Almond Toffee

Here's one for you candy makers... a non-thermometer toffee recipe.  It's my husband's grandfather's recipe.  I ALWAYS make it for Christmas and it makes the house smell so yummy.  I have tried to make it in the summer and it was a flop, literally.  You need to flash cool the toffee otherwise it doesn't taste at all the same.  Don't get me wrong.  You can never screw this up.  There's a quick fix called ice cream.

    Good luck!



1 lb butter
2 cups sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup whole almonds

Make sure you have your equipment handy... the process goes fast.

2 cookie sheets with sides, oven mitt, hand blender or mixer and a wooden spoon.

Put the butter and sugar into a non-teflon sauce pan. Slowly melt the butter and sugar while mixing them with a hand blender

Mix on on high over high heat until the butter disappears.

Mix with your wooden spoon continuously until it turns a light caramel.

Add the almonds.  You will start smelling a little burning.... don't panic.  It's the caramelized butter smell.  Keep mixing.  Your arm will get tired.  Keep mixing.

When it gets to the point you start freaking out.. "AM I BURNING IT!!"  stage, it's time to pour onto your cookie sheets.

See the puffs of "steam"... it's done.   Don't try to take pictures and cook toffee...dangerous and  just those few seconds can make the toffee a little too "toffee-ish"

The bottom of your sauce pan will be burnt, that only means you did it right.  Don't freak out... it's sugar.. it will come off.   There will be small ribbons of darker toffee throughout your last cookie sheet.

And yes, you can put chocolate chips over the toffee before you take it outside.... let the chocolate chips melt (won't take long) and spread over the toffee.  Then take it outside to cool.

Carefully transfer the cookie sheets with the toffee out into a nearby snowbank or on your deck to cool.  When the bottoms are cooled, bring them indoors.

Taking a knife, point down, break it into pieces.

My advice is to bag it all up save for a handful and give it away.  When it's all out of the house, eat the pieces you have saved.




You're welcome.