the chocolate cools down the air bubbles may have to be popped by hand. Once this starts to happen, just return the chocolate to the double boiler and reheat for a minute to soften the chocolate slightly.
- In order to get a nice smooth bottom, without a bunch of excess chocolate (otherwise known as a "foot") you want to scrape the bottom of the fork on the edge of the bowl before laying it to set on the parchment. Lay them on the parchment until they set up.
- Continue dipping until they are all covered in chocolate. Allow them to sit out in a cool spot to set up. Because we are not tempering the chocolate you may want to set them in the refrigerator for a few minutes until they are firm.
- You will have a bit of chocolate left over so you can add some decoration to the tops if you wish with a parchment bag. Allow the decorations to set up and then serve.
Thanks Graham, it is the best cake ever. I love you!
I’m so making these. I love coffee and toffee.
Happy Birthday Zoe!
Happy Birthday, Zoe! I love reading your blogs…I can’t wait to try the toffee for christmas presents!
Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Feliz aniversário! ¡Feliz cumpleaños! Buon compleanno! Joyeaux anniversaire!
I’m so jealous! These candies look professional. Wow. I will have to try this out.
Happy Birthday Zoe! How sweet of the hubs!
Your candy looks so pretty and great for homemade gifts. Bookmarked this for the holidays! 🙂
Please send Graham over to give instructions to He Who Shall Remain Nameless. 😎
May I simply remind everyone to pay very close attention to this instruction: “Using a Pastry Wheel or pizza cutter, VERY GENTLY (you don’t want to cut so deep that it actually reaches the bottom or you may destroy your silpat) score the toffee into bite sized pieces.”
Don’t ask me why I am issuing this reminder.
YAYYYYY!!!
I’m glad I inspired such a wonderful project. I think I’ll have to do this one myself… To share, not (hopefully) to consume by myself.
Happy Birthday!! That candy looks so amazing . . .
Zoe, the toffee looks fabulous! My birthday’s next week and is a milestone (50, in my case unfortunately), and I think I’ll make some in honor of the occasion! One question… although I’m not a coffee drinker, I don’t mind slight coffee flavor but no one else in my family likes it. How do you think it will work without the coffee powder? Or could I just use a very small amount of espresso powder, like I do for chocolate cakes, etc., instead? Thanks and Happy Birthday!
It’s my birthday today too – and these look like they will exactly hit the spot. Thank you!
If I could celebrate each birthday with a cake like this I wouldn’t mind getting older 🙂
Happy happy b’day Zoe!!! That toffee would make anyone’s b’day special!
Happy Birthday, Zoe! Have a fabulous day, and enjoy those treats — I know what I want from you on my birthday ;)!
I am absolutely, 100% making these tomorrow. I adore toffee, and coffee toffee may just be too much to bear! I think I’ll temper the chocolate though, just because I have a tempering machine, not great skills. 🙂
Zoe, happy B-day, enjoy the rest of your fete and start passing around the chocolates!
Happy Birthday. This chocolate seems delicious.
Happy Birthday. You deserve 364 more days of sweet treats!
Happy birthday! Your toffee looks great. The cake is pretty nice too 🙂 How did you like it?
I love making toffee, but I’ve never scored it before breaking into pieces. (Mine is alwasy broken into shards.) Next time I have to try scoring for pretty, even pieces!
Happy Birthday! I love the toffee and the cake is gorgeous.
Happy Birthday!
I love chocolate covered toffee and this looks incredible. I think I must make some SOON. Thank you for sharing, and I hope you have a lovely birthday!
I love chocolate covered toffee but am not sure I’m up to making it. I’m addicted to the Daim they sell at Ikea.
Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday!! What gorgeous toffee and the cake is beautiful too! Enjoy your day! 🙂
That looks absolutely DIVINE.