Almond Toffee

I decided that this year, I was going to send cute holiday cards to my friends.  It made sense at the time-I wanted to make sure my friends and family had my new address here in Washington, DC.  And of course, because I am some sort of overachieving masochist, I decided it would be cute to include little bags of homemade toffee.

Waiting patiently for the toffee to cool down

I have made close to five batches of toffee, and I still have 20 people on my holiday mailing list.  I really should have just sent cards, without the toffee.  My annoyance has nothing to do with the toffee recipe, rather just the sheer number of people I thought I could manage to send cards and candy to.  

This recipe is simple, delicious, and leaves my house smelling like melted butter and sugar.  I love adding this toffee to my ice cream, cookies, and other treats.  

My only advice: don't make enough for 30 people.  Just send cards--and save the toffee for yourself!

And a beautiful close up...

Almond Toffee from Bi-Rite Creamery

Makes about 4 cups chopped toffee

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup tapioca or corn syrup

3 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup toasted slivered almonds

1. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and spray with the nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine butter, sugar, tapioca syrup, water, and salt in a medium saucepan and attach a candy thermometer.  Put the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.  When the mixture reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit, remove from heat.  The toffee should be dark amber in color.
3. Stir in the toasted almonds. 
4. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, and use a heatproof spatula to spread it out to 1/4 inch thickness.  Be very careful--the toffee is hot!
5. Let the toffee cool for about an hour. If the toffee looks too greasy after cooling, blot the toffee with a paper towel.  Break or chop the toffee into chunks.

The toffee can be stored in an airtight container for a couple weeks.  

Toasted Almonds

To toast almonds, spear out the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until golden and aromatic.  Whole nuts can take up to 15 minutes, while chopped nuts often take 5-10 minutes.  When the nuts are done, immediately pour them into a Pyrex bowl, and let them cool until you are ready to use them.