I have to admit, I have been rather fascinated with making candy lately. It started a while ago, but any chance I get, I seem to be making more candy. First of all, everything I have made so far has been super easy, if you know how to use a candy maker. Which reminds me…I remember years ago – I was deathly afraid of using a candy thermometer. If I came upon a recipe that called for one – I would just skip it. I didn’t own a candy thermometer, and had no desire to. I was in serious denial.
I am not sure when I actually broke down and bought one, somehow I have blocked that out of my memory – but all of a sudden I ran out of excuses. I knew that I couldn’t put it off any longer, I had to start using the candy thermometer. One of the first really successful candies I made were these…and boy did these give me the bug. Now, I look for reasons to make candy. Mostly I have been focused on the hard candy – aside from those caramels. I can’t wait until I have some time (someday), and I can start making things out of this cookbook that I got a few months back. Everything looks so darn good.
I saw this recipe in Cooking Light (yes, I know, seriously??) and couldn’t wait to give it a try. I finally made it to go with a special tart – just to put it over the top – which hopefully it did. I know that these candies were to die for. I was eating the scraps, and I almost didn’t want to call the girls down to share – yes, these were that good. They were not to hard, but just perfectly crisp – with that nice thick layer of chocolate, and then the slivered almonds. My mouth is watering now. Good thing I was making these for an event, or I would have eaten the entire batch.
Sometimes it is good to do something that scares you – I take that back – it is always good to do something that scares you – just like change, it helps you to grow. So, why not do something that scares you – and end up with this in the end? Come on…I dare you.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dash of salt
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds, toasted
Preparation
Combine first 3 ingredients in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring just until combined; bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 325° or until syrup begins to caramelize. Stir in vanilla and salt. Working carefully and quickly, pour sugar mixture onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper; spread to desired thickness. Let toffee stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate over warm toffee; let stand 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate in a thin, even layer over toffee; immediately sprinkle with chopped or slivered almonds. Let stand 1 hour or until completely cool. Break toffee into pieces.
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Chocolate-Almond Toffee
First Look, Then Cook 