Gingerbread Toffees

Every year, for quite some time now, I've made gingerbread toffees around this time of year.

Until now, I've always made them in the microwave oven. This year though, I decided to make them the "normal" way, in a pot. The downside is that it's a bit trickier, but on the plus side, I can make more at once, eliminating the need to make several batches, and I have much more control over the consistency of the resulting toffees.

125°C gives me a toffee with the perfect texture, hard enough to handle easily, but soft enough that it melts and goes soft in the mouth.

Ingredients

50g Butter

3 dl Whipping cream

1,5 dl golden syrup

3 dl Sugar

6 ml Cinnamon

6 ml Cloves (ground)

6 ml Ginger (ground)

First of all, this recipe requires a few utensils, best to get them out first. You'll need a large(ish) pot to cook the toffee in, the best is a large, fairly wide one (wilde so that it heats faster, large so that it doesn't boil over). I used a 5 liter one. You'll also need a thermometer that goes up to more than 125°C. Finally, prepare a "mold" to pour the toffee into once it's done, I used a 20x20 cm one, but slightly smaller or larger isn't a big deal. Cover the mold in baking paper.

Tip #1: scrunch up the baking paper and smooth it back out a few times first, it'll make it softer and easier to fit into the mold.

Tip #2: Keep a bowl of water next to you, the toffee is VERY hot, and unlike water, it'll stick to your skin. If some gets on you, cool it down quickly.

Place all the ingredients into the pot, and turn the stove to medium-high. Stir a bit while it melts.

Once it has melted, turn the stove down to medium and let it come to a boil. Measure the temperature constantly, stirring occasionally, it'll darken a bit after a while. Once the toffee reaches 125°C, it's done, remove from the heat and stir vigorously until it stops boiling. 

Pour into the mod and let cool. Then cut into bite-sized pieces, with either a knife or scissors, and wrap in pieces of baking paper.