The world of baked sugar is a magical realm. The temperature at which sugar is heated, as well as the ingredients it is mixed with, can produce vastly different textures and flavors. Sugar crystals turn into many favorite sweets through caramelization, when heated the sugars break down, changing both their color and flavor.
Caramel, butterscotch and toffee are all made using the same cooking techniques and are often mistaken for each other. These desserts demonstrate how subtle variations – such as the addition of milk, cream, or butter, and the precise temperature at which cooking is stopped – can create different flavors and textures.
To better understand the differences between caramel, butterscotch, and toffee, I spoke with its author, Nathan Myhrvold. modernist cuisineAnd Nick SharmaA Serious Eats contributor, cookbook author, and editor in residence America’s Test KitchenHere I learned about the differences, as well as the best uses of each of these gummy sweets.
caramel
Ingredients: granulated sugar
Cooking Temperature: Temperatures for recipes range from approximately 250 to 350°F (121 to 175°C), depending on the desired result.
Caramel is made by heating granulated sugar (white sugar) until it melts and caramelizes. There are two main techniques: dry caramel and wet caramel. Dry caramel is made by heating sugar on its own, without any liquids, while wet caramel starts with sugar dissolved in water. The temperature at which you cook it will determine the final flavor and texture: the longer the cooking time, the richer the flavor. Cream and butter are combined at the end of caramelization to create delicious caramel sauces and soft, chewy candies.
Cooking caramel requires a watchful eye. Even the most experienced chefs have had a batch scorched or crystallized. As the sugar cooks, its flavor deepens and becomes more complex – but there’s a fine line between beautifully caramelized and burnt. Myhrvold recommends caramelizing the sugar in a smaller pan to reduce the chance of burning, explaining that it can be difficult to heat a larger pan evenly, resulting in some of the sugar cooking too quickly. Making caramel well requires precision: getting sugar to the right amber shade will reward you with rich, nutty and salty flavor.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Sharma explains that sugar naturally wants to crystallize and will seize any opportunity to get back to that state during cooking. Adding an acid such as lemon juice or cream of tartar can help stabilize the mixture by preventing crystallization. If your sugar crystallizes, the good news is that it’s just sugar. If a batch goes wrong, delete it and try again.
Caramel is an incredibly versatile ingredient. As Myhrvold notes, how you want to use it will determine the ingredients you add. Adding cream to the caramel at the end of cooking helps it maintain a liquid consistency when cooled, which is ideal for incorporating into sauces and buttercreams. Iconic caramel-based desserts include caramel cake, Tarte tatincrème caramel, and Millionaire’s Shortbread,
Getty Images / Magon
butterscotch
Material: sugar (usually brown) and butter
Cooking Temperature: Approximately 234 to 265°F (112 to 129°C) depending on desired result.
Butterscotch is different from other caramelized sweets because it is usually made from brown sugar rather than granulated sugar, and butter is always incorporated during the cooking process. As Sharma explains, brown sugar—which is either partially refined sugar that retains some molasses or white sugar coated with molasses—has a higher moisture content, making it more difficult to burn, and natural acidity that makes it less likely to crystallize.
Butterscotch can take many forms, including sauce, candy, or pudding. Butterscotch Pudding A classic preparation is by tempering egg yolks with milk or cream, then adding them back into the butterscotch base. Hot Butterscotch SauceWith its sticky texture, it is a great topping for cakes, ice cream and other desserts. And yes, there are butterscotch hard candies—instantly recognizable by their canary yellow wrappers—that are made without milk or cream, so they have a less rich flavor than other butterscotch confections.
To make butterscotch, you cream butter and brown sugar together on the stove until it reaches your desired temperature: cooking the mixture to the soft ball stage (234 to 240°F/112 to 115°C) will give you a pourable sauce; Getting it to the hard ball stage (240 to 265°F/115 to 129°C) will give you chewy candies.
Despite containing “Scotch” in its name, there is no scotch in butterscotch. Butterscotch reportedly originated in Yorkshire, England in the mid-19th century. According to an entry in Britannica“Scotching” may refer to the practice of extracting the candy while still hot, making it easier to break into pieces once hardened. Others suggest it is simply an allusion to Scotland.
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
toffee
Material: sugar (usually brown) and butter
temperature: About 300 to 335°F (148 to 168°C)
Toffee distinguishes itself from caramel and butterscotch in one major way: it is typically served as hard candy. The process begins much like butterscotch – by caramelizing the sugar with the butter – and then taking the mixture to the hard crack stage of 300 to 335°F (148 to 168°C). Higher temperatures produce a deeper, more complex flavor and give toffee its distinctive nuttiness and brittle snap. When toffee is prepared as a sauce, such as sticky toffee puddingAdding jaggery and/or heavy cream helps prevent it from hardening, resulting in a smooth, pourable consistency.
Toffee candies are often enhanced with chocolate or nuts, which complement their rich flavor. At Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco, one of the most popular sweets is their Cacao Nib Toffee, coated in delicate, fruity 70% Zorzal Comunitario chocolate from the Dominican Republic. Pastry chef Zach Juliano explains that they make their toffees from a mixture of brown and granulated sugars mixed with local clover butter, which provides a more complex flavor than confections made with only granulated sugar. The fat content of the butter enhances the nutty caramelized flavor of the sugar, while the fruitiness of the chocolate, combined with the sea salt and cocoa nibs, helps enhance the sweetness of the confection.
Getty Images/Jenifoto
key takeaways
Caramel, butterscotch and toffee each demonstrate the magic of caramelized sugar, and show how variations in temperature, time and ingredients can lead to dramatically different results.
Caramel is cooked at the highest temperature of the three, and is commonly used as a sauce or flavor base for other desserts. It is usually made entirely from granulated (white) sugar and develops a deep, rich complexity as it approaches the caramel stage.
Butterscotch is cooked at the lowest temperature and always includes butter. Brown sugar is commonly used, which gives butterscotch its characteristic sweetness and nutty flavor. Butterscotch is often made into candy or sauce.
Similar to butterscotch, toffee is made with butter and sugar, but cooked to the hard crack stage, which gives it its brittle texture and deeper, more subtle flavor.
Cooking sugar requires patience and precision. A good candy thermometer, a watchful eye, and all your ingredients are essential before you begin. With a solid recipe and a little care, success with caramel, butterscotch, and toffee can be yours.
