It is quite possible you are on candy and cookie overload right about now. Incorporating one new recipe into your holiday baking routine, making one more batch of anything, or discovering that someone has been into those tins of cookies you thought you had cleverly hidden from sight might be enough to push you over or at least to the edge. After sending off boxes of goodies to friends back east earlier this week (who else went to the Post Office on the busiest shipping day of the year?), I am getting the 'second wind' I was hoping for. My supply of caramels, peppermint bark, white chocolate pistachio shortbread cookies, Irish shortbread, and chocolate covered nuts has dwindled significantly over the past couple of weeks. Looking at the supply of unsalted butter in my refrigerator would cause one to think I was preparing for a worldwide butter shortage or baking for a significant portion of the free world.
Before making the Almond Pecan Buttercrunch Toffee I decided to look through a few cookbooks as well as some do a web search just in case I wanted to make some tweaks to the recipe someone had given me years ago. In the process of this quasi-research, I came across recipes called toffee, buttercrunch, and some even called buttercrunch toffee. This simple endeavor was now becoming more complicated. Allegedly traditional English Toffee is made from brown sugar while buttercrunch is made with granulated sugar. In addition to the sugar distinction, traditional English Toffee is generally only coated in chocolate. Whereas, buttercrunch is coated with chocolate and a variety of different topping (nuts being the most common). With the words toffee and buttercrunch being used so interchangeably some have resorted to calling this confection buttercrunch toffee. Seeing as the recipe I had is a little bit toffee a little bit buttercrunch, I thought I too would jump on the buttercrunch toffee bandwagon when renaming this recipe.
The more I read, the more patterns amongst the recipes there seemed to be. Most had a one cup of butter to one cup of sugar ratio. While most cooked the toffee until it reached a temperature of 300 degrees (F) on a candy thermometer, the recommended temperatures ranged from 285 degrees (F) to 315 degrees (F). In comparing ingredients, some recipes listed water some didn't; some listed vanilla, some didn't; some had salt, some didn't; some used corn syrup, some didn't; some used only one kind of nut, some used more than one. You get the picture. In the end, I decided to add both vanilla and kosher salt to the recipe I had; toast the pecans before chopping them; cook the mixture until it reached 305 degrees (F); use only two tablespoons of corn syrup; and sprinkle a little sea salt on the melted chocolate before sprinkling on the chopped pecans.
The time expended on all of this 'toffee research' turned out to be time well spent. All of the changes made to my toffee recipe turned out to be ones for the best. Equally important to adjusting and altering some of the ingredients, I found some of the toffee making techniques shared by Valerie Gordon in her cookbook Sweet to be valuable, useful information.
My original recipe called for slivered almonds, but I used sliced raw almonds instead. For a more rustic or Almond Roca-ish look to the toffee I would probably chop up raw whole almonds in the food processor. Either way it is 'raw unsalted ' almonds you want for this toffee.
The questions asked most often when making toffee are 'how often do you stir it and what kitchen tool should one use?'. Until the mixture reaches 250 degrees (F), you will stir it occasionally. Between 250 and 290 degrees (F) you will stir a little more frequently, and from 290 degrees (F) to 305 degrees (F) you stir constantly (to prevent burning). And your best stirring tools? Either a wooden spoon or heatproof silicone spatula.
When the mixture reaches 305 degrees (F), remove from the heat and immediately stir in the vanilla and almonds before pouring into a parchment paper lined 12"x18" inch baking/jellyroll pan (one with sides). After smoothing the toffee with an offset spatula, allow it to sit for one minute before first lightly sprinkling with sea salt followed by the chopped milk chocolate.
Allow the chocolate to rest on the toffee for at least two minutes before spreading evenly over the toffee. While the chocolate is still 'wet' sprinkle with the toasted, chopped pecans. The toffee should rest for at least 20 minutes before the pan is placed in the refrigerator.
After one hour, remove the buttercrunch toffee from the refrigerator and break into pieces.
This is seriously delicious buttery, nutty toffee. You are going to be making it all winter.
I am thinking this might be the last 'holiday confection' post before Christmas. But then again, I may get a 'third' wind and will surprise you (and myself) with another 'visions of sugar plums' post. However, there is a recipe for Creamy Potato Casserole I want you to have before Christmas (its one I didn't get posted before Thanksgiving, but its also one with very few photographs), so that will be up next. Time for me to start getting closer to the edge, again.
Almond Pecan Buttercrunch Toffee (technique inspired by Valerie Gordon's recipe in her cookbook Sweet)
Ingredients
1 pound (16 ounces) unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon and 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups raw sliced or chopped almonds
1 cup pecans, roasted, finely chopped
12-14 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
Sea salt for finishing
Directions
1. Line a 12"x18" baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Put butter in a heavy 3 quart copper or heavy stainless steel saucepan and set over medium-low heat. When butter is half melted, gradually add sugar, stirring with either a wooden or heatproof silicone spatula. Continue stirring until mixture takes on a thick creamy texture.
3. Attach thermometer to side of pan, increase heat to medium-high, stirring toffee mixture occasionally until it reaches 250 degrees (F).
4. When it reaches 250 degrees (F), stir slightly more frequently. At 290 degrees (F) stir constantly to prevent any burning. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture reaches 305 (F) degrees.
5. Remove from heat, quickly stirring in vanilla and almonds. Pour mixture into prepared baking pan. Using an offset spatula, smooth mixture (it should fill the entire pan).
6. Let sit at least 1 minute before lightly sprinkling with sea salt, followed by sprinkling with the chopped milk chocolate.
7. Allow the chocolate to set at least 2 minutes before spreading with an offset spatula.
8. Sprinkle chopped roasted pecans over chocolate. Tap pan on counter to set pecans.
9. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour.
10. Remove from refrigerator, break into pieces.
11. Store in a sealed, air-tight container.
"Art attracts us only by what it reveals of our most secret self." (Jean-Luc Godard) Two of the images from the New Orleans Museum of Art taken in December, 2014 that caught my eye.
