Toffee Vs Brittle: What's The Difference?

Often beloved by grandparents, toffee and brittle are both sweet, crunchy confections that have a few key differences setting them apart. While both are cooked to a hard crack stage in the sugar-cooking scale, toffee is made with plenty of butter and sometimes milk. This gives it a richer taste, deeper color, and slightly softer texture. Brittle is crisper, thinner, and mostly made of sugar. Although brittle is sometimes made with butter, it has less of it (if it contains any butter at all). 

When you think of brittle, people typically think of crunchy, salty peanut brittle, which you only need four basic ingredients to make. To make brittle, heat butter and sugar until the sugar has fully dissolved and the mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat and mix in the nuts of your choice. Pour the mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let cool until it hardens, then break it apart with your hands. The toffee-making process is similar, but again contains butter. Similar to caramel, another similar but distinct treat, the added dairy is what enhances the overall flavor, texture, and color of toffee.

Now that you know the key differences to making toffee and brittle you can decide which salty-sweet confection to make. If you've ever had toffee you know that it's often topped with a layer of chocolate and nuts, while brittle tends to be simpler. But beyond toppings, you can elevate your homemade toffee by adding vanilla extract (grab just two ingredients to make your own) to the butter and sugar mixture for even more depth of flavor. After pouring the amber colored liquid into a pan to cool, you can spread softened chocolate chips across the toffee to create an even coating of chocolate. With many types of chocolate to choose from, you could experiment with all manner of different chocolate ingredients, as well as chopped nuts like almonds, pecans, or walnuts.

Brittle contains plenty of room for variation, too. Instead of sticking with just peanuts, try doing a mixture of different nuts like walnuts and pecans for a richer, earthier taste. Adding in a pinch of salt can help balance out the sweetness and a dash of homemade vanilla extract will add a dose of warmth that enhances every bite of brittle.