Sri Lankan Milk Toffees
Microwaved & no added sugar!
Ingredients:
Sweetened Condensed Milk (397g)- 2 tins
Butter- 8g
Nut (any mix of your fav kind)- 180g (or less if you want a higher toffee ratio)
Butterscotch Essence 1/2 tsp (you could go for vanilla alternatively, but this gives a richer flavour for me)
Ground Cinnamon 1/8th tsp
Salt 1/8th tsp
Rock Salt 1/2 tsp (optional, I just prefer the sweetness cut through more sharply)
Pre-prep:
Coarsely chop the nuts. Add it to a bowl, shake it so the larger pieces settle to the top and remove about 1/3rd portion from the top and keep aside.
Prepare a large square tin, I’d recommend one about 8.5-9 inches spray with oil & line with a baking paper and set aside.
Clear up a space next to the microwave with a heat pad, oven mits, spatulas, a wooden spoon, a plate to keep your used utensils, oil spray and any emergency cleaning equipment (wipes, kitchen towels etc.).
Wipe down and clean your microwave, just so you can scrape and add back anything that overflows inside the microwave.
Method:
Dump all the ingredients (except the rock salt and the 1/3rd portion of larger chopped nuts) into a large tall bowl that can hold three times the quantity of condensed milk added. (You will need that extra space to let it rise and not overflow.
Give the ingredients a good stir and pop it into the microwave on medium for about 4 minutes.
Take bowl out, stir well and put it back in. This time take the wooden spoon, spray some oil over and keep it on top of the bowl so it doesn’t overflow and microwave for 2 minutes. Stop and stir.
Continue the microwaving in 2 minute increments up to a total of 30 minutes.
Once the time is complete or if the mix is getting too hard to stir carefully pour this into the prepared tray.
Spray the surface with oil and using another piece of baking paper and an oven mit, distribute and flatten the mix in the pan. You can also use a fondant smoother as well to flatten this evenly.
Once it is smooth and levelled, quickly sprinkle the rest of the nuts and rock salt on top and flatten again with the baking paper over.
Let it cool about 10 minutes before attempting to cut. Always use a sharp knife (I also used a pizza cutter), butter the utensils well.
When it’s cool enough you can check the consistency if it has a clean break. The bite shouldn’t be hard like the traditional milk toffee but also should not be too sticky that it sticks on your teeth and the top of you mouth while eating.
If the above consistency isn’t still there pop this in the oven at 120c and bake with a loose foil over it (perforated with a toothpick). Once times up, (it will be soft while it’s hot) take the tray out and let it cool. Once cooled if the consistency is still too gooey (or bulto-like, IYKYK) bake it a little more until right.
And there you have it! No hours of constant stirring and much less sugar with a more delicious outcome, what’s not to love!