Who doesn’t love the taste of smooth caramel or crunchy toffee? I used to LOVE pouring creamy caramel over my ice cream sundaes - caramel compliments most ice cream flavors. I also loved to sprinkle toffee chips on top of my sundaes, it gives it a nice crunch and compliments the flavors. I never realized this but caramel is made by melting sugar, water and cream and it is EASY to make from scratch. However, Toffee is another story. Toffee is made primarily with sugar and butter and is heated at a much higher temperature than caramel. It’s interesting that these two common toppings are so similar in flavor yet they have different texture and preparation methods. It is said that American settlers used to make hard candy in kettles and around the 19th century, they started adding fat and cream to the recipe which resulted in caramel. I never realized this but using fats like butter are necessary to make both caramel and toffee, as it helps the mixture retain its elastic texture. In contrast to caramel, toffee originated in England and is often referred to as “buttercrunch”. With so many variations on the market, it’s not hard to see why these two sundae toppings are so widely used and often combined to create some tasty treats. Which brings me to my latest discovery, I recently had the pleasure of enjoying a tea by Octavia Tea called Caramel Toffee Oolong. One sip of this tea was like taking in a spoonful of my beloved caramel sundae with toffee chip sprinkles.
Yum, that sounds great for anyone with a sweet tooth! I had no idea that toffee was harder to make than caramel. I love how your posts are also always a miniature history lesson. Keep up the good work!
Yum, that sounds great for anyone with a sweet tooth! I had no idea that toffee was harder to make than caramel. I love how your posts are also always a miniature history lesson. Keep up the good work!