recipe
Macadamia and star anise milk toffee
I was lucky enough to grow up with two grandmothers who are (and were) both excellent cooks and extremely lovely humans who gave cuddles and spoilt me. My nan, my mum’s mum on the Sri Lankan side, lived in the far reaches of Perth, while I grew up in Adelaide. Despite this, I spent enough time with her to instantly recognise the scent of Tabu that enveloped her and permeated her surroundings. I also knew, somewhere in her flat, there would always be an old biscuit tin with a stash of milk toffee.
Most countries have a version of a caramel sweet, whether it’s more a toffee variety or milk-based like this Sri Lankan one. I am partial to any of these and, in fact, one of my early memories of cooking was making honeycomb, using a recipe from The Little Monsters Cookbook (which I still have). Looking back, playing with boiling sugar at such a young age was probably not terribly sensible and neither is the actual eating of any of these types of sweets, as you may as well just spoon sugar into your mouth. However, a sweet treat on occasions is an enjoyable part of life.
The origin of milk toffee is unknown, but it probably came from European influences and, I have been told, tastes similar to a Scottish variety called tablet. Traditionally it’s made by reducing milk; however, most versions now start off with condensed milk. Sometimes cashews are added, and I have heard there are versions with raisins – something I’ve never seen and don’t agree with, but if it tickles your fancy, go for it. Of course, like all good Lankan foods, there’s also a bit of spice.
The texture can range from very firm to a little softer. Either way, when you bite into it, it crumbles a little and gives way to a beautifully soft creaminess. A warning though, it is very sweet, which is why the addition of salt is so important. Regardless of type or texture, it is nearly always cut into small squares.
My nan was known for both her milk toffee and love cake (my mum’s favourite and another excellent Sri Lankan sweet treat) and occasionally a parcel would arrive in the mail: toffee for me and cake for my mum. As we would excitedly open the parcel – the cake usually a little worse for wear; the toffee having withstood the journey far better – a faint scent of Tabu would waft out, leaving no doubt from whom this love parcel had come.
Time: 45 minutes preparation + cooking
Makes about 52 squares
- 200g macadamia nuts
- 2 pieces star anise
- 21 black peppercorns
- 6 cardamom pods, seeds removed, shells discarded
- 3 cloves
- 1 tsp salt flakes + extra for seasoning the top
- 2 x 395g tins condensed milk
- 400g caster sugar
- 220g unsalted butter, diced
- Preheat your oven to 150ºC, then toast the macadamia nuts for 15-18 minutes, until gently browned. Give them a jiggle every five minutes or so to make sure they cook evenly. Allow them to cool enough to touch and then slice into thinnish pieces. They will slice better when still warm.
- While you are toasting the nuts you can prepare everything else.
- Combine the spices and salt in a mortar and pound with the pestle to a fine powder.
- Oil and line a rectangular baking dish or cake tin – about 30 centimetres x 20 centimetres – with baking paper.
- Find a wide, heavy-based saucepan and, off the heat, add in the condensed milk, sugar, butter and spice mix.
- Place the saucepan over a high heat and have the sliced nuts in a bowl nearby. Use a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula to stir the condensed milk mixture until the butter has melted and it starts to bubble (about three to four minutes). At this point, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir gently and continuously for 10 minutes before adding in the nuts. Keep cooking for another 12 to 13 minutes.
- It’s hard to explain a definitive readiness, but your mixture will start out as quite pale and runny and your aim is for a thick gloopy mixture with an even golden-brown colour. It will also look mostly silky, but as it becomes ready you should notice that as you stir – making sure to scrape the bottom so it doesn’t stick – the texture will have a foamy look about it.
- If you are still unsure, rely on the times I have given. Once ready, remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture into the tin. Be careful, as it will be hot like molten lava. Tap the tin to even out the toffee and season the top with a sprinkle of salt flakes.
- Place the tin on a cake rack and allow it to cool to room temperature. Turn it out and use a ruler to cut the toffee into three-centimetre squares. A sharp bread knife and a sawing motion works well for this, as does a heavy, sharp knife. If the toffee is brittle and crumbles, this can be a sign you cooked it a little too much; soft and unset means it’s undercooked. Never fear, it will still taste good – you may just need to make another batch in the pursuit of perfection.
- Milk toffee can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container (or biscuit tin) for a very long time.
This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on September 6, 2025 as "Toffee hit".
For almost a decade, The Saturday Paper has published Australia’s leading writers and thinkers. We have pursued stories that are ignored elsewhere, covering them with sensitivity and depth. We have done this on refugee policy, on government integrity, on robo-debt, on aged care, on climate change, on the pandemic.
All our journalism is fiercely independent. It relies on the support of readers. By subscribing to The Saturday Paper, you are ensuring that we can continue to produce essential, issue-defining coverage, to dig out stories that take time, to doggedly hold to account politicians and the political class.
There are very few titles that have the freedom and the space to produce journalism like this. In a country with a concentration of media ownership unlike anything else in the world, it is vitally important. Your subscription helps make it possible.
Subscriber exclusive
Send this article to a friend for free.
Share this subscriber exclusive article with a friend or family member using share credits.
