There are folks who say you can tell when a liquid has gotten to the hard-crack stage—something about dropping some of the liquid into cold water, and it will form hard threads. However, I personally thought using a candy thermometer seemed more fool proof.

I will say it seemed like it took FOREVER for that thermometer to hit 300° i.e. the hard-crack stage, but I can be a very impatient person, especially when standing over a liquid that requires constant stirring/whisking. I probably pushed it a little too. I think my gooey delight was really only at 298°, when I decided it was done! (As my former teacher Colonel Woods used to say, “It’s close enough for government work,” and that is often how I approach cooking. I follow the directions just not always to a tee.)

Maybe that is why my toffee was a wee bit chewy, in my opinion. It was very tasty, in spite of that, though. Also, pumpkin seeds are a good source of Protein, Magnesium, and Zinc—so I would consider this a healthy snack, in spite of the 2+ cups of butter also called for in the recipe. 🙂