Toffee Recipe

Prep: Grease a 9x12 or 9x9 metal baking dish, and line it with parchment paper. Do not grease the top of the parchment paper.

Toast the nuts: Heat whole almonds over medium heat in a skillet for 5-7 minutes. They can burn easily, so stir every 30 seconds and don’t walk away. Or roast the nuts on a baking sheet at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Coarsely chop almonds and spread half of them evenly into your parchment-lined baking pan. Set aside the remaining nuts for topping.

In a large heavy saucepan (at least 3-4 quarts), combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Set over medium heat and use a wooden spoon to stir constantly until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a boil. Slowly stir continuously until it turns a caramel color and reaches at least 300 ̊F on a candy thermometer (300-310 is the hard crack stage and takes about 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat). Be careful since the mixture is extremely hot (do not sample!) and will brown quickly toward the end.

Immediately pour your toffee into your prepared pan. Right away tilt the pan to spread evenly over the nuts. It doesn’t have to reach the edges or look even.

While hot, sprinkle the top with chocolate chips and rest for 2 minutes (they will glisten once they have softened) then use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate evenly over the surface. Sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts, pressing them gently into the chocolate layer to adhere.

Let cool for at least 2 hours at room temperature or unit the chocolate is fully set then cut or break into pieces to serve. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.