Chocolate rich with a crunchy texture and easy to make! This English toffee recipe from Terri Prosperi is chocolate rich with a crunchy texture that’s easy to make and even easier to enjoy! Terri and Denis Prosperi are the primary grape growers for Quady Orange Muscat grapes, which are used to make the majority of our sweet wines, including Deviation dessert wine. Try this English toffee with Deviation for a full-flavored experience from start to finish.
Ingredients
1 lb. butter
1 lb. sugar = 2 ¼ c. sugar
2 ½ c. chopped almonds
1 ½ c. coarsely chopped
1 c. finely chopped for topping
6 to 12 oz. chocolate chips for topping
Amount depends on how chocolaty you want the topping to be
Utensils
Heavy kettle
Large cookie sheet – jellyroll type
Candy thermometer
Directions
Using a heavy kettle, over medium heat, melt the butter. When the butter is melted add the sugar. Set timer for 20 minutes. Continue to cook over medium to slightly higher heat (not so hot as to burn the butter). Stir moderately. As the sugar melts, the mixture sort of thickens, stir in the coarsely chopped almonds. Continue to stir moderately. After approximately 20 minutes, the mixture should start to color.
Measure the temperature with a candy thermometer. Take the mixture off the heat when it attains the “hard crack” point, 300 degrees on the candy thermometer. Note: if butter starts to separate, try to stir to combine but do not overheat the mixture. Overheating will make the sugar re-crystalize. Pour off any excess butter before pouring mixture onto the cookie sheet. With a paper towel pat off any excess butter on the cookie sheet.
Sprinkle top with chocolate chips, allow to melt slightly. Using the back of a wooden spoon or a spatula spread the chocolate uniformly over the toffee. Finally, sprinkle the top with the finely ground almonds. Using a paper towel lightly press nuts down with hand. Refrigerate until cool and chocolate is set (2 – 3 hours), then break into pieces. Toffee can be frozen or refrigerated.