Sea Salt Pecan Toffee – Barefeet in the Kitchen

Sea Salt Pecan Toffee is the answer to your snacking and sweet tooth dreams. The end. Do I exaggerate? Sometimes, yes. But right now? Not really.

There aren’t a whole lot of foods that I label as “The Best Ever” or “crazy insane amazingly delicious” but this toffee recipe is exactly that. All of those things. It is EVERYTHING.

Pecan Toffee

If you have never made candy or toffee or any hot sugary boiled treat, do not fear it. Because I have a wicked easy toffee making tip that you’re going to love. No candy thermometers are needed.

Want the toffee-making tip that you’ll never forget? Set a brown paper bag near the stove and let the mixture boil until it matches the bag in color. (You can also use a jar of peanut butter for color reference.)

I have never used a thermometer for making toffee. (Admittedly, at this point, I don’t need the paper bag any longer. I just eyeball it.) This takes between 18-20 minutes and I ALWAYS set a timer for 17 minutes.

Just in case I find myself distracted, the timer prevents me from letting the candy burn. It will go from perfectly amber colored to burnt in about 30 seconds, as soon as it turns light brown, pull it off the heat.

Once you’ve made this a few times, you’ll be able to smell when it’s done too.

Sea Salt Toffee

We’ve made this toffee at least six times since Christmas because everyone I shared it with has requested it again and again.

Three different people have called or texted to ask what the heck was in the toffee because they could not stop eating it.

I have already emailed the recipe out twice with promises that I would get it on the blog soon. One friend had me laughing with her text, “Is there ACTUAL crack in this? Drugs? What did you put in it? I can’t stop eating it!”

I have yet to meet anyone who can resist the salty-sweet combination in this salted toffee with pecans.

If you love salty-sweet combinations, like these Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies, this pecan toffee is going to make you very happy.

Toffee with Pecans

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

• butter
• sugar
• water
• kosher salt
• vanilla
• whole pecans
• flaked sea salt, for topping

Salted Toffee

The finishing salt is really important in this recipe. There aren’t a lot of fancy spices and ingredients in my kitchen, but Maldon flaked sea salt is a key ingredient in this toffee.

You can buy it in some grocery stores, but I found the best prices by far on Amazon. (I promise that if you buy it, you’ll use it for more than just this recipe!)

However, if you don’t want to buy a fancy salt, coarse sea salt or even kosher salt will work. Just be extra careful when sprinkling the salt on the toffee, as the smaller grains of salt can quickly turn something “salty” instead of giving just a hint of salt with the sweet toffee.

Easy Toffee Recipe

In a heavy bottomed stainless skillet, over medium heat, combine the butter, sugar, water and salt. As the butter melts, stir a few times with a wooden spoon or spatula to combine. Bring to a boil and then don’t stir or touch the mixture again until it is caramel colored.

While the toffee is boiling, prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silpat mat. (Do not use waxed paper, it will melt.) Scatter the pecans across the prepared baking sheet.

Once the toffee is caramel colored, remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Stir to combine. Quickly pour the toffee over the pecans.

Sprinkle with Maldon salt. Let cool completely. I often set the pan in the refrigerator to speed up the process, but it will also cool at room temperature.

When the toffee is cool, break into pieces. (I find that flipping the toffee over and hitting it a few times with a wooden spoon works quite well.)

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

I have a fairly well-known love for toffee. This Chocolate Covered Pretzel Toffee is an annual favorite, as is the Dark Chocolate Toffee Ice Cream that we make as often as possible.

This Graham Cracker Toffee is a newer favorite for my family and let me tell you, it’s pretty fantastic. It’s a tiny bit salty (feel free to sprinkle extra salt on top to kick that up a bit) and plenty sweet, perfect for snacking AND for crumbling over ice cream. Yes, I did that last year and it was a huge win.

As I was writing this recipe to share with you, I looked around for some more toffee recipes to share with you and I found Brown Butter Toffee Shortbread,  Almond Club Cracker Toffee, and Salted Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Seriously? I LOVE the blogging world. The creativity that surrounds me inspires so many delicious things. And don’t forget to Check out all of our Gluten Free Dessert Recipes here!

originally published 2/26/17 – recipe notes and photos updated 12/4/23