This Easy Almond Roca Toffee is SO incredible, is surprisingly simple to make and is the perfect combination of sweet and salty!
I cannot believe Christmas is just three weeks away!
If you need me, I’ll be cranking out as many Christmas recipes as I can in the little time I have left. But first, I had to kick off this week with this Easy Almond Roca! If you’ve never made homemade candy before, it can seem intimidating. Believe me – I avoided candy thermometers like the plague for the longest time. But I promise, this toffee is very simple!
Easy Almond Roca
This Easy Almond Roca has a few simple ingredients that you probably have on hand, including:
- Butter: I use unsalted since I’m adding salt to the toffee mixture
- Granulated sugar: for sweetness and the structure of the toffee
- Water: to help with the cooking process
- Salt: to counter some of the sweetness
- Pure vanilla extract: for flavor and sweetness
You’ll simply boil your toffee ingredients, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until your toffee reaches 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer. While I don’t recommend making toffee without a thermometer, it can be done if you’re more experienced. 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer is known as “hard crack stage” and your toffee will be richly golden brown, almost like the color of a raw almond.
Then, to make it Almond Roca, we’ll add semi-sweet chocolate on top when the toffee is still hot and allow it to melt. While it is still wet, we’ll sprinkle on some toasted chopped almonds. Using roasted almonds is preferred because it really adds a little something extra.
This Almond Roca is buttery, crunchy, sweet, salty and SO irresistible and will make excellent gifts for the holidays!
Easy Almond Roca
This Easy Almond Roca can be made from a few simple pantry ingredients and yields snappy, sweet and salty gourmet candy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup chopped roasted, unsalted almonds
Instructions
Line an 8×8 square pan with parchment paper and allow the parchment sides to hang over the edges of the pan for easier removal later. Set aside. Meanwhile, measure out your vanilla and set it out next to your stove so it is ready when you are.
In a medium heavy bottomed pot, add the cubed butter, granulated sugar, water, and salt and turn the stove to medium heat. Cook, stirring gently occasionally with a wooden spoon, until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Once the mixture begins to come to a boil, attach a candy thermometer to the pot.
Allow the mixture to boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until mixture reaches 305° degrees F on the candy thermometer, also known as hard crack stage. The toffee should be the color of a raw almond. Depending on your stove, this could take anywhere from 10-20 minutes. Once it reaches 305° degrees, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract; note that the vanilla will cause the mixture to bubble and foam violently, so be careful.
Pour the toffee into the prepared parchment-lined pan in an even layer. Let set for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, sprinkle the top of the toffee with the semi-sweet chocolate chips in an even layer. Cover the pan with foil and let set for another 5 minutes. Remove the foil and spread the now melty chocolate chips in an even layer using an offset spatula. Sprinkle with the chopped almonds.
Allow the toffee and chocolate to set completely at room temperature, or you can expedite this process by refrigerating the pan.
Notes
I recommend using roasted, unsalted almonds for a great toasted almond flavor. If you can’t find these, you can lightly toast your own almonds by purchasing raw almonds and toasting them over medium-low heat in a dry skillet for a few minutes or until nutty and fragrant.
This sweet and salty toffee is sure to be a huge hit in your Christmas gift baskets!
Love candy recipes? Check out this recipe…
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
