Almond-encrusted English Toffee

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 25
• 1 lb raw almonds (whole, skin-on)
• 1 lb unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon fleur de sel sea salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 12 ounces chocolate

Recipe

• 1 chop the almonds until they are broken into chunks with a food processor or blender.
• 2 remove half and continue to grind the remaining portion into a coarse meal- set both halves aside for later.
• 3 melt butter with salt on medium heat.
• 4 stir sugar in slowly.
• 5 continue cooking and stirring for approximately 15 minutes.
• 6 at first, the sugar will sink to the bottom and not melt.
• 7 eventually, the sugar and butter will melt into each other into a pearly, puffy mixture (make sure your pan is large enough) and then will continue to darken from buttery yellow to tan.
• 8 when it turns tan, stir in the chunks of almond and vanilla, darkening the mixture further.
• 9 continue stirring until the almonds are toasted- you will be able to tell by the scent- be very careful at this point that the almonds do not begin to burn!
• 10 the temperature should be about 280°/hard crack stage and if butter starts to rise to the top, take mixture off the heat immediately.
• 11 stir it briskly once off the heat then pour into a 11x15 baking sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
• 12 cut 1/2 the chocolate up and melt over a double boiler and spread over the surface of the cooling toffee.
• 13 dust surface with 1/2 of the almond meal.
• 14 once cooled and hardened, melt the remaining chocolate, flip toffee out of the pan, and coat the bottom.
• 15 repeat dusting of almonds.
• 16 don't get all stressed if the toffee breaks-- it's supposed to be handy-size chunks.
• 17 refrigerate until hardened thoroughly and finish breaking into piece.
• 18 continue to refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve/given as gift/eaten!