I will be curious to see the answers people come up with to this question. I gave my stepdaughter my toffee recipe a couple of weeks ago, and she said they had a similiar problem, although I guess they just blotted (or poured off) the excess butter that wouldn't incorporate and she said it turned out fine.

On occasion I've had batches that seemed like they didn't want to completely incorporate all the butter, but never anything like what you (and she) describe. It seems like I've used a whisk once in a while to get it to completely blend.

I use Costco regular (salted butter) and C & H cane sugar - what were you using?

Becky

I'm curious too, The same thing happend the other night to me. I used this recipe
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 ounces bittterweet chocolate
I ended up with a blob of melted butter that just would not incorporate, even after much stirring. I also blotted it off, the toffee tastes great, just odd that so much of the butter would not mix in.

becky, I use Domino sugar and whatever butter is on sale. I think this batch was Hannaford store brand (it was on sale for $1.68 lb!!). Sometimes it's Land O Lakes or Cabot, but often store brand--Stop and Shop, or? so I've always used different butters.

Love to know if it is something up with the butter supply this year.

I had this happen to my toffee a few years ago. Couldn't figure it out because it's my mother's recipe which has worked for 30 years! I now, however, ignore my thermometer and cook it till it looks right! And that system has worked for me.
Doesn't help first timers, but if you know what the color and consistency should be it should work for you.

I made a double batch yesterday and it came out great. I tried to insert a picture, but the link refuses to transfer from photobucket. Don't know why, it is a first for me. Here is my recipe which I have had forever. I have no idea where I got it originally. The notes are the ones I included for my 13 year old niece:

Butter pecan toffee

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
1 1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Grease a cookie sheet, (preferably one that is not warped in the center). In a heavy saucepan, combine butter, water, salt and sugar. Stir until butter is melted and then ignore until mixture reaches 290 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and immediately add the baking soda and 1/2 cup of the nuts (have them ready to go beforehand. You can even mix the baking soda and the 1/2 cup of nuts together first). Mix well and quickly spread the mixture in the pan. It will cool very quickly, so you have to work fast. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. As the chips melt, spread the chocolate around to cover the entire surface. Then sprinkle the remaining nuts on top of the chocolate. Press down gently to make sure the nuts stick. Refrigerate until cold.
Break into pieces.

Some problems with crumbly toffee may have to do with stirring it during the cooking process. Really, best to ignore and cook over a med. heat until it reaches 290. On a side note, I lived in Fl for 3 years, and it always came out wrong. I think the humidity really did a number on it.
Good luck.
Jo

Here's my toffee recipe, which I adapted myself, making adjustments to the proportions as I felt needed.

It's important to go all the way to 300° - 290° is not enough, from my experience. Humidity will definitely affect how long it takes to get to 300° - on a cold and rainy day it took two hours, but on a dry moderate day, it once took only 15 minutes. I've always stirred my toffee fairly regularly during cooking and I've never had crumbly toffee. I have a new thermometer that is digital, but I haven't used it with toffee yet. I may skip the toffee this year, since I'm making chocolate turtles today.

Lars

This used to happen to me every third batch (the butter separating out). I have your recipe as well, although mine has 3T of the corn syrup.

I have since researched and learned that I need to follow a couple of tips, which I always do and haven't ruined a batch of toffee since.

The first step is I cook everything on med-low. I melt the butter fully before I add the sugar, water and corn syrup, and then I cover it until it comes to a simmer. This makes sure no sugar crystals form on the side of the pan, which I think is fatal to cooking sugar and can cause the crystallization, which makes it crumbly. Once it comes to a low boil, I remove the lid, stir occasionally, but leave it on med-low until 294, and then I pull it and pour it. I get the best toffee this way. I know some recipes take it to 300 but it seems when I do that, I get a burnt sugar taste, which I hate.

So the biggest tip is cook it slowly. It can take me up to 1/2 hour or more to get to 294.

ok, well, it may have been several things conspiring against me this time

I didn't let the butter melt fully first. (I was in a hurry, it was my last of 20 recipes!) It was very snowy yesterday (high humidity), so it took longer to come up to temp, so I found myself stirring more than I would have usually, and I may have upped the temp slightly higher than usual because it was taking so long...

so, I think I may attempt another batch this evening, since I've already given most of the first batch away. Just need to see if I have any butter left!

:)

Hi -

I just sat down after making my third batch of toffee this season and saw this post. Really funny because I am having challenges with chocolate bloom, that's why I'm surfing the forum.

Anyway, I go by the look of the toffee. However hard crack stage doesn't occur until 300, so I can't imagine how you could go lower. Today, I needed to go to almost 330. All of that said, my recipe is different as I don't use the corn syrup at all. I just use butter, sugar & water. I add vanilla and nuts after I have reached the color/consistancy I need.

Just finished a new batch.

Melted butter first. Cooked on lowish-med. Barely stirred.

Took over 50 min, but came out great!

Thanks for the advice!