Crunchy + Sweet Buttercrunch Toffee

Crunchy, sweet, toffee topped with soft milk chocolate and a layer of toasted almonds. If there is a ranking of sweet treats, Buttercrunch Toffee should be at the top. It certainly is in our household and it is definitely one of those holiday items that gets stolen and hidden anytime your bring it somewhere.

Does your family have that one thing they always fight over at get togethers? Crescent rolls, kielbasa bites, meat pie? In this family it is always the buttercrunch toffee. It's crunchy, sweet, and totally addicting.

If you want a crowd pleasing, don't-show-up-empty-handed thing, the only thing better than bringing wine is bringing these crisp and crunchy bites of homemade candy.

Buttercrunch Toffee Making Tips

If you've never experienced this life altering event, here's what you're going to need:

• A few minutes - this recipe is so quick!
• 7 ingredients
• candy thermometer 

Working with sugar sometimes can be a tricky thing, but we can keep it simple for this buttercrunch candy recipe. Stir the brown sugar, water, corn syrup and butter while bringing to a boil, cover for 1 minute, then clip on your candy thermometer and watch magic happen on your stove top while it comes to temperature.

Once it reaches 285°F remove from the heat, add vanilla and baking soda then stir, stir, stir...fast. Be careful not to splash the steamy bubbling hot sugar while you're stirring! Pour it out on your sheet pan.

Can you believe? The hardest part is done.

Check. Check.

Top Left: Buttercrunch at the 'bring to a boil' stage. Top Right: Candy mixture at 285°F. Bottom Left: Spread the toffee in an even layer on a silpat mat Bottom Right: Sprinkle warm toff with chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes until melted before spreading.

Tools for candy making

A candy thermometer is non-negotiable for me. It's a simple, inexpensive tool that tells you when the sugar is ready for the next step. Even with making salted caramel, it takes the guesswork of 'is this the right color?' out of it. When it reaches the temperature it's supposed to, you're done.

A silpat mat has so many uses. It's awesome for baking cookies, making chocolate bark, and any general baking. When it comes to making buttercrunch, I prefer to use a silpat mat over spraying a sheet pan with cooking spray because it doesn't slip around as much during spreading making it easier to get in the thickness you prefer.

Lastly, a good quality sheet pan has 5,000 different uses in the kitchen. You can toast up the sliced almonds, put them aside then toss the silpat mat on top of the same sheet pan to make for easy cooling of the buttercrunch toffee in the fridge.

Do you love creamy, milky, chocolate? The sweetness of the smooth milk chocolate adds the perfect texture balance to the crunchy, maple-y toffee. The toasted, unsalted almonds offer a balance of natural nutty flavor to balance off the sweetness. It's all the major food groups you need - dairy, chocolate, and nuts.

Wait...those are food groups, right??

Well, let's just pretend for now, we can go back to the original food groups when the buttercrunch toffee is gone.

Happy treating everyone!

Buttercrunch Toffee

Crunchy, sweet toffee with creamy milk chocolate and toasted almonds makes this a fan favorite holiday treat!

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Candy

Cuisine: American

Keyword: buttercrunch toffee, homemade candy, simple candy making

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

Servings: 1 pound

Calories: 2953kcal

Author: Lauren

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Ingredients

• ▢ ¾ cup sliced almonds (toasted and chopped)
• ▢ 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• ▢ 1 ¼ cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)
• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter (cut in pieces)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• ▢ 2 tablespoons water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350. Toast almonds for 5 minutes until fragrant and golden brown. Set aside.
• For thin toffee, lightly coat a 10 x 15 lipped cookie sheet or baking pan with cooking spray. For thicker toffee pieces, use a 9 x 13 sheet or pan. Alternatively, you can use a silpat mat and just eyeball your desired thickness (this is my preferred method.)
• In a heavy bottom saucepan, add light brown sugar, unsalted butter, corn syrup and water. Stir to combine over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover with lid for 1 minute to wash any sugar residue off the sides of the pan.
• Uncover and clip on candy thermometer. Cook the candy mixture without stirring until temperature reaches 285°F. Remove from heat immediately.
• Add vanilla extract and baking soda. Stir vigorously for about 10 turns of the spatula and immediately pour over prepared baking sheet or pan. Using the non-stick spatula, spread the toffee evenly over the surface.  Work quickly to spread the toffee, it will set within 30 seconds.
• While the toffee is still warm, sprinkle evenly with milk chocolate chips and allow the heat from the toffee to melt the chips, about 1 to 2 minutes. Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the toffee. Top with almond pieces while chocolate is still warm.
• Place the pan in the refrigerator until buttercrunch is firm, about 15-20 minutes. Turn out onto a cutting board, using a sharp knife cut into slightly larger than 'bite-sized' pieces or break apart with your hands.

Notes

• Sugar mixture will bubble and steam after adding the vanilla and baking soda.  Choose a saucepan that will have enough space to accommodate.

Nutrition

Calories: 2953kcal | Carbohydrates: 326g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 180g | Saturated Fat: 65g | Trans Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 244mg | Sodium: 380mg | Potassium: 1650mg | Fiber: 22g | Sugar: 291g | Vitamin A: 2838IU | Calcium: 728mg | Iron: 9mg