Family Chefmate: English Toffee

My kids discovered English Toffee for the 1st time this Christmas at their grandparents house. They were so excited to learn about this tasty treat that grandma was hiding under some magazines. The kids immediately wanted me to find a recipe when we got home to make our own English toffee. I have never made this type of candy before so I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to make as long as you have a good candy thermometer. This recipe comes form Paula Deen from her Delicious gifts episode. I agree with Paula this English toffee will make a delicious gift. The kids grandmother tasted this recipe and said it was better then her Sees English toffee. We added a few more nuts to this recipe then what the original recipe called for and add almonds instead of pecans. You can add either almonds or pecans to your recipe.

English Toffee
Yields: about 40 small pieces
Pre-heat oven: 300 degrees

14 tablespoons of butter
1 cup organic cane sugar
2 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds (divided)
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
1 6 oz. bag dark chocolate chips or small vanilla chocolate chunks

Pour the almonds onto a cookie sheet and toast in a 300 degree oven for 12 minutes or until toasted. Allow the almonds to cool then finely chop them on a cutting board.

In a heavy pan on medium heat melt the butter, sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continually with a wooden spoon about 10 minutes. Remove the spoon and bring the sugar mixture up to 300 - 310 degrees on the candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and add one cup of the finely chopped almonds. Add the vanilla extract and the salt. On a cookie sheet, pour the sugar mixture onto the sheet and evenly spread it to a 1/4 inch. Top the toffee with the chocolate chips or with dark vanilla chocolate chunks and spread the chocolate evenly while it melts. Then add the last 1/2 cup of finely chopped almonds to the top of the chocolate. Cool for 1 hour and then break into pieces. I put mine in the freezer for a few minutes to cool it faster. Store in an air tight container until ready to use.

Chopping the Vanilla Chocolate Into Small Chunks