We’re visiting relatives, and one of the things we really like to do is to bring something as a little treat. We think it really helps if it is something that is home-scratched, and something they wouldn’t necessarily make themselves. Oh, and it also has to travel well, be a little snacky, and, if that’s not enough, it doesn’t hurt if it’s a little sweet. So what fills the bill? We’re thinking toffee.As it turns out, toffee is a pretty easy candy to make. You can make it extra-special by going all out on the nuts and chocolate topping, so we went with Callebaut 70% cacao chocolate, and we followed Judith Olney’s suggestion in The Joy of Chocolate and went with macadamia nuts in and on the toffee. We’ll put together a batch of almond toffee, too. Too many treats can be just the right amount.
Macadamia Nut Toffee
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tbs corn syrup
- 3 Tbs water
- 1 cup 4 ounces roasted, unsalted, macadamia nuts, cut in halves
- 9 ounces chocolate
- 1 cup 4 ounces roasted, unsalted, macadamia nuts, chopped
Instructions
- Butter a 9×13 in pan.
- In a 3-quart heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat, melt the two sticks of butter.
- Once the butter melts, add the sugar, the corn syrup, and the water. Stir and insert a candy thermometer.
- Continue to cook over medium heat (a low-rolling boil), stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 300°F.
- Once the liquid reaches 300°F, quickly add the macadamia halves, stir rapidly, and pour the candy out into the prepared pan.
- Let the toffee cool completely (about 30 minutes), then turn out from the pan and wipe off any excess butter.
- In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate on 50% power.
- Spread the chocolate over the toffee, sprinkle the chopped macadamias into the chocolate and press them down.
- Once cooled, break the toffee into pieces and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Ingredient discussion:
We go with corn syrup that doesn’t contain high fructose corn syrup, and we really suggest that you get an excellent chocolate for coating this toffee. If you’re making candy, don’t skimp; you want your candy to blow the doors off anything someone can buy (which, unfortunately, is pretty easy).
Procedure in detail:
Butter a 9×13 in pan. Or line two baking sheets with silicone baking sheets.
Melt butter. In a 3-quart heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat, melt the two sticks of butter.
Add sugar, syrup, and water. Once the butter melts, add the sugar, the corn syrup, and the water. Stir and insert a candy thermometer.
Cook until it reaches 300°F. Continue to cook over medium heat (a low-rolling boil), stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 300°F. This should take about 30-40 minutes.
Add nuts. Once the liquid reaches 300°F, quickly add the macadamia halves, stir rapidly, and pour the candy out into the prepared pan.
Let cool. Let the toffee cool completely (about 30 minutes), then turn out of the pan, or invert on the silicone baking mat, and wipe off any excess butter.
Melt chocolate. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate on 50% power. We turn the microwave on for a minute at a time, and stir in between so the chocolate doesn’t burn.
Top toffee. Spread the chocolate over the toffee, sprinkle the chopped macadamias into the chocolate, and press them down.
Cool. Let the chocolate cool until it hardens.
Break. Once cooled, break the toffee into pieces and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It’ll keep longer that you can resist it.
We make this toffee about once a year, not because it’s a lot of trouble, but because we really don’t need to eat candy all that often. In the past, we’ve sent it off as Christmas treats (and kept some for ourselves, too), and it was very well-received. And, we can definitely say that this toffee is much better than any toffee you can buy, so high fives!