These are cigar boxes -- great for the gift of toffee but wrap it in plastic so the tobacco smell won't "perfume" the candy

My friend Myron first introduced me to this recipe — well, really his high school daughter. Her senior year she went into a frenzy of baking, churning out toffees, a sinful little cookie called baci di dama, chocolate chippers, you name it. She was a flurry in the kitchen, all the while thinking this might be her destiny. She’s now in an advanced science graduate program, but I hope she shows up at seminars with some of her kitchen science experiments…like this toffee.

I am challenged in the baking department. I have only a few mad skills and one mean gingerbread. I am most certainly allergic to the candy thermometer. This toffee requires no thermometer — hallelujah! It is a little tricky, and in particular the stirring should be very gentle, almost like pushing, rather than vigorous. And don’t scrape the sides of the pan, since pulling undissolved sugar into the mix can “granulate” the candy. Yes, that’s bad, since it goes back to a sugar blob with butter on the side.

Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee

2 bars of good-quality dark chocolate, approximately 3.5 ounces each
3/4 cup walnuts
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, plus some for the pan
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unblanched whole raw almonds

Lightly butter a large pan (10 x 15 glass or a rimmed baking sheet). Line it with parchment.

The butter is to help the parchment stick and mold to the pan

Break the chocolate bars into large chunks and finely chop the walnuts. Set aside until needed.

Dark chocolate goes so well with the toasty flavor of the almonds -- I used 50% cacao here since some family members like their dark chocolate a little less bitter, but you can opt for higher

You will end up with about 1/2 cup chopped nuts

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sugars and salt and stir until they are dissolved.

While this toffee is easy, it does require constant attention -- it doesn't take a long time to prepare, though

Raise the heat to high and cook the mixture over high heat, with an occasional gentle stir, until it gets a very sticky, foamy top, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.

These are not regular bubbles -- it's quite thick and molten-looking

On low, cook for another 5 minutes. Gently mix in the almonds raise the heat back up to high.

The mixture is quite hot, so be careful not to splash it

Over high heat cook and gently stir the almonds another 7 minutes. They may begin to pop or make a rumbling sound, and if that happens reduce the heat then.

Now the nuts are beginning to cook over high heat, the mixture gets foamy

Reduce the heat to low. Cook and stir the mixture for a full 7 minutes. If the mixture becomes darker than the nuts, remove it from the heat but continue stirring for the entire 7 minutes.

The mixture begins to get very dark during this 7 final minutes, but you don't want to let it get too dark -- it's fine to stir it off the heat

Pour the toffee onto the parchment paper, working quickly with a spatula to spread it out evenly.

The toffee is so hot, it will spread out mostly on its own, but you can give it a little help

Immediately place the broken chocolate pieces on the hot toffee.

The hot toffee will soften the chocolate

Wait a couple of minutes and when the chocolate is soft, spread it evenly over the top of the toffee.

The bars make it so easy to create the chocolate layer

Sprinkle the top with the chopped nuts and press lightly to embed them in the chocolate.

You could use hazelnuts or peanuts on the top

Just a light touch to adhere the nuts to the soft chocolate

Let the toffee cool completely. The chocolate will be completely hardened. Remove the toffee on the parchment to a firm surface and gently break into pieces.

It's easier to break on a hard surface than in the pan

It breaks your heart, it looks so good

Now if you can give this away, you’re a better (wo)man than I.

Kelly McCune © 2009

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