Almond Buttercrunch Toffee Food

ALMOND BUTTERCRUNCH TOFFEE

Steps:

• Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and smooth out any wrinkles. Use extra butter (or even just the butter wrappers) to coat the foil well.
• Place butter and sugar in a very heavy bottomed sauté pan. (We like to use a 10-inch cast-iron.) Begin melting butter over medium heat, stirring butter and sugar together very gently at this stage to encourage them to combine, but do not stir vigorously.
• Once the butter and sugar are combined and melted, attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and boil over medium-high heat. Occasionally draw a wooden spoon through the mixture to make sure it is heating evenly. When the mixture is approaching 250° F, combine the baking soda and vanilla in a small bowl and keep near the stove. Bring toffee to 305° F (hard crack stage). Immediately slide over to a cold burner, add soda/vanilla and quickly stir them in with a wooden spoon. Immediately pour mixture out onto prepared pan. Most, if not all, will come out of the pan. Do not scrape the pan bottom. The toffee should pool into a large oval shape. Use an offset spatula if necessary to create an even layer, about ¼-inch thick. Don't worry about uneven edges. Place pan on rack to cool completely.
• Melt the chocolate in microwave or top of double boiler. Have nuts ready to use in a bowl on your work surface. Loosen the toffee from the foil in one big piece and then just lay it back down (you are just un-attaching it from the foil). Pour half of the chocolate on top of the toffee and spread in an even layer with an offset spatula. Immediately sprinkle half of the almonds evenly over the wet chocolate, patting gently with your fingertips to help them adhere. Refrigerate until completely set. Flip toffee over on foil and repeat with chocolate and nuts on second side of toffee. Chill again. Once it is completely chilled you may break it up into slabs. Refrigerate in an airtight container until serving time, up to 1 week.

ALMOND CRUNCH TOFFEE

Steps:

• Line a 13-in. x 9-in. pan with foil. Grease the foil with 1-1/2 teaspoons butter; set aside. In a heavy 3-qt. saucepan, melt remaining butter. Stir in the sugar, water and salt. Cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 240° (soft-ball stage), stirring occasionally. , Stir in almonds. Cook until candy thermometer reads 300° (hard-crack stage), stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; stir in baking soda until light and foamy. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes. Carefully spread chocolate; sprinkle with pecans and peanuts. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. , Sprinkle with coffee beans; press down lightly. Chill for 1 hour or until chocolate is firm. , In a microwave, melt white chocolate, stir until smooth. Drizzle over candy. Chill 30 minutes longer or until firm., Using foil, lift candy out of pan; discard foil. Break candy into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

BUTTERCRUNCH TOFFEE

Steps:

• In a saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add sugar and lecithin and stir constantly with a wooden spoon over medium heat. When mixture comes to a boil, add the corn syrup and continue stirring constantly to prevent burning until temperature reaches 300 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
• After mixture reaches 300 degrees F, remove from heat and add salt and chopped almonds, if using, and mixing gently. Pour into a well buttered shallow pan. Depth of toffee should be approximately 1/4-inch.
• Before toffee sets, score with a knife into uniform pieces. Toffee should be stored in an airtight container.

BUTTERCRUNCH TOFFEE

Steps:

• Line a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan with foil; grease the foil with 1-1/2 teaspoons butter. Sprinkle 1 cup pecans into prepared pan; set aside., In a small heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, water and the remaining butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook without stirring until a candy thermometer reads 290° (soft-crack stage). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and baking soda. Pour into prepared pan (do not scrape sides of saucepan). , Sprinkle with chocolate; spread with a knife when melted. Sprinkle with the remaining pecans. Let stand until set, about 1 hour. Break into pieces.