Bonfire Toffee or Treacle Toffee
This is on my list of ‘to do someday’ – Bonfire Toffee. It goes by other names, such as Tom Trot, Plot toffee, treacle toffee, and claggum. It is made and enjoyed on Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night, in the UK, but I’m sure is quite lovely any time of year. Made of black treacle and cooked to a soft crack stage, Bonfire Toffee makes a rich and deep molasses-flavored toffee. Here’s a video and a basic recipe for Bonfire Toffee.
Bonfire Toffee (Black Treacle Toffee)
This recipe is adapted from BBC Good Food Magazine, November 2011.
Ingredients
- 450 grams dark brown sugar
- 125 ml hot water
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 115 grams black treacle
- 115 grams golden syrup
- Oil or butter, as needed for greasing
Cooking Directions
- Line the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch pan with parchment paper. Grease the sides and bottom thoroughly and set aside.
- Heat the sugar and water over medium heat, swirling gently to dissolve (do not stir the mixture). Once dissolved add in the black treacle and golden syrup. Attach a candy thermometer to the side and swirl again.
- Increase the heat to high and bring the candy mixture to a boil. Boil until the temperature registers 140 degrees C, or 270 degrees F. This is a soft crack stage, and may take some time to reach. Don’t leave the pot unattended. As soon as the toffee reaches that temp, carefully pour into the prepared pan. The mixture is hot!
- Cool completely. Break into smaller pieces and serve, or store in an airtight container for a couple of days.
