I used to love holiday baking and putting together plates of goodies for friends and neighbors. The kids were all involved in making and delivering—and eating!—our signature treats. The past couple of moves, however, reduced the amount we made, and the kids growing up reduced the numbers of helpers. It started taking me longer to make things, which meant I was eating more before they got out the door. So I quit making toffee when we moved out here, and sugar cookies got crossed off the list last year.
And no one really said anything about the toffee all this time. And then, within a day or two of each other, KOTPE and Ellie, unbeknownst to each other, both requested to learn how to make toffee. And naturally, I couldn’t just point them to the recipe, because I tweaked the one I had to make it much easier.
I apologize that this isn’t really what I would consider a food storage recipe. But as I started this blog specifically for my children, and as I have neither the time nor inclination to start another blog or store this recipe and other my-kids-only information elsewhere, this is where it goes.
KOTPE came over Saturday afternoon and we made a few batches together. Ellie, unfortunately, is finishing up her last semester of school and couldn’t be with us. If she has the energy, we’ll make a batch before Christmas. But as her baby is due December 26, I’m not sure she’ll be doing much more than couch surfing by the time they get here.
Toffee
1 ½ cups finely chopped almonds
1 ¼ cups sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup water
1 cup butter (no substitutes)
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 – 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Toast the almonds on a cookie sheet until they barely begin to color, about 10 minutes.
In a heavy pan, bring the sugar, corn syrup, and water to a boil over medium heat. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the butter and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reaches 240°F. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the thermometer reads 280°F. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda.
While the candy is cooking, use a butter wrapper to grease a cookie sheet.
Pour the candy mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread it out to ¼” thick. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. When softened, spread the melted chocolate over the candy. Sprinkle the chopped nuts on top.
When completely cooled, break the toffee into bite-sized pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Enjoy Christmas vacation, folks. We'll have repeat articles for the next couple of weeks and then resume new content on January 6, 2025. Be sure to check in, though, because we'll be posting about how to order the thumb drives.
Links to related posts:
No-Bake Reese’s Peanut Butter Squares
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