Churro Toffee is a copycat Disneyland recipe that tastes just like the one from Pooh’s Corner in Critter Country. Get the buttery, sugary, chocolatey, cinnamon magic that is Disney Churro Toffee right in your kitchen today!
If you love copycat recipes, then you’re going to want to make my Red’s Apple Freeze, Galaxy’s Edge Blue Milk, and my Knott’s Berry Farm Buttermilk Biscuits right away!
There’s no secret that I love all things Disney. A fan since I was a child, I just can’t get enough of Disney movies and magic. I grew up watching and rewatching all the Disney movies even before I had kids. Now that I have three of my own, I’ve found I love them even more.
My husband and I took the kids to Disneyland last month for some more of that magic (and food!). We went all around the park, tasting and sipping and watching and riding and laughing and generally trying to soak up as much of that Disneyland magic as we possibly could, body and soul.
While all of their treats are tasty, one in particular stuck out to me: The Churro Toffee that’s only sold around the holidays. We discovered it at Pooh’s Corner in Critter Country and couldn’t get enough. (We may have even gone back for seconds.) When I got home, I couldn’t stop thinking about it so I developed my own recipe for it of course. Now I can eat it year-round!
The only difference between this Christmas candy version I’ve created and the churro toffee recipe at Disneyland is that theirs is served in a block that’s completely wrapped in white chocolate. I decided to do mine in a single layer for convenience and so that it’s easier to share. This recipe is so easy to make that you don’t even need to get out a candy thermometer, and is a spinoff of my Easy Homemade English Toffee recipe.
WHAT IS A CHURRO MADE OF?
A churro is a traditional Spanish and Portuguese dessert that typically look like a fried, long, twisted donut. They can be straight, curled, or twisted into a spiral. The dough is made from a mixture of flour, water, and salt, which is then fried and dusted in cinnamon and sugar.
They are eaten for breakfast or a snack in Latin American cultures. They can also be found at carnivals, fairs, cultural celebrations, and my own personal, local favorite haunt: Costco.
WHAT DOES A CHURRO TASTE LIKE?
A churro tastes to me like a cinnamon-sugar donut. That’s about the best way I can describe it. Kind of like the cereal Cinnamon Toast Crunch or cinnamon-sugar donuts or toast or any of the other dreamy treats that involve that flavor combination. (For more cinnamon-sugar recipe ideas, try my Pumpkin Soft Pretzels with Vanilla Glaze.)
HOW DO YOU MAKE CHURRO TOFFEE?
When making any candy, and in particular this Christmas candy, it’s best to have all of your ingredients measured out and set out in front of you and ready to go as it can be a quick process. You really need to keep your eye on this cinnamon sugar toffee, and work fast. Don’t worry, it’s totally worth it!
That being said, you should have in front of you and measured out before you start cooking: the butter cut into 1-inch cubes, the sugar (both measurements), salt, vanilla, white chocolate chips, and cinnamon.
Have a baking or cookie sheet (one with sides) set out nearby. Stir together the three tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon and set that aside.
Next, find a large saucepan (2 quarts or more) with a thick bottom so that your candy won’t burn). Add to it the cup of granulated sugar, butter cubes, vanilla, and salt over medium heat, and start the stirring process (you’ll be stirring throughout — so don’t leave your oven while the toffee is coming together.
Once everything is melted, keep stirring and put the heat up to medium-high in small increments. Stir, stir, stir some more as you raise the burner temperature up slowly. You’ll be stirring an additional 10-15 minutes until the toffee reaches a golden brown color. The color will look like raw almonds when it’s done. When it reaches this color, pour the toffee out into your baking sheet.
Let the toffee cool on the sheet for a couple of minutes, then sprinkle the chocolate chips right on top. They’ll start to melt and you can take the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula and spread the melted chips in a layer on top of the toffee. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the melted chocolate chips.
Let the toffee cool completely from here. If you want to speed up the process, you can put the baking sheet in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. Once it’s completely cooled down and hardened, take a butter knife and break it apart. Store it in an airtight container, parcel up for gifts, or serve it right away for dessert (or whenever you need to eat that Churro Toffee).
Churro Toffee (Disneyland Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter - cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups white chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Get all of your ingredients measured and set out before you start the recipe. Get a baking sheet/cookie sheet/or jelly roll pan out and set aside. Stir together 3 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon and set aside.
- Add sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt to a large sauce pan (at least 2-quarts and it needs to have a thick bottom – not a thin metal one like stainless steel, or your toffee will burn!) and melt over medium heat, stirring throughout.
- When ingredients are completely melted, continuously stir and gradually increase heat to medium-high. Keep stirring, stirring, stirring for 10-15 minutes until the toffee is a golden brown color (similar to the color of the raw almonds). As soon as it reaches that color, quickly pour onto your baking sheet.
- Allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then sprinkle with chocolate chips. Allow to sit for another couple of minutes so the chocolate chips will melt, then use the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula to spread the melted chocolate evenly over the toffee. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture, then allow the toffee to cool completely. (If you put the pan in the fridge or freezer this will only take a few minutes!).
- After toffee and chocolate and completely cooled, use a butter knife to break apart the toffee. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Wow somethIng weNt totally wrong when i tried Making this and i have no idea what happened! The butter split completely and the toffee mixture looked way off. Anyone else Have success?
This was mostly a success! I kept stirring the whole time but at a med temp. It separated a little bit. I think the trick iS to make sure the cookie sheet is warm enough to not burn the toffee but warm enougH to melt the choc chIps. I let it cool for a few hours before
Moving it to the freezer. No Butter build up on the sides. Was a huge hit with tHe family
So happy to hear that! Thanks for your positive feedback!
Have tried to make this twice and both times the butter separated about 8mins after the ingredients fully melted. Any ideas what I might be doing wrong?
Usually the butter separates from the rest of the toffee for a couple of reasons…
You stirred too quickly (not necessarily too much, just too fast)
You had the heat too high so the temperature rose too quickly and your liquid evaporated too quickly.
If this happens again and you can’t get it back after continuing to stir, try adding a pinch of salt! It can act as a stabilizer.
I’ve made this recipe a few times and it just keeps getting better! Delicious!
That’s sweet of you to say, thank you! 🙂