Between Christmas and New Year’s most of us find ourselves snacking on the abundance of cookies, cakes, and candies, which throughout the rest of the year are not as easily within our reach.
But during the holidays it seems even the diehard dieters give themselves a bit of a reprieve. After all it’s the season of joy, and can anyone really say that sinking our teeth into some delectable treat has not brought us at the least a tiny bit of joy?
So as my way of spreading some of this delicious joy I present to you this easy recipe for the California Toffee Butter Crunch pictured above.
Now this is not a gourmet candy. In fact, you can tweak it however you like but the actual recipe which I have been making for many years calls for good old Hershey milk chocolate bars, (yes, I said milk chocolate), and roasted and salted store bought almonds (yes, I said salted).
Add to that a buttery toffee (yes, I said butter), and you have a candy so satisfying that, as the saying goes, “you can’t eat just one!”
I made a batch this past week to give as some gifts. If wrapped well it can be frozen so you can make it in advance if you have the time. I, of course made it at the last minute.
As soon as it is well chilled, you can break it up, wrap it in cellophane, put a ribbon on it and go spread a little joy.
California Toffee Butter Crunch
(adapted from The Best Specialties of the House …And More, North Suburban Guild of Children’s Memorial Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois)
2 cans (6 oz. each) roasted, salted almonds
12 (1.65 oz.) Hershey milk chocolate bars ( this time I used 10 of the larger King Size bars, broken up)
½ lb. sweet butter (unsalted)
1 and 1/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3 tablespoons water
Coarsely chop 1 can of nuts and set aside. Finely chop the other.
Butter a 7 and ½ by 11 and ¾-inch rimmed pan. (If using the larger bars of chocolate use a larger (11 and ½ by 17-inch) rimmed baking sheet). Alternatively, you can line it with parchment paper.
Sprinkle with half of the finely chopped nuts. Cover with half of the chocolate bars.
Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan. Add sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Using a candy thermometer, cook to 300 degrees.
Quickly stir in the coarsely chopped nuts and pour over the chocolate bars. Immediately cover with the remaining chocolate bars and sprinkle top with the rest of the finely-chopped nuts.
Take a large sheet of waxed paper and press gently so nuts will adhere.
Chill and break or cut into pieces. Can be frozen.
