A dense, fudge-like sweet of condensed milk and sugar cooked down with cashews until set, then cut into diamonds. The classic homemade confection of Sri Lankan kitchens.
Milk toffee became a fixture of the Sri Lankan home kitchen in the twentieth century as condensed milk grew widely available, prized for needing no special equipment beyond a pot and a wooden spoon. Made for birthdays, bake sales and festive gift tins, its buttery cashew-studded squares are a nostalgic taste of childhood across the island.
Rich, buttery and deeply milky, melting from a firm bite into soft fudge on the tongue. Toasty caramel notes carry whole cashew pieces that add a sweet, nutty crunch.
Constant stirring while cooking the condensed milk and sugar drives off water and lightly caramelises the milk solids, setting the toffee firm as it cools. Scoring while warm prevents the brittle slab from cracking unevenly later.
Variations
Plain milk toffee, chocolate milk toffee, coconut milk toffee, condensed-milk cashew burfi style
On the Palate
Where Milk Toffee Sri Lankan sits in the Sri Lankan flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 16How it's made
8 steps · 10 min
- 13 min
Line a tray with greased baking paper and set aside.
- 25 min
Melt sugar with a splash of water in a heavy pan until dissolved.
Watch outMelt the sugar just until it dissolves clear and pale — let it darken now and it turns bitter before the milk even goes in.
- 32 min
Pour in condensed milk and a knob of butter, stirring constantly.
- 412 min
Cook over medium heat, stirring without stop, as the mixture thickens and darkens.
Watch outKeep the spoon moving the whole time; the mixture thickens fast and the bit sitting on the pan bottom scorches in seconds if you pause.
- 52 min
Add a little vanilla and the chopped cashews near the end.
- 64 min
Continue until the mixture pulls cleanly away from the pan sides.
Watch outIt's ready the moment it pulls away from the sides in a mass and stops sticking — cook past that and it sets rock-hard.
- 71 min
Pour into the lined tray and smooth the surface flat.
- 860 min
While still warm, score into diamonds, then cool fully before separating.
Watch outScore while it's still warm and soft; wait until cold and the brittle slab shatters instead of cutting clean.
