This sticky toffee candy with almonds is popular Swedish Christmas caramel. They are so addicting! You just can't keep your hand off the candy jar.
This is the traditional recipe but I also give you some tips if you want to modify it and test other variations. These are very simple to make, but do reserve an hour of your time since you need to keep an eye on the mixture when boiling.
You can absolutely make these all year round, but they are very traditional for Christmas. These small candies even make a nice present. These are perfect to give to your friends to get a taste of Sweden.
These candies can be nice to serve at a glögg party. Try the recipes for red wine glögg and white wine glögg at scandicuisine.
Another very simple no bake Swedish treat is chocolate coconut balls.
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Ingredients
- Heavy cream
- Sugar
- Light Scandinavian syrup- replace with dark Karo syrup
- Butter
- Salt
- Chopped almonds
See the recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
If you want to make vegan and milk-free candies then replace the heavy cream with oat cream. Replace the butter with margarine.
Nut-free candies are easy to make by just leaving the almonds away.
Instructions
- Mix the heavy cream, sugar, and syrup in a pot and bring to a boil.
- Boil on medium heat. Stir once in a while. The mixture bubbles a lot
- While boiling, prepare a tray with small paper candy cups or foil cups that are meant for chocolate truffles.
- Your toffee is ready when the temperature is around 257-266F, (125-130C). It makes 30-50 minutes to reach this temperature, this depends on your stove and type of pan
- Take the mixture off the heat and add in the butter, almonds, and salt. Stir so it is even.
- Put toffee mix in your cups with the help of small spoons. Let the candies cool down. They set quite quickly in the fridge.
Top tips
A nonstick pan is great, this way you have easier washing your pan. Choose a pan that is quite large so the mix does not boil over.
If you don't have a thermometer you can drop some toffee on the countertop and if it sets to a ball and you can shape it, the caramel is done.
Temperatures for caramel consistency
- 257 F (125C)- a bit soft and chewy toffee
- 280 F ( 140F)- harder, but still slight chewiness on the inside.
- 315 F ( 155C)- hard candies
Variations
I absolutely love this traditional version. When you have made it a few times maybe you want to add some extra flavor to it and try another variation. Here are some tips on flavoring:
- Licorice: add 2 tablespoon licorice powder
- Chocolate: 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- Lemon: add some finely grated lemon zest
- Orange: Add some grated orange zest
- Gingerbread: Replace the almonds with some crushed gingerbread cookies or add 1 tablespoon gingerbread spice mix. (check the recipe)
- Cinnamon: Add 1 teaspoon finely ground cinnamon
- Ginger: Add some candied finely chopped ginger pieces or 2 teaspoon of freshly ground ginger.
Equipment
You don't need any special equipment to make this recipe. It is though very handy to have a thermometer, so you know for sure when your toffee is ready.
Storage
Store these caramel candies in the fridge in an airtight container. At room temperature, they get quite sticky, but in the fridge, you can have them on top of each other in a jar. You can store these for up to 3 weeks in the fridge.
If you buy these at a store, they are at room temperature, so they should be fine to store that way also. Some people think that these keep even up to 3 months, but I could not give that advice.
My recommendation is that if you don't eat these in a couple of weeks, then you can freeze them!
FAQ
Butter gives some shine to the caramel, and also some round buttery flavor.
You might have heated or cooled down the caramel too rapidly. Maybe you forgot to stir it. Remember to add salt at the end, not at the beginning.
Add some water and heat your pan, the caramel will dissolve in the hot water.
Other Swedish sweet things
Swedish toffee
Equipment
- Thermometer
- Small paper candy cups or foil cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup golden syrup( dark karo syrup is ok)
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup chopped almonds
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mix the heavy cream, sugar, and syrup in a pot and bring to a boil.
- Boil on medium heat. Stir once in a while. The mixture bubbles a lot.
- While boiling, prepare a tray with small paper candy cups or foil cups that are meant for chocolate truffles.
- Your toffee is ready when the temperature is around 257-266F, (125-130C). It takes 30-50 minutes to reach this temperature, this depends on your stove and type of pan. You can test by dropping some in a glass of water, if it has a ball shape and you can form it with your fingers then the mix is done.
- Take the mixture off the heat and add in the butter, almonds, and salt. Stir.
- Put toffee mix in your small cups with the help of teaspoons. Let the candies cool down. They set quite quickly in the fridge.
Notes
- 257 F (125C)- a bit soft and chewy toffee
- 280 F ( 140F)- harder, but still slight chewiness on the inside.
- 315 F ( 155C)- hard candies
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