Interesting Facts About Toffee You Didn't Know
Toffee is made by boiling sugar and butter to the hard-crack stage (about 300-310F / 149-154C), which is what gives it its signature glassy snap, and the word "toffee" only entered English around 1825, closely tied to the older word "taffy" (recorded around 1817).
By Kelsy Maruyama, Founder & Toffee Maker, Kelsy's Kandy
Reviewed by Jason Burns, Editorial Steward
Last updated Jul 20, 2026
Published by Kelsy's Kandy · Licensed under Citation License 1.0
What it means
- Toffee's hardness comes from cooking sugar to the hard-crack stage (300-310F / 149-154C), the point at which almost all the water has boiled off.
- The name "toffee" is first recorded around 1825, while the closely related word "taffy" appears slightly earlier, around 1817.
- "English toffee" typically adds butter and often nuts such as almonds, while some traditional toffees are little more than boiled sugar and butter.
- Toffee sits in the same family as butterscotch and brittle, all of which rely on caramelized, boiled sugar.
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Last verified: 2026-07-20