English Buttercrunch Toffee with Dark Chocolate & Toasted Almonds

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A candy-shop classic done right at home: deep amber butter toffee cooked to a true hard crack so it shatters cleanly instead of sticking to your teeth, then blanketed in dark chocolate, showered with toasted almonds and flaky salt. A splash of water and a spoonful of corn syrup keep the butter and sugar married from start to finish, which is the whole trick to toffee that never separates into a greasy slick. One pot, a candy thermometer, and about 40 minutes of active work.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into tablespoons
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60–70%), finely chopped
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Spread the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 8 to 10 minutes, until fragrant and one shade darker inside when split. Cool completely, then chop: about half into coarse pieces, half into fine crumbs. Keep them separate.
2. Line a 9x13-inch metal baking pan or a quarter sheet pan with parchment, letting it come up the sides. Scatter the finely chopped almonds in an even layer over the bottom — this is the base layer, and it keeps the toffee from sticking. Set the pan near your stove along with the vanilla, measured out and ready.
3. Fit a candy or instant-read thermometer to a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan (light-colored stainless is best; you need to see the color). Add the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, water, corn syrup, and kosher salt. Set over medium heat.
4. Stir slowly and constantly with a silicone spatula as the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, scraping the corners and reaching the bottom of the pan on every pass. Once the mixture comes to a full boil, keep stirring but more gently — you want steady motion, not vigorous agitation. Do not walk away and do not raise the heat past medium; rushing is what makes toffee break into butter and sludge.
5. The mixture will boil pale and foamy for 8 to 10 minutes at around 240°F, then move quickly. Between 260°F and 285°F it thickens and turns sandy blond; from 285°F on it darkens fast. Cook to 300°F to 302°F, at which point it should be the color of an old penny or light peanut butter and smell nutty. Total boiling time is usually 12 to 16 minutes.
6. The instant it hits 300°F, pull the pan off the heat, stir in the vanilla (it will hiss and steam), and immediately pour the toffee over the almonds in the prepared pan. Tilt the pan and use the spatula to nudge it into a roughly even 1/4-inch layer — work fast, it sets within a minute or two. Do not scrape the last stubborn bits from the pot; they can be grainy.
7. Wait 1 minute, then scatter the chopped chocolate evenly over the hot toffee. Let it sit undisturbed 3 to 4 minutes until glossy and slumping, then spread it smooth with an offset spatula. Scatter the coarse almonds over the top, press them in lightly with your palm, and finish with the flaky salt.
8. Cool at room temperature until the chocolate is fully set and the toffee is hard, 2 to 3 hours. To speed it up, refrigerate for 30 minutes — but let the pan come back to room temperature before breaking so the chocolate doesn't bloom or crack away from the toffee.
9. Lift the slab out by the parchment onto a cutting board and break it into irregular 2-inch shards with your hands or by tapping firmly with the handle of a heavy knife. Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature, layered between parchment, for up to 2 weeks.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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