Chocolate Covered Toffee with Nuts

Chocolate Covered Toffee makes a great holiday gift.

The Butter Almond Crunch recipe on the back of the 10-pound bag of Kroger sugar is the inspiration for my updated, very trendy/traditional Chocolate Covered Toffee recipe below. It’s fun to make and will easily get you into this salty/sweet/toffee craze that’s going around. In fact, if you have a kitchen project enthusiast on your holiday gift list, consider a lovely package containing a bag of toffee, the toffee recipe, and a kitchen frying/candy thermometer. Sprinkle it with fancy sea salt to really get into it.

Making candy is an exact science without a gray area so a thermometer is necessary. All you have to do is watch the temperature, so don’t be afraid to try it. There are two popular styles of thermometers. The big silver and black Taylor one is the style we always used in foods lab class in college. The other is the straightforward old-fashioned thermometer that clips right onto the side of the pan. Either one works great and both are affordable.

I’ve been tinkering with this Chocolate Covered Toffee recipe for quite a while. My final for buttery goodness is to use an equal weight of butter and sugar. In my recipe that means 3 sticks (3/4 pound) butter to 1 1/2 cups (3/4 pound) of sugar. Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan–it really helps prevent crystalization.  Then add the sugar, corn syrup (also helps prevent crystallization), salt and water.  Increase the heat to medium-high and leave it alone to bubble gently until hitting 290 to 300 F. It’s that simple. Use whatever kind of chocolate you like. All you need is a nice thin layer. Let the toffee cool a little and then sprinkle on the chips. Let them sit for a minute and then spread the chocolate with a knife. Sprinkle with fancy salt or a finely chopped version of whatever nut you used. The 9 x 13 pan produces a slightly thicker toffee. Good luck!

Chocolate Covered Toffee

cheaters Quick get a candy thermometer. You'll be making Chocolate Covered Toffee in minutes. Even better, a candy thermometer makes a great gift for any aspiring cook. Desserts Chocolate Covered Toffee with Nuts European Print This

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 heaping cup toasted chopped or sliced almonds or chopped toasted walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts or pistachios
• 3 sticks (3/4 pound) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup (I just squeeze a small blob in from the jar)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (the minis melt quickly) or milk chocolate chips
• Fancy coarse-grained sea salt or kosher salt, optional
• About 1/4 cup finely chopped nuts to sprinkle over the top, optional

Instructions

Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or 11 x 15-inch jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray. I like it best made thinner in the bigger pan. Evenly sprinkle the nuts over the bottom of the pan.
Melt the butter, in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan.
Stir in the sugar, water, corn syrup, and salt.
Cook over medium to medium-high without stirring, keeping the mixture at a gentle boil until it reaches 290 to 300 F. It will caramelize turning to a lovely amber brown. Whisk in the vanilla.
Pour the hot syrup quickly and evenly over the nuts. Use a wooden spoon to evenly distribute the nuts if needed. Sometimes I sprinkle on the coarse salt when the candy is still pliable so it sticks in nicely. Let sit for a few minutes until the toffee has hardened a bit.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the warm toffee. Let sit a minute until the chocolate is spreadable.
Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the toffee. Sprinkle with the coarse salt and/or chopped nuts to taste.
Let harden and cool for a couple of hours. Invert the pan onto a large cutting board and tap the bottom a few times. The candy should fall right out.
Break it into small serving pieces. Makes a big pan-full.
Store in an air-tight container.

Notes

One of my most favorite recipes. Make it all the time. Try different nuts! You must use a candy thermometer. I have an induction cooktop and set it to medium and just put the thermometer and basically leave it alone for about 20 minutes. Works like a charm. Sometimes the candy mixture looks curdled. Give it a whisk blending when you add the vanilla and it should be fine. The butter and corn syrup should keep the crystals from forming.