{"id":42703,"date":"2024-06-05T18:13:56","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T01:13:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/?p=42703"},"modified":"2025-06-01T12:05:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T19:05:27","slug":"toffee-talk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/toffee-talk\/","title":{"rendered":"Toffee talk"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we started CBTB back in 2009, we were quite the purists \u2014 we were only going to talk about local artisan chocolate \u2014 nothing mass marketed, no candy, nothing we didn\u2019t like (like white chocolate<\/a>) \u2014 just chocolate, preferably dark, made in small batches and only in SFBA. Over the years we have expanded \u2014 other places, other chocolates (white, blonde, ruby<\/a>), chocolate-adjacent candy, even chocolate baked goods have been creeping into our reviews (thank Brigadeiro Sprinkles<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0for that bending of the rules).<\/p>\n

The biggest influencer on our expanding categories has to be TasteTV<\/a>, sponsors of the Chocolate Salons and top chocolate awards. Since we were asked to be judges in 2011 by Andr\u00e9 Crump and his crew in these competitions we have tried a wide range of chocolates and chocolate adjacents which we have decided to cover here at CBTB.<\/p>\n

Toffee was one of the first chocolate adjacents we started covering because we were judges in a toffee competition<\/a>. I thought toffee was too sweet, hard, sticky, full of bad ingredients \u2014 so my mind was blown by how good toffee could be when experienced makers cared about what went into it and how they made it.<\/p>\n

Since then I have come to look forward to the toffee competitions. The\u00a0Top Artisan Toffee Awards 2024<\/a> met my expectations with a lot of good\/excellent toffee \u2014 including from our local competitors who I like to start with.<\/p>\n

SFBA<\/h2>\n

There were 3 local competitors this year, 2 were repeats and the other was one whose toffee I have loved since they started making it.<\/p>\n

Tomo Toffee<\/h3>\n
\"Tomo
Tomo Traditional Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Return competitor\u00a0Tomo Toffee<\/a>,<\/strong> San Ramon, submitted 2 of their classic Southern style toffees: Dark Chocolate Toffee and S\u2019mores Toffee.<\/p>\n

Tomo\u2019s Dark Chocolate Toffee was excellent as always \u2014 I think they submit it every year and it wins multiple awards. It\u2019s a traditional toffee \u2014 not too thick nor too thin, crunchy but not hard, buttery, not too sweet, with good roasted almond and pecan flavors, and covered in a tasty dark chocolate. I rated it 5 stars.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Tomo Toffee Dark Chocolate Toffee won Silver for Best Taste, Best Texture, and Top Toffee; and received an Honorable Mention for Best Ingredient Combinations. It was awarded 4 stars.<\/p>\n

\"Tomo
Tomo S\u2019Mores Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tomo\u2019s other repeat entry, S\u2019mores Toffee, is a milk chocolate covered traditional toffee with the cutest decoration: toasted mini marshmallows on one side. Pieces of graham crackers covered both sides.<\/p>\n

This is a sweeter toffee but also delicious with the added fun textures of chewy marshmallows and soft crunch crackers with the crunchy toffee. It\u2019s addictive and I rated it 5 stars.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Tomo Toffee S\u2019mores Toffee won Gold for Best Taste and Best Texture; Silver for Best Ingredient Combinations; and Bronze for Top Toffee. It was awarded 4 stars.<\/p>\n

Tomo Toffee is available via their website and at some local stores. Check their website<\/a> for locations.<\/p>\n

Rainy Day Chocolate<\/h3>\n
\"Rainy
Rainy Day\u2019s incognito entries in compostable packaging<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019m not sure why it took first time toffee competitor\u00a0Rainy Day Chocolate<\/a>,<\/strong> Forestville, so long to enter these competitions. They might be more known for their single origin chocolate but I have liked and recommended their toffee since they debuted it at the 2018 International Chocolate Salon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When we were sampling we didn\u2019t know if it was Rainy Day at first because there was no logo on the packages but the flavors \u2014 English Toffee with Dark Chocolate, Toasted Almond, and Himalayan Pink Sea Salt and English Toffee with Milk Chocolate, Macadamia Nut, and Toasted Coconut \u2014 sounded like their toffee so who else could it be?<\/p>\n

Sampling the toffees just strengthened our suspicions and once we got the judging form they were confirmed.<\/p>\n

\"Rainy
Rainy Day\u2019s Dark Chocolate Toffee looked like game pieces for an edible \u201cName That State\u201d competition \u2014 Illinois & Arkansas maybe?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We tried the Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt Toffee first. The \u201ccommercially compostable rice paper packaging\u201d contained 2 big pieces \u2014 the biggest was 4-1\/2″x3-1\/2″<\/p>\n

The thick crunchy toffee was coated on one side with dark chocolate and topped with finely chopped nuts. There were larger pieces of roasted almond inside the toffee. So many nuts made for a delicious nutty aroma and good roasted nut flavor.<\/p>\n

And I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s because Rainy Day is primarily a chocolate maker but this toffee had the strongest chocolate flavor of any of the entries this year. It was a really good balance to someone like me who is always looking for chocolate. It ended with a little hit of salt but it wasn\u2019t too salty \u2014 it was the best use of salt in a toffee in this competition too. I rated it 5 stars.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Rainy Day Chocolate Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt Toffee won Gold for Best Texture; Silver for Top Toffee; and Bronze for Best Ingredient Combinations and Best Taste. It was awarded 4 stars.<\/p>\n

\"Rainy
Rainy Day Milk Chocolate Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like the Dark Toffee, their English Toffee with Milk Chocolate, Macadamia Nut, and Toasted Coconut was a crunchy toffee coated with chocolate on one side \u2014 but this time topped with toasted coconut. It was a very buttery toffee.<\/p>\n

I loved this combo \u2014 a lot of times coconut dominates other flavors but in this toffee the coconut is there but not overpowering everything else. Along with the sweet milk chocolate it had a nice mild macadamia flavor from the chopped nuts inside the toffee. I rated it 5 stars.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Rainy Day Chocolate Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut Toasted Coconut Toffee won Silver for Top Toffee and received Honorable Mentions for Best Ingredient Combinations and Best Taste. It was awarded 4.5 stars \u2014 the highest rating.<\/p>\n

Rainy Day Chocolate is available online<\/a>, at special events, and soon at their chocolate factory in Sonoma County (slated to open Fall 2024).<\/p>\n

Sonoma Chocolatiers<\/h3>\n

Return competitor\u00a0Sonoma Chocolatiers<\/a>,<\/strong> Sebastopol, entered 2 toffees that were solid competitors.<\/p>\n

\"Sonoma
Sonoma Chocolatiers\u2019 3-Seed Chili Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Their 3-Seed Chili Toffee with 70% Dark Chocolate was almost 1\/2\u201d thick and double coated with chocolate, sesame seeds, pepitas, and sunflower seeds. It smelled so good \u2014 like roasted seeds and chocolate.
\nThe toffee was crunchy, the dark chocolate came next, then the different seeds with chili heat coming later.<\/p>\n

I like the flavor blend of the toffee, chocolate, seeds, and spice and rated it 4 stars.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Sonoma Chocolatiers\u2019 3-Seed Chili Toffee won Gold for Best Texture; Silver for Most Unique; Bronze for Best Taste; and received an Honorable Mention for Best Ingredient Combinations. It was awarded 4 stars.<\/p>\n

\"Sonoma
Slab of Sonoma Chocolatiers\u2019 Maple Pecan Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Their Maple Pecan Toffee with 65% Dark Milk Chocolate was a giant thick slab of toffee coated with chocolate and nuts on both sides. Seriously what is going on with the competitors this year and big toffee pieces? This one was about the same size as the Rainy Day one.<\/p>\n

This one was interesting too because the toffee was almost as dark colored as the dark chocolate coating it because it had maple syrup in it. This hard crunchy toffee was very maple syrup tasting and too sweet for my taste. Due to the sweetness of the maple syrup I would have preferred a thinner toffee \u2014 but keep the coating both sides \u2014 to have a better ratio of the less sweet parts (nuts, dark chocolate) to the sweet syrup. I rated it 3 stars.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Sonoma Chocolatiers Autumnal Toffee \u2014 AKA Maple Pecan with 65% Dark Chocolate \u2014 won Gold for Best Texture; Silver for Best Ingredient Combinations; Bronze for Top Toffee; and received an Honorable Mention for Best Taste. It was awarded 4 stars.<\/p>\n

Sonoma Chocolatiers\u2019 chocolates are available at their store, online<\/a>, at special events, and at Oliver\u2019s Market<\/a>, a Sonoma County supermarket chain.<\/p>\n

Recommended<\/h2>\n

Outside SFBA there were some top toffees too \u2014 some familiar competitors and some new ones. These are toffees I rated 4 or 5 stars.<\/p>\n

The Toffee Merchant<\/h3>\n

Return competitor\u00a0The Toffee Merchant<\/a>,<\/strong> Phoenix, AZ, brought back their winner from last year plus 2 new entries:<\/p>\n

\"The
The Toffee Merchant\u2019s Bourbon Pecan English Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The repeat entry Bourbon Pecan English Toffee was thick slabs of toffee coated generously on one side with chocolate and chopped nuts \u2014 with more chopped nuts inside the toffee. It had a good crunch with a good roasted pecan flavor then a hit of bourbon in the buttery toffee and good semisweet chocolate. This is an excellent not too sweet toffee, and I rated it 5 stars.<\/p>\n

In the competition, The Toffee Merchant Bourbon Pecan English Toffee won Gold for Top Toffee; Silver for Best Texture; Bronze for Best Taste; and received an Honorable Mention for Best Ingredient Combinations. It was awarded 4.5 stars \u2014 the highest rating.<\/p>\n

\"Salted
The Toffee Merchant\u2019s Salted Espresso Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of their new flavors, the Salted Espresso Toffee, topped the espresso flavored toffee with semisweet chocolate, pink Himalayan salt, almonds, and pecans. The big pieces of nuts were interspersed with finely chopped nuts on the surface and the toffee was a dark color from the espresso powder. Nice touch: It was decaf espresso powder so no extra caffeine buzz with this toffee.<\/p>\n

It had an immediate taste of espresso then salt in the crunchy buttery toffee. I liked that it wasn\u2019t too sweet but the salt was a tad too assertive for me. It ended with a sweet salty aftertaste. I rated it 4 stars.<\/p>\n

In the competition, The Toffee Merchant Salted Espresso Toffee won Silver for Best Texture and was awarded 4 stars.<\/p>\n

The Toffee Merchant\u2019s toffees are available online.<\/p>\n

\"Fritz
Fritz Toffee\u2019s tall jar of toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fritz Toffee<\/h3>\n

We always look forward to what\u2019s inside the big jar of toffee from repeat competitor Fritz Toffee<\/a>,<\/strong> IA. This year they submitted their Bourbon Pecan Toffee.<\/p>\n

The toffee was not the most eye catching with a few nuts sprinkled on top amidst a fine powder of pulverized pecans. There were more chopped pecans inside the toffee.<\/p>\n

The thick slabs of hard crunch toffee were lightly coated with chocolate and very buttery. it was a good balance \u2014 the chocolate was strong enough to be distinct and the toffee was tasty with a good pecan flavor and a subtle bourbon flavor plus a very vanilla aftertaste. I rated it 4 stars.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Fritz Toffee Company Bourbon Pecan won Gold for Best Texture; Silver for Top Toffee; and received Honorable Mentions for Best Ingredient Combinations and Best Taste. It was awarded 4 stars.<\/p>\n

You can usually buy Fritz Toffee on their website, but when I checked it said it is temporarily closed (maybe they don’t ship in the hot summer weather). Fritz Toffee is also available at some retailers in IA. Check their website for locations.<\/p>\n

Tania\u2019s Toffee<\/h3>\n

New competitor Tania\u2019s Toffee<\/a>,<\/strong> Englewood, FL, might be a new business too \u2014 their website is under construction. They submitted one entry, their signature Tania\u2019s Toffee.<\/p>\n

\"Tania\u2019s
Tania\u2019s Toffee in its freshness sealed jar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The toffee consisted of thick pieces coated on both sides with chocolate and finely chopped nuts. It was crunchy \u2014 but not too hard \u2014 and buttery. It had an uncommon nut mix \u2014almonds and walnuts \u2014 I don\u2019t see a lot of walnuts in these toffee competitions. And it mixed milk chocolate and semisweet chocolate, which is something I am starting to see more of \u2014 a way to make a darker milk chocolate from existing couvertures.<\/p>\n

I thought this was a good above average toffee \u2014 the walnuts were a tasty twist on the usual pecans and the darker milk helped keep the sweetness level down.<\/p>\n

I also liked their packaging \u2014 a vacuum sealed jar. The toffee was clearly visible and its freshness was ensured. Humidity is the bane of any toffee \u2014 it gets soft and sticky quickly \u2014 so I like to see packaging like this or resealable pouches for toffee so I can enjoy the toffee to the end.<\/p>\n

I rated Tania’s Toffee 4 stars. In the competition, it won Bronze for Best Texture and was awarded 3.5 stars.<\/p>\n

Currently there is no easy way to buy Tania\u2019s Toffee. You can leave your email address on their under-construction website to get news of when they will open for business.<\/p>\n

Crafian Artisanal Toffee<\/h3>\n

Crafian Artisanal Toffee<\/a>,<\/strong> Chicago, IL, was a new competitor in 2022 and while they didn\u2019t make my recommended list then I thought they were a toffee maker to watch<\/a>. They came back this year and proved me right with 2 entries I can recommend.<\/p>\n

Crafian makes visually appealing toffee that\u2019s full of chopped nuts and coated on both sides with chocolate, then decorated with whole\/chopped nuts and other inclusions on top, and finished off with a drizzle of more chocolate. Their resealable packaging is very elegant \u2014 mostly black, minimal text, and a see-through window band across the front that reveals the toffee inside. Very giftable.<\/p>\n

\"Crafian
Crafian Coconut Curry and Cashews Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Their Coconut Curry and Cashews Toffee smelled like coconut curry as soon as I opened the bag. The big thick piece of toffee was coated with milk chocolate and sprinkled with cashews and coconut.<\/p>\n

I could definitely taste the curry and coconut with a mild cashew flavor in the crunchy buttery toffee covered in good chocolate. Top notch ingredients and a good balance of flavors made this unusual toffee very satisfying. I rated it 4 stars.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Crafian Artisanal Toffee Coconut Curry and Cashew won Gold for Most Unique and Silver for Best Ingredient Combinations. It was awarded 3.5 stars.<\/p>\n

\"Crafian
Crafian Dark Chocolate Salted Almond Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Crafian\u2019s other entry was a return of their original entry, Dark Chocolate Salted Almond Toffee. That time I thought the toffee was too salty and the almonds too mild to rank it top tier. This time I thought it was close to perfect. It had an initial hit of salt but it wasn\u2019t too much. And the almonds were really tasty this time \u2014 maybe because they included whole nuts along with the chopped nuts so the flavor balance was better.<\/p>\n

Otherwise it was the same as I remembered \u2014crunchy nuts and toffee with good dark chocolate and toffee flavors. I rated it 4 stars.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Crafian Artisanal Toffee Dark Chocolate Salted Almond won Silver for Best Texture; Bronze for Best Ingredient Combinations; and received an Honorable Mention for Top Toffee. It was awarded 4.5 stars \u2014 the highest rating.<\/p>\n

You can order Crafian Artisanal Toffee on their website.<\/p>\n

Robinson Confections<\/h3>\n

Robinson Confections<\/a>,<\/strong> Hayden, ID, makes spiked toffees that are always interesting<\/a> and this year\u2019s entry was delicious too.<\/p>\n

\"Pumpkin
Robinson\u2019s Pumpkin Spice Martini Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Starting with a traditional English toffee recipe they added Smirnoff Vanilla Vodka, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon, then covered it with a marbled Callebaut 28% white chocolate \u2014 Robinson uses quality ingredients and their product descriptions usually highlight them.<\/p>\n

Their entry was one big slab of dark toffee covered with very pretty marbled chocolate on one side. The marbling was done by swirling the spices through the melted chocolate and I could smell the spices before I took it out of the package.<\/p>\n

The slab was so thick that it was hard to break \u2014 don\u2019t worry, I persevered and was rewarded with a crunchy toffee. It was a good combo \u2014 not boozy \u2014 vanilla-y and pumpkin spicy instead. It didn\u2019t taste chocolate-y or buttery \u2014 the spices were dominant \u2014 but I didn\u2019t think that was bad in this instance. It was a different kind of toffee experience.<\/p>\n

Even though it used white chocolate and contained zero nuts, it was not too sweet. The only minus was it stuck to my teeth some. I rated it 4 stars.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Robinson Confections\u2019 Pumpkin Spice Martini Toffee received Honorable Mentions for Best Ingredient Combinations and Most Unique. It was awarded 3 stars.<\/p>\n

Robinson Confections are available online and at stores in ID, MO, OR, and WA.<\/p>\n

Belle Toffee<\/h3>\n

Return competitor, Belle Toffee<\/a>,<\/strong> Kansas City, MO, usually submits 3 toffees each year and they move up and down in my rankings every time. Last year all 3 made my recommended list<\/a>. This time only 1 did but the other 2 are in the next level.<\/p>\n

I like Belle\u2019s presentation: Bite-size chocolate covered squares of toffee in resealable packages. And their toffee is good \u2014 it\u2019s the coating that seems to vary from year to year that changes the experience.<\/p>\n

\"Belle
Belle Toffee\u2019s Bourbon Pecan Toffee in Gold Chocolate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Belle Toffee flavor that I rated highest this year was their Bourbon Pecan Toffee in Gold Chocolate. The individual enrobed squares smelled buttery, the toffee was crunchy, and this year they had a really delicious bourbon and butterscotch taste. The only minus was a not as delicious aftertaste so I rated it 4 stars.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Belle Toffee Bourbon Pecan Toffee in Belgian Gold Chocolate won Gold for Best Texture and was awarded 4 stars.<\/p>\n

Belle Toffee is available online and at stores around KS and MO. Check their website for locations.<\/p>\n

Good<\/h2>\n

While these toffees didn\u2019t get my highest ratings I thought they were still worth a mention. These are entries that I rated in the middle \u2014 3 stars.<\/p>\n

Belle Toffee<\/h3>\n

Continuing with Belle Toffee, their other 2 entries were a milk chocolate toffee and a dark.<\/p>\n

The Milk Chocolate Almond Toffee reappeared this year after being replaced last year with a dark chocolate version. It was the same crunchy toffee with a good almond flavor but the milk chocolate was just meh \u2014 the dark chocolate version last year was much better. I don\u2019t think milk chocolate is wrong for this, I just think it needs a better couverture.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Belle Toffee Almond Toffee in Belgian Milk Chocolate won Silver for Best Texture. It was awarded 4 stars.<\/p>\n

\"Belle
Belle Toffee\u2019s 2024 entries<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019m not sure what happened with the Roasted Hazelnut Espresso Toffee in Dark Chocolate. That has always been my favorite of Belle\u2019s toffees but this year it was just OK.<\/p>\n

It smelled yummy with a good coffee chocolate aroma and had an initial hazelnut coffee taste, but the very crunchy toffee got a little soapy tasting and like their milk chocolate entry I think this one needs better chocolate.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Belle Toffee Roasted Hazelnut Espresso Toffee in Belgian Dark Chocolate won Silver for Best Texture and received Honorable Mentions for Best Taste and Top Toffee. It was awarded 3.5 stars.<\/p>\n

The Toffee Merchant<\/h3>\n

The Toffee Merchant\u2019s third entry was a new interesting flavor: Tart Cherry Amaretto. Like their other toffees, this entry consisted of thick slabs of toffee coated on one side with dark chocolate and chopped almonds and pecans. On this one the big pieces of nuts were interspersed with finely chopped nuts and freeze dried cherries.<\/p>\n

\"Tart
The Toffee Merchant\u2019s Tart Cherry Amaretto Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The toffee had a strong sweet almond aroma and immediate taste, then it changed to cherry and actually had more cherry flavor than amaretto. Chocolate came last. Like their other entries it was a good crunchy toffee, but this one was too sweet for me.<\/p>\n

It did very well in the competition winning Gold for Best Ingredient Combinations; Silver for Best Taste; and Bronze for Best Texture, Most Unique, and Top Toffee. It was awarded 4 stars.<\/p>\n

Lulubee Artisan Chocolates<\/h3>\n

Lulubee Artisinal Chocolates<\/a>,<\/strong> Lincoln, NE, has competed in other TasteTV competitions but this is the first time they submitted entries to the toffee competition.<\/p>\n

Their English Toffees are super traditional: Simple ingredient lists \u2014 sugar, butter, nuts, chocolate, salt \u2014 and the toffee is thin with some chopped nuts inside, then coated with chocolate on one side and topped with finely chopped nuts.<\/p>\n

\"Lulubee
Lulubee toffees are traditional English toffees to a \u2018T\u2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Their Milk Chocolate with Almonds English Toffee smelled buttery and had a buttery\/salty flavor. The toffee had a small crunch and was a little sticky. It did not have pronounced chocolate or nut flavors. It wasn\u2019t bad, just not special enough to rank higher in my book. In the competition it was awarded 3.5 stars.<\/p>\n

Their Dark Chocolate with Pecans English Toffee was similar to the milk chocolate one but more flavorful with the distinct flavor of roasted pecans
\nand a more tasty chocolate flavor from the dark chocolate.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Lulubee Artisanal Chocolates Dark Chocolate Pecan English Toffee won Silver for Best Texture, and Bronze for Best Taste and Top Toffee. It was awarded 4 stars.<\/p>\n

You can buy Lulubee Artisanal Chocolates\u2019 toffee online, at their store in Lincoln, and at other locations around NE. Check their website for locations.<\/p>\n

Susi Toffee<\/h3>\n

New competitor\u00a0Susi Toffee<\/a>,<\/strong> Columbia, SC, submitted 2 toffees that I liked even though they ran too sweet for me.<\/p>\n

\"Almond
Almond Milk Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Their namesake Susi Toffee was coated with milk chocolate on both sides, with a few sliced almonds on one side and more inside the toffee. The sparse scattering of almond slices on milk chocolate looked like abstract art.<\/p>\n

The toffee was crunchy but a little sticky. It tasted lightly buttery and chocolatey. They used a good milk chocolate but it needed more nuts and less sweetness to move it up my list.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Susi Toffi\u2019s namesake toffee won Bronze for Best Texture and was awarded 3.5 stars.<\/p>\n

\"Smoked
Smoked Salt S\u2019More Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Smoked Salt S\u2019more Toffee was more interesting. Like the other toffee it was coated both sides with a good milk chocolate. One side was visibly salted and it had a marshmallow creme layer inside on top of the toffee.<\/p>\n

The marshmallow layer added a chewy texture to the toffee which was very satisfying \u2014 usually chewy is a no-no in toffees. It had a salted flavor but wasn\u2019t too salty. I liked this one better than other one but it was still too sweet for me. Maybe switch in a dark chocolate for the milk to balance the extra sweetness that the marshmallow layer adds.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Susi Toffi\u2019s Smoked Salt S\u2019more Toffee won Bronze for Best Texture and was awarded 3.5 stars.<\/p>\n

Visit their Facebook page<\/a> for instructions for ordering toffee.<\/p>\n

The Toffee Store<\/h3>\n
\"The
The Cobblestone Single<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Return competitor\u00a0The Toffee Store<\/strong>, <\/strong>Oakland Charter Township, MI, didn\u2019t make my cut last year but this year they returned with a new confection, the Cobblestone, which was a naked square of toffee the size of a graham cracker that had lots of chopped roasted pecans mixed throughout.<\/p>\n

A no chocolate toffee \u2014 isn\u2019t that just a brittle? \u2014 has to work extra hard to earn my interest. The Cobblestone Single just made it under the wire this year. It was a dark caramel colored square that broke easily and was crunchy with a salted butter flavor and a mystery savory flavor that I assume was the unsalted pecans but they might have snuck something extra in there that I couldn\u2019t identify. I gave it points for being not too sweet but it stuck to my teeth a little.<\/p>\n

In the competition, the Cobblestone was awarded 3.5 stars.<\/p>\n

You can buy The Toffee Store\u2019s naked and enrobed toffees on their website.<\/p>\n

Toffee takeaway<\/h2>\n

All in all this was an interesting competition with some new standouts and some old favorites. As always I didn\u2019t like everything I sampled so I concentrate on the good and above in these reviews. I didn\u2019t include any toffees I thought were below average so if you\u2019re looking for some new toffee to try I think you can find it somewhere in here.<\/p>\n

If you are interested in the full list of 2024 Top Toffee Awards, visit the International Chocolate Salon website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is bigger better? This year\u2019s toffee competition had me pulling out a ruler<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":43110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,15,884,169],"tags":[1436,1433,1160,1567,892,1432,1065,1621,1623,274,1238,1620,1067],"class_list":["post-42703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-chocolate","category-local-chocolate","category-north-bay","category-reviews","tag-belle-toffee","tag-crafian-artisanal-toffee","tag-fritz-toffee","tag-lulubee-artisinal-chocolates","tag-rainy-day-chocolate","tag-robinson-soft-brittle","tag-sonoma-chocolatiers","tag-susi-toffee","tag-tanias-toffee","tag-tastetv","tag-the-toffee-merchant","tag-the-toffee-store","tag-tomo-toffee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42703"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45973,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42703\/revisions\/45973"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}