Almond Roca

This one is found at chef-in-training.com. It’s super simple as long as you follow the directions exactly, and have a good candy thermometer. Use real butter. Weigh your brown sugar, or just buy a 1# package for this use.

1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped almonds
1 lb. light brown sugar
1 lb. butter
24 oz. milk chocolate chips (or semi-sweet)

Sprinkle 3/4 cup chopped almonds on a 18×13″ baking sheet. I put my silpat baking mat down first, and sprinkled the almonds on it. I’m unclear whether you would need to grease the baking sheet first, thus my use of the silpat instead. Set the baking sheet with almonds aside.

In a 2-qt. saucepan bring the brown sugar and butter to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until it’s thick. Let cook until it reaches 290 degrees on a candy thermometer. Watch it carefully after 280 degrees because it goes fast after that and you don’t want to burn it. Remove from heat at 290 degrees. Pour evenly over the almond-prepared baking sheet. Let stand for a few minutes.*

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave with a tsp. of oil or butter, if desired, to keep it smooth. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each go, until it is melted and smooth. Cover the candy layer with the chocolate and then sprinkle on remaining 3/4 cup almonds.

Once completely cooled (you can put it into a refrigerator if you cannot wait) and hardened, remove the silpat and use a knife to cut and/or break up into pieces.

It makes about 2 pounds of candy and is a great gift idea for the holidays.

*Don’t wait too long to add the chocolate layer. I did that one time and the chocolate layer would not adhere to the candy layer once it all cooled. Delicious, but messy. Add the chocolate while the candy is still very warm.