It’s true — I just can get enough of caramel and chocolate. This time however, I combined my two favorites with some almonds for this crunchy Almond Roca.
No matter what you call this delightful confection — Almond Roca or English Toffee, it’s a winner!
I have loved chocolate covered toffee probably my entire life. It has always been my favorite when stopping by the See’s Candy shop or buying the delectable foil wrapped stuff in the pink can at the local grocer.
And when one of my childhood friends posted a recipe for this on Facebook — I knew I had to try it. Not only because I love the stuff, but because it sounded so easy to make. With only 4 ingredients it was right up my alley!
You start with a base of coarsely chopped almonds, covered with gooey caramel that sets up to perfectly hard toffee, topped with melted milk chocolate and dusted with a sprinkling of more coarsely chopped almonds.
And the outcome – a truly amazing candy treat! Or, as my friend and I would say back in the day — it’s “so fine.”
Easy Almond Roca
1 lb (4 sticks) butter
1 box (16 oz) light brown sugar
2 cups raw almonds, coarsely chopped
2 packages (12 oz each) milk chocolate chips
In a large rimmed pan, such as a 18×13-inch sheet cake or jelly roll pan, sprinkle 1 cup of the coarsely chopped almonds and set aside.
Over medium heat, add the sugar and butter to a large sauce pan. Stir frequently until bubbling – this will take a few minutes. Then attach your candy thermometer and cook, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 290 degrees F. To prevent candy from burning, make sure that you do not go over 290 degrees.
Remove from heat and pour candy mixture evenly over the almonds in the pan. Let this set while you melt the chocolate.
Place chocolate chips in a double boiler over gently simmering (not boiling) water. If you do not have a double boiler, you can use a glass bowl over a pot. Stir chips until melted. Take care in not over heating the chocolate so you don’t scorch it. As well, you can also melt the chocolate chips in a microwave according to the package directions.
Pour the melted chocolate over the candy layer. Then sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of coarsely chopped almonds all over the top. Allow cool and set up completely. This will take a few hours. To speed up the process, place in freezer or refrigerator.
Once completely hardened, cut into pieces using a knife. Makes about 2 pounds of candy.
Come on, get our your candy thermometer out and give this fine Almond Roca a try, you’ll be glad you did!
Oh yeah, makes a great gift too, that is if you don’t eat it all!
{recipe adapted from Chef in Training}
Filed under: Candy Treats Tagged: 4 ingredient dessert, Almond Roca, almonds, brown sugar, butter, confection, English toffee, fine, holiday gift, no bake, no bake dessert, quick and easy, sweet treat
