Bonfire Toffee Recipe: Classic Treacle Toffee for Bonfire Night

A good bonfire toffee recipe is one of the great traditions of a British November. This dark, brittle treacle toffee shatters into glossy shards, tastes of molasses and burnt sugar, and has been handed round at fireworks displays for generations. It takes only five ingredients and about 30 minutes, but it rewards a little care with a thermometer.

This bonfire toffee recipe explains every stage, from melting the sugar to testing the temperature and breaking the slab, with plenty of safety advice because hot sugar needs respect. If you are planning a full Bonfire Night spread, pair it with our toffee apple recipe and a slab of sticky Yorkshire parkin.

What is bonfire toffee?

Bonfire toffee is a hard, dark toffee made with black treacle, which gives it its almost black colour and slightly bitter, smoky flavour. It is the same sweet that is called treacle toffee in much of England, and in parts of Yorkshire it has been known as plot toffee, a nod to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 that Bonfire Night commemorates.

Unlike chewy caramel or soft fudge, this toffee is cooked to the hard crack stage, so it sets glass-like and brittle. Traditionally it is broken with a small toffee hammer and shared out in paper bags. You can read more about the sweet on Wikipedia.

Ingredients and method for a bonfire toffee recipe

This bonfire toffee recipe fills a 20cm square tin, which is enough for a bowl of shards for 10 to 12 people. You will need a heavy-based saucepan and, ideally, a sugar thermometer.

Have the tin greased and lined before you start. Once the toffee reaches temperature, you need to pour it immediately, and there is no time to hunt for equipment.

Why black treacle and golden syrup?

Each ingredient in a bonfire toffee recipe has a job to do, and understanding them helps you get a reliable result.

• Black treacle: provides the deep colour and the bittersweet, liquorice-like flavour that makes this toffee distinctive.
• Golden syrup: softens the treacle flavour and helps prevent the sugar from crystallising into a grainy texture.
• Demerara or dark brown sugar: adds body and a caramel note. Light brown sugar gives a slightly milder toffee.
• Butter: gives richness and a smoother bite. Salted butter is lovely for a gently salted toffee.
• Cream of tartar or vinegar: a small amount of acid also helps stop crystallisation.

Getting the temperature right

The most important part of any bonfire toffee recipe is the temperature. The mixture needs to reach the hard crack stage, which is between 146°C and 154°C. Aim for about 150°C for a toffee that snaps cleanly but is not burnt.

If you take it off too early, at around 130°C, the toffee will be chewy and sticky. If you go too far beyond 155°C, the sugar starts to burn and the toffee becomes bitter. Clip the thermometer to the side of the pan so the tip sits in the mixture but does not touch the base.

The cold water test

No thermometer? Drop a little of the hot mixture into a glass of very cold water. At the hard crack stage it will set instantly into brittle threads that snap when you bend them. If it is still bendy or chewy, keep boiling and test again every minute.

Safety tips for making toffee

Boiling sugar is much hotter than boiling water and sticks to the skin, so take care whenever you make this bonfire toffee recipe.

• Use a deep, heavy-based pan so the mixture has room to bubble up.
• Keep children and pets out of the kitchen while the toffee is cooking.
• Never taste the toffee from the spoon or pan.
• Keep a bowl of cold water nearby in case of splashes on the skin.
• Soak sticky pans and utensils in hot water to dissolve the set toffee.

How to break and serve bonfire toffee

Let the toffee set at room temperature for about an hour, until it is completely hard. Lift it out of the tin using the lining paper, then tap it with a toffee hammer or the end of a rolling pin to break it into shards.

For neater pieces, you can score the toffee with an oiled knife when it is half set, after about 20 minutes, and snap it along the lines once firm. Pile the shards into paper cones or jars for a Bonfire Night party.

Bonfire toffee recipe variations

Once you are comfortable with the classic bonfire toffee recipe, try one of these twists.

• Salted treacle toffee: sprinkle flaky sea salt over the surface as soon as it is poured.
• Nutty toffee: scatter toasted hazelnuts or almonds into the tin before pouring.
• Spiced toffee: add a pinch of ground ginger or mixed spice with the butter.
• Chocolate-dipped shards: half-dip the pieces in melted dark chocolate and leave to set.

Common bonfire toffee mistakes

Most problems with a bonfire toffee recipe come from temperature or stirring.

• Grainy toffee: the sugar crystallised. Dissolve the sugar fully before boiling and stop stirring once it boils.
• Chewy or sticky toffee: the mixture did not reach the hard crack stage. Cook it a little longer next time.
• Bitter, burnt taste: the toffee was cooked too hot or the pan was too thin.
• Toffee goes soft after a day: it has absorbed moisture from the air. Store it airtight.

Storing treacle toffee

Keep the toffee in an airtight tin or jar, with sheets of baking paper between the layers, in a cool, dry place. Stored like this it will stay brittle for about two weeks. Avoid the fridge, as the moisture makes the toffee sticky. Treacle toffee also makes a lovely homemade gift wrapped in cellophane bags.

Bonfire toffee recipe FAQs

What is the difference between bonfire toffee and treacle toffee?

They are the same sweet. Bonfire toffee is simply the name used when treacle toffee is made for Bonfire Night on 5 November.

Can I make bonfire toffee without a thermometer?

Yes. Use the cold water test and look for threads that set hard and snap. A thermometer is more reliable, though, and inexpensive.

Why is my bonfire toffee chewy?

It did not reach the hard crack stage of about 150°C. Boil it for a little longer next time and test again.

How far ahead can I make bonfire toffee?

You can make it up to a week ahead if you store it airtight with baking paper between the layers.

Is bonfire toffee hard on the teeth?

It is very hard, so suck small pieces rather than biting them, and take care with dental work.

This bonfire toffee recipe is a small project with a big reward. Watch the thermometer, pour quickly and save a few shards for after the fireworks.