Our mom used to make the toffee every single year for the holidays. She used to give it out as gifts so in the days leading up to her making it, huge, metal tubs of Blue Diamond chopped, roasted almonds lined our hallways in preparation to make her famous toffee. We thought it was so magical how butter and sugar came together to make the golden center of the toffee. Mom’s toffee is the best you will ever have. It is golden and caramel colored in the center and covered in dark chocolate and roasted, chopped almonds. We sprinkle it with a little sea salt to balance out the flavor and create the perfect toffee bite.
Mom would make this by the pan full. She would never make more than 2x at a time to ensure the butter and sugar had enough room to caramelize and bubble up. She always made sure the pan was bigger than it needed to be because the butter and sugar bubbled up during cooking.
Once the mixture was bubbly and caramel colored, Mom always pulled out the candy thermometer. By measuring the temperature of the candy, she made sure it was the perfect texture every time. After it reached 290 degrees, she poured it onto a lined cookie sheet. After it hardened slightly, she topped the toffee with chocolate and spread it out in an even layer topping it with almonds. Each time she made it it was equally delicious and one of our favorite things all season.
When it became our time to start making the toffee, we flipped through our mom’s huge white binder of recipes and found the yellow post-it with the toffee recipe taped in the front cover for easy access. The recipe read: chocolate, sugar, butter, and almonds. There were no instructions, no additions, just the basics listed onto a post it note. Over the years, we have made it enough times with her to get every instruction and tip on how to make the perfect toffee.
To make the toffee:
To make the toffee, start by lining two half sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium saucepan, add sugar, butter, water, and salt. Heat the mixture over medium high heat stirring constantly. Once the mixture becomes a light brown color, place a candy thermometer inside and continue cooking until it reaches 290 degrees F.
Once it reaches 290, pour the toffee onto one of the lined half sheet pans. Let it sit for two minutes until slightly hardened. After 2 minutes, scatter half of the chocolate chips over the top of the toffee. Place a piece of foil over top and let it set for 2 minutes or until the chocolate is softened. Spread the chocolate in an even layer and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Top with 1 cup of almonds in an even layer. There should be no chocolate showing.
Once one side is coated in almonds, flip the toffee onto the empty half sheet pan. Top the other side with the remaining half of chocolate chips. Cover with foil for 2 minutes until the chocolate is softened and melted. Spread chocolate in an even layer and sprinkle it with salt and almonds. Let it set for at least 2 hours to overnight and break into pieces with a knife
Ingredient notes:
- Sugar: The sugar is what caramelizes with the butter to make this toffee so addicting. Use granulated, white sugar for this recipe.
- Butter: The butter gets added with the sugar to make the caramel for the toffee. Since the butter gets melted, the butter can be chilled or room temperature. We use salted butter for this toffee, but unsalted works, too. If using unsalted add an extra sprinkle of salt.
- Water: As the caramel gets boiled, it loses some of the water content, so we add in a few tablespoons to keep the perfect texture.
- Salt: We like to use sea salt on top and a little throughout the toffee for a balanced flavor.
- Vanilla: Our mom never added vanilla, we admit for this step we deviate from her recipe! It is optional but adds delicious flavor to the toffee.
- Almonds: We used roasted, chopped, unsalted almonds. The almonds are little square pieces that provide the perfect crunch.
- Chocolate: Our favorite chocolate to use for the toffee is Valrhona. We like the juxtaposition of the dark chocolate with the sweet center of the toffee. Any kind of chocolate will work here, so use your favorite.
Toffee with Dark Chocolate and Almonds
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 pound salted butter
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal salt or ¼ teaspoon morton
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups chopped roasted almonds
- 1 cup dark or milk chocolate chips (we like Calhrona feves)
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside
- Add sugar, butter, water, and salt into a medium saucepan
- Heat over medium high heat stirring constantly until it reaches 290 degrees F
- Once it reaches 290, pour the toffee onto one of the lined half sheet pans
- Let it sit for two minutes until slightly hardened. After 2 minutes, scatter half of the chocolate chips over the top of the toffee. Place a piece of foil over top and let it set for 2 minutes or until the chocolate is softened. Spread the chocolate in an even layer and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Top with 1 cup of almonds in an even layer. Flip the toffee onto the empty half sheet pan. Top the other side with the remaining half of chocolate chips. Cover with foil for 2 minutes until chips are softened and melted. Spread chocolate in an even layer and sprinkle with salt and almonds
- Let it set for 2 hours to overnight and break into piece with a knife
Entertainer’s Note:
This makes a beautiful gift. We add it to cookie boxes or give it by itself during the holidays. It lasts for a few weeks so it is also the perfect treat to have on hand for an unexpected holiday visitor.
