English Toffee with Pecans and Pumpkin Spice

This classic English toffee gets an autumn twist with a hint of pumpkin spice. It’s perfect for fall gift giving, or as a special treat.

35 years ago, my friend Rita gave me her aunt’s English toffee recipe. The best part her recipe is that it doesn’t  use a candy thermometer, which is sometimes daunting. The recipe calls for cooking the sugar and butter exactly 15 minutes, until it looks like “golden caramel”. While you can certainly follow the recipe without a candy thermometer, I prefer to use one for the best results. (This post was originally published on October 31st, 2014, and updated on September 12th, 2024)

I have been making it for many years for holiday gifts. A local Pasadena candy maker sells various holiday flavors of toffee, and when I tasted hers, I decided to try and replicate the recipe. I tossed some pumpkin pie spice into Rita’s recipe, and this English toffee with pumpkin spice was born.

Ingredients for homemade English toffee

• 10 ounces  unsalted butter 
•  16 ounces (2 1/4 cups sugar)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound (2 cups) pecans, divided
• 8 ounces dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

How to make this easy buttery toffee

While the original recipe does not use a candy thermometer, for best results, I’d suggest using a clip-on Candy Thermometer. They’re inexpensive and take the guess work out of candy making.

• Coarsely chop pecans using a food processor. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the coarsely chopped pecans. These will go in the toffee. Process the remaining 1/2 cup of the pecans more finely. These will be scattered on top of the melted chocolate, set aside.
• Line a 10″ x 15″ rimmed baking pan or cookie sheet with a silicon baking mat, or butter the bottom of the pan.
• Spread 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans over baking sheet in a single layer.

• Clip a candy thermometer on large, heavy saucepan. Over medium heat, bring butter, sugar, salt and water to a boil.
• Continue cooking, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until temperature reaches between 305 degrees F. and 315 degrees F. This is also called the “hard crack” stage. It should be a deep golden color. Keep an eye on it as it can quickly burn.
• Remove from heat and stir in pumpkin spice.
• Carefully pour candy mixture over toasted nuts, spreading with a spatula to cover nuts. Hot sugar is incredibly hot. Be careful!

• Wait about 5 minutes, then sprinkle chocolate over hot toffee, letting it melt. Use a small Offset Spatula to spread chocolate chips over toffee.

• Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup finely chopped and toasted nuts over warm chocolate.

• Refrigerate until hard.
• Break toffee into pieces.
• Toffee does not need to be refrigerated once it has set. store in an airtight container.

Toffee tips!

• Use a candy thermometer for accuracy.
• Sometimes candy making can be affected by the weather. It’s best to make it on a cool, dry day. A humid day can ruin a candy recipe. 
• For toffee with perfect crunch, that’s not tooth-crackingly hard, stop cooking when it reaches 305 degrees F.

Variations for homemade toffee

You can tailor the toffee recipe to your own tastes by swapping the ingredients.

• Use semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate or extra dark chocolate.
• Substitute walnuts, or almonds.
• Sprinkle with coarse sea salt for for a sweet and salty version.

Looking for more edible gifts? 

Here are some homemade candy recipes. Here are more delicious recipes ideal for gift giving! I like to use small boxes to pack my holiday treats in like these Candy Cane Striped Boxes! For smaller portions, here are Candy Cups and Cellophane Bags.

Pecan Turtles

Peppermint Creams

Chocolate Truffles

Marzipan Candy

Honey Roasted Nuts

English Toffee with Pumpkin Spice

Cynthia

English toffee with pumpkin spice can be made with semi-sweet, milk or dark chocolate. Makes about 2 pounds.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Candy

Cuisine American

Servings 32 servings

Calories 157 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 10 ounces unsalted butter (2 1/2 sticks)
• 1 pound sugar (2 1/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans divided
• 8 ounces dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a 10" x 15" rimmed baking with a silicon mat. Place coarsely chopped pecans on baking sheet and lightly toast pecans until barely golden brown. About 5-7 minutes. When cool, measure out 1/2 cup of the coarsely chopped pecans and chop them more finely in a food processor or by hand. These will go on top of the finished toffee. Set aside.
• Leave the remaining 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans on the baking sheet.
• Clip a candy thermometer on large, heavy bottomed sauce pan. Over medium heat, bring butter, sugar, salt and water to a boil.
• Continue cooking, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until temperature reaches between 305 degrees F. and 315 degrees F. (about 15 minutes) Keep an eye on it as it can quickly burn. It will have a golden caramel color.
• Remove from heat and stir in pumpkin spice.
• Carefully pour hot caramel mixture over toasted nuts, spreading with a spatula to cover nuts.
• Wait a few minutes, then sprinkle chocolate chips over hot toffee, letting it melt. Use a spatula to spread chocolate over toffee.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup finely chopped and toasted nuts over warm chocolate, and refrigerate until hard.
• Break toffee into pieces. Store in an airtight container.
• Toffee does not need to be refrigerated once it has set.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 157kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 1gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 82mgPotassium: 49mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 223IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 0.1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!