Valentine’s Day Candy Making

 





 Happy Valentine's Day!

Last night I made Butter Crunch Toffee to give to the students I teach and a few other special people:) I definitely had some trouble, candy seems to really be something that takes practice. I recommend watching some toffee-making YouTube videos because just reading a few recipes didn’t give me enough of a sense of how to do things with confidence. Confidence here is important since you have to work quickly- I learned the hard way that toffee burns easily.
 Ingredients:

2 cups (170 grams) sliced or slivered almonds

1 1/4 cups (270 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 tablespoon light corn syrup (golden syrup)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Topping:

6 ounces (170 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

To make this treat you begin by roasting the almonds, chopping them up and putting half on a cookie sheet. Next you combine sugar, butter, corn syrup, and water on the stove with a candy thermometer clamped on the side of the pot. After this mixture reaches 285 degrees F on the thermometer (you can buy a candy thermometer at Home Hardware or most cooking stores) you add vanilla and baking soda to the mixture, stir and then pour it over the nuts. Next you sprinkle chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bits on top. These melt and can then be spread over the toffee with a wooden spoon. Finally, sprinkle the rest of the nuts over the chocolate and let cool.

I followed a recipe from the JoyofBaking.com, which I think is a good recipe except for one thing. The recipe says to let the toffee cook WITHOUT stirring. I did this and within fifteen minutes the bottom of the mixture was completely burnt. If you follow this recipe my advice is to definitely stir the toffee continuously. It will take about 15-20 minutes on medium heat to reach 285 degree F. On my second attempt I stirred the butter/sugar mixture continuously to prevent burning and things went more smoothly. Unfortunately this time I was so afraid of burning the toffee that I took it off the element too early, when the candy thermometer said about 260. This resulted in toffee that is a little soft rather than nice and crunchy. But it is still yummy and I found that keeping it in the freezer gives it the crunchy texture.

Below is the link to the recipe I followed. As long as you stir the toffee you should end up with a delicious treat! One final note-don’t forgot to add the vanilla and baking soda right before you pour the mixture over the nuts, I just about missed this step.

Butter Crunch Toffee Recipe:

http://www.joyofbaking.com/ButtercrunchToffee.html