The Best Almond Crunch Toffee Candy (GF)
I have a special one for you guys today. This is THE BEST almond crunch toffee candy you will ever taste in your life. It’s another recipe that originally came from Shuggie (my grandmother), who was a real wizard with the sweet treats. This almond crunch toffee is sooo crispy and crunchy, rich and buttery, and chocolatey, you’ll keep going back for more. And, it comes together quickly with incredibly simple ingredients.
Most of you will probably already know what toffee is, but for those of you who don’t, it’s just sugar and butter melted together and boiled up to a certain temperature, causing it to become hard and crunchy when cooled down. The result is a caramel-type candy that’s crackly, a little bit chewy, and really smooth and buttery. If you’ve ever had Heath Bar candy bars, this candy is similar, but way better. Wayyyy better…
Let me show you how to make it.
Why this almond crunch toffee candy is the best.
As with the cozy spiced pecans we made last week, temperature is the key to making this recipe a success. That’s why you’ll need a candy thermometer for this. If you don’t have one, an instant-read food thermometer will work as well. You’ll just have to monitor the temperature very often as you cook to make sure it doesn’t get too hot.
For this delightful dessert recipe, we’re working with the old standby ingredients of sugar and butter, a.k.a the backbone of most good candy. You’ll start by melting the butter gently in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, and then adding sugar to it. Then, the fun part happens. You get to watch the transformation! Not gonna lie: this part is fascinating to me.
Cooking with sugar:
As you heat the sugar and butter and stir them together, they change from a grainy, thin, yellow mixture, to an amazing, foamy, creamy, caramel-colored candy base that smells ridiculously good. You’ll want to bring that mixture up to 260ºF before adding sliced almonds (it just keeps getting better), and stirring that goodness all together. Next, you’ll keep heating your almond-studded candy base up to 295ºF.
We talked about the soft ball stage of cooked sugar in the spiced nut post. Well, now we’re going to talk about the hard crack. I know, it sounds weird. Heating the sugar up to 295ºF will cause it to form a syrup that will crack kind of like glass when cooled and broken. It is really important to get the candy base up to the hard crack temperature, which is why I’m waxing poetic about candy thermometers. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a texture that is decidedly not toffee-like.
Then, you get to pour that melty goodness out into a pan and top it with semi-sweet melted chocolate and chopped pecans (because Shuggie knew what she was doing with sweets).
All you have to do after that is let that glorious toffee candy cool for several hours or overnight until it fully hardens. Once that happens, you can break it apart with a mezzaluna or the end of a sharp paring knife. It will naturally crack into bite sized pieces that will be perfect for snacking on at any time.
Eat up!
This toffee is great for the occasional crunchy and sweet snack. It’s also fantastic for gifting to your friends, coworkers, etc. You can store it at ambient temperature for a few days or for over a week in the fridge. Oh, and it’s also the perfect edible gift for your gluten-free friends!
Enjoy, and be sure to check out some of our other sweet recipes just in time for Valentine’s Day (is it already almost here???!!!?!?!).
Equipment
- Candy or instant read thermometer
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups salted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup raw almonds sliced
- 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts finely chopped
Instructions
- Cover a medium-sized baking sheet completely with aluminum foil, and grease it lightly with cooking spray.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat, but do not let it boil.
- Add sugar and increase heat to medium, continuously and gently stirring until a candy thermometer reaches 260ºF.
- Add almonds and continue stirring constantly until the candy thermometer reaches 295ºF.
- Pour sugar and almond mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, ensuring that it spreads out evenly over the whole sheet pan, including into the corners.
- Melt chocolate in the microwave in 15 second intervals or on the stove over low heat until it is spreadable.
- When the candy has cooled slightly, spread the chocolate on top, taking care to cover the entire surface and smooth it out.
- While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle the chopped walnuts or pecans over the surface.
- Allow to cool completely for several hours in a cool, dry place, or in the refrigerator. Once the candy has hardened, you can break it apart using a mezzaluna or the sharp point of a pairing knife. The candy should automatically shatter into bite sized pieces.
- Store candy in an air-tight container at ambient temperature for up to 4 days, or refrigerated for up to a week (not that it will take you that long to eat it).