The Most Magical Toffee on Earth!

A hoy-hoy and welcome back! Hope you are ready for a blog chock full of our favorite place, plus one of our favorite treats: Disney! Hold on! I know we have discussed Disney before and Disney treats.  This time, we delve into a sweet treat that combines two desserts: churros and toffee. That’s right! BUT FIRST!! I have to dedicate this blog to my awesome sister-in-law! Our love for Disney and each other is the driver for this sentimental (yet fun and exciting) blog. I know there are a lot of us who love, love, love Disney. It is our happy place. And I know that there are people who think Disney is the root of all evil. I understand both. BUT, for my family and I, there is just something about Disney that makes all of us happy. We love the memories we create together and the wonderful food that is always right around the corner! What’s that? Our favorite things to do? Mine would be just hanging out at Galaxy’s Edge and riding The Jungle Cruise (especially at night – highly recommend). The Husband’s favorites would also be Galaxy’s Edge, but one of his favorite rides is, wait for it, its going to shock you: It’s a Small World. Yup. LOL. And honestly, of course, The Pirates of the Caribbean: the smell of water, am I right? (If you know, you know). Now, I will say, I like the Pirates ride in Disneyland better, but that is just me. Honestly, I think the draw, not only for our family, but for a lot of people is the magical atmosphere – the cast members are always so nice and helpful. You are in the “Disney Bubble” – the outside world with its troubles are gone. 

FUNNY STORY: Speaking of the people working at Disney. They are super sweet, and want you to have a great time: before 2019 Disney trip, my one and only Disney trip with my mom and dad occurred back in 1997. One of my all-time favorites rides, hands down is The Haunted Mansion and I knew in 2019 that I wanted to ride this one again, as I remembered it being a lot of fun and spooky. I made my brother-in-law and The Husband get up super early for rope drop at Magic Kingdom. While we were waiting for the gates to open I thought I had heard someone say that only portions of the park were open this early in the morning. When the gates opened, I went to a very nice, younger gentlemen working at the park and asked if The Haunted Mansion was open this early. I must have looked quite desperate while asking my question, because my plight was suddenly his plight. His once cheerful face, dropped, and while he was on the walkie-talkie it dropped even lower, as he told me, almost crying himself, that it didn’t open until later. I started consoling him!! So honestly, after consoling him, I didn’t feel so bad, LOL. In all, I didn’t get to ride Haunted Mansion, but you know what? That was okay, because I have this story instead. Also, when we went to Disneyland in 2022, I finally got to ride it again (and then at least three times when we went in 2023). See? Our family loves this place. 

Bridget? Why are we here? I know, I know. I promise I will not regale you with Disney stories the whole time! We are here because of a certain sweet treat that is famous in Disneyland and it marries Disney’s famous Churros and toffee. That’s right: Churro Toffee. But wait! I have another story! Getting ready for our Disneyland trip, The Husband and I did a lot of YouTube research and I kept reading and hearing about their Churro Toffee. How awesome it was, blah, blah, blah. I looked this magical toffee up and honestly it sounded way too sweet for me. Toffee plus white chocolate plus cinnamon and sugar. Nope. I’m good, that just sounded mediocre. If I happened past it, perhaps I would try it, but I would’t spend the whole time searching for it (like I did the Haunted Mansion Wedding Cake). Anyhoo, The Husband and I went and had a wonderful time, fast forward to the last day. We were killing time at the Downtown area before we had to leave for our flight, and I happened to be in a bakery where they had the Churro Toffee. I was there, it was there, so, I bought two pieces. One for me, one for The Husband. Then forgot about them until we got home. Therefore, on a random Monday, I remembered that I had bought these and decided to give them a taste. 

My tastebuds were transported to Neverland and back, and I was suddenly very angry with myself for not buying more. It wasn’t too sweet at all! How? I have no idea! But the buttery toffee seems to balance the thin layer of sweet, creamy white chocolate and the spicy cinnamon and sugar topping. It all worked together in this rich, buttery treat. And the texture, once again, mind blowing. Crunchy, yet melt-in-your mouth while the white chocolate honestly disappears and allows the cinnamon and sugar to dance with the toffee itself. Again, very put out that I did not purchase more of these stupidly delicious treats. But then, my mind started to whirl, and I realized that my godmother had taught me how to make toffee, and that I could make this myself! Maybe. More research was necessary. To the Pinterest I went and I found many different recipes for this awesome toffee, and the rest will be placed in this blog for all to read and enjoy.

NOTE: Now, I will admit that the thought of making toffee, molten sugar liquid, like napalm, scared the living daylights out of me. So, I did what any responsible adult would do and called her Godmother to come and help me the first time. And she did. Talked me through it and we were on our way!

Tips and Tricks

Before we get started, let’s go over a couple of tips and tricks that I have learned while making this sweet treat. 

• Have a thermometer. It does not have to be a candy thermometer. But have something. Do not rely on looks alone. Really. I have now been making this toffee for two years, and I still use my thermometer. 
• Get all of your stuff together and organized. Really. Toffee waits for no woman. Once you begin, you cannot leave it, and once it is done, you have to get it out to prevent it going too far or even burning. Therefore prep your sheet pan: wrap it in foil and then spray with non-stick spray. Have your white chocolate chips ready. Mix your cinnamon and sugar into a bowl.
• Next to the pan you will cooking the toffee in, get the vanilla and salt ready. I even go as far as unscrewing the cap on the vanilla
• Get a heavy-bottomed sauce pan (mine is 2 quart). Make sure it is big enough but not too big. When you add the vanilla and salt, the mixture will bubble up. We do not want this sugary napalm overflowing. That would be really bad and honestly, dangerous. 
• BIG NOTE: Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT stop stirring. This is to ensure that you do not create any burned areas – let’s face it, this is 4 sticks of butter we would be wasting. SO. For the love of twinkle fairies, do not stop stirring (unless you are adding the vanilla and salt – but that isn’t until the end)

Let’s Cook Some Magic!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 TB cinnamon 
• 4 sticks of butter (2 cups)
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla 
• 1 bag of white chocolate chips

Step-By-Step:

1. Mix the cinnamon in the 1/2 cup of sugar – set aside. 
2. Turn the stovetop to medium-low and leave at this temperature. DO NOT mess with the temperature settings – it will mess up the toffee. Consistency is KEY with toffee and patience. 
3. Place butter into saucepan then pour the sugar over – heat until butter and sugar are meting – stir the whole time. 
4. Keep stirring, this might take anywhere from 20-30 minutes. You will see the mixture bubble up and turn from white, to caramel color with the bubbles becoming bigger and slower. 
5. Keep checking the temperature, and when it hits the caramel color – we are looking for 285 degrees. 
6. Once mixture hits 285 degrees, turn off heat, take saucepan off of burner and quickly add the vanilla and salt – remember to be careful as it will sputter – keep mixing. Once the vanilla and salt are mixed in, pour onto your greased pan. 
7. Spread out with spatula. Let sit 3 minutes. Then add white chocolate chips. Let those sit and warm through for five minutes. 
8. Once they are melting, spread on top of the toffee mixture, then sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar on top of still melting white chocolate. 
9. Let sit to cool overnight. 
10. Once cool, snap apart and enjoy!!

Honestly, it is not that many step or ingredients. The key is patience and the thermometer. Use the pictures that The Husband took for me while I making mine as a guide to help you. Once you have made this a couple times, you will remember what you are looking for. But always remember to use your thermometer. I still use mine. 

And They Lived Happily Ever After

Imagine – you are walking down Main St., enjoying your churro toffee while the California sun kisses your skin, warming it up, the scent of the Pirates of the Caribbean enticing you over to it. That’s right. Nothing is quite like the magical bubble of Disneyland or Disney World. So, sit back, relax, close your eyes and enjoy your churro toffee! Candy making isn’t that hard, just follow the directions and use your thermometer. I hope you enjoyed this Fantastical blog about toffee and making said toffee for you and your loved ones!