How To Make Homemade Butterscotch Candy – The Old School Way

February 15th was National “I Want Butterscotch Day.” Never heard of it? Well, to be honest, neither did we. But since we’ve discovered it, and we love butterscotch, we thought we’d give it a try and make our own and share it in this post about how to make homemade butterscotch candy.

It also sparked an idea for us here at Box Your Lunch. We’re going to start using these “National Days” for upcoming posts. We thought it would be a lot of fun, discovering new ‘days’ we never heard of while also talking about more popular ones like St. Patrick’s or Christmas. Anywho,

Anywho, let’s get to talking about this candy we’re about to share with you. The recipe below is the traditional way of making butterscotch candy. It’s not what you find in a little golden wrapper at your local candy shop. Nope! This is something special 🙂

The Story Of Butterscotch Candy

The story of butterscotch is told of a British gentleman, a confectioner, took a trip to Italy only to find that Italians made sweets way better than the sweets found in England. Although unhappy with his discovery, it inspired him to set out and create something better! The butterscotch candy was born. Interested in more about this cand? Visit wikipedia for more on butterscotch.

How To Make Homemade Butterscotch Candy

Here you will find a recipe by Liverpool Mercury from February 1st, 1848. Imagine eating something that goes that far back. Imagine the reaction of people who would try a candy like butterscotch for the very first time! This is what you’ll need

• 1 pound granulated sugar
• 1 pound unsalted butter
• 4 oz Grandmas molasses

(4oz is by using a scale! Not by size of jar. There is a big difference! Precise measurements below)

• 10-14 grams fine sea salt, or to taste (about 2-2½ teaspoons)

**Grandmas molasses** : ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons.

We recommend grandmas brand molasses for the proper taste. Other types may turn your candy dark and be overpowered by the molasses taste. If you use a stronger tasting molasses, be sure to cut back on how much is used. That will all be dependent upon your taste. Here we go!

1. Line the bottom of an 8″ or 9″ baking dish with a nonstick foil or parchment paper. Make sure the foil go up and over opposite sides of the pan. The other sides will remain uncovered, and that’s just fine.
2. Spray the entire pan generously with cooking spray, especially the unlined sides. While you have that ready, move on to step 3
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over a medium-low heat.
4. When butter is melted start to add sugar, molasses, and salt.
5. When you have a good ‘wet’ consistency, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring it to a boil. Continue to stir.
6. Cook until the temperature of the candy reaches 250ºF and then pour into your foil lined pan.
7. Let it sit for about 15 -20 minutes or until not quite cooled, and then score the candy to make it easier to cut later. Run a thin spatula between the edges of pan and butterscotch, and put it in the fridge to firm it up completely.

You may now dump it onto a cutting board, but make sure you grease the board. This stuff is sticky!  mmmmmm so good! Go ahead and cut them into fun shapes or simple squares. You’ll have up to 80 pieces of butterscotch candy depending on the size you cut. Refrigerate to store. Or you can make large batches and vacuum seal them and freeze for over a year!

This is very simple. We really hope you give it a try! Do you have your own recipe on how to make homeade butterscotch candy? Please share it in the comments below! And if you try this recipe, let us know what you think! Don’t forget to share this with your favorite social networks 🙂