English toffee is a candy made from a sugar syrup, usually lightly caramelized, enriched with a generous amount of butter. Toasted almonds or raisins are often added.
The process of making toffee involves boiling the ingredients until the mix is stiff enough to be pulled into a shape which holds and has a glossy surface. The resulting mixture will typically be poured into a shallow tray and allowed to cool to form a sheet.
There is some debate as to which is the traditional English style and which is an Americanized version. English toffee is a little different from regular toffee. It is a very buttery toffee available in both chewy and hard versions. A popular version of English toffee is covered in chocolate and almond pieces.
Different mixes, processes, and temperatures of toffee making will result in different textures and hardnesses, from soft and often sticky to a hard brittle material.
You can pick up a bag of English toffee from your grocery store or try making some yourself.
It's actually not that hard at all to make a batch of toffee. Just be sure that you boil it long enough so that everything caramelizes. Otherwise, it won't have the exact texture that you want.
Enjoy National English Toffee Day!
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