My daughter has an end-of-year party today and the teachers asked the girls to bring “refreshments” AKA mounds of candy and junk. However, instead of schlepping me to the sweet store, my daughter begged me to make homemade toffees and I was happy to do so.

Not because they have zero chemicals, colorings and additives.

Not even because they cost 4 shekels to make, rather than 40 shekels spent on total garbage in the store.

Not even because they send ZERO plastic packaging to landfill.

Not even because when my kids and their classmates see that you can make the best candy at home, it opens their eyes to the magic of DIY.

NOT FOR ANY OF THE ABOVE REASONS!

The real reason I’m so happy to make these for class parties (and they are always requested by the other kids) is because they remind me of happy times in my childhood in Australia, when toffees at the school fetes my Mum used to organize were the YUMMIEST THING I EVER PUT IN MY MOUTH.

Seriously, if you’ve never tried this Australian classic, you haven’t appreciated the obsessive, deeply satisfying possibilities of caramelized sugar.

Recipe: Australian Homemade Toffees

MAKES 15-20

Ingredients:

Method

1. Pour all the ingredients in a pot and cook on low until the sugar dissolves and you have a completely clear liquid.

2. Turn up the heat to a very hard boil. Cook for 15-20 mins, watching very closely from 15 mins onward.

A hard boil

3. As soon as the sugar starts to change color, don’t take your eyes off it. You want the perfect color. Not yellow (underdone) and not brown (burnt). Rather the perfect caramel color. (mine in the photos were amazing, but slightly more brown would have been sublime)

4. As soon as the color is right, remove from the heat and let it sit in the pot for 2-3 mins, until there are no more bubbles, Do not pour while it’s still frothy or the hardened edges of the bubbles will cut your tongue while you lick.

Ready to pour

5. Pour into trays of cupcake holders (small size) and let them harden for 20-30 mins, while your children lick the spoons, the pot, the countertops.

This stuff is irresistible!

Enjoy!

One Response

  1. Bloomah, so enjoy your blog and jealous that you have room for chooks! My balcony in Jerusalem had a little garden this winter and with your inspiration I plan to annex part of our parking lot for a small cintainer garden as you suggested. We have great soil from our compost that produced summer surprises including peppers, tomatoes and a water melon. I share your memories of toffee..but from New Zealand! You can’t beat the Southern Hemisphere. Y’shar koach and an optimistic 2021!

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