Source
**Almond Toffee**
**Ingredients**
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1 cup (8 oz,or 2 sticks) salted butter
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup roasted almonds, finely chopped (or pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts; pretty much any roasted nut will be tasty on toffee)
**Instructions**
1. Line a half-sheet pan (18 x 13) with a silpat or parchment paper.
1. Combine the butter, sugar, water and vanilla in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan (a stainless steel pan is useful here for the even heat distribution). Cook over medium heat until it begins to boil.
1. (Optional but useful step: immediately after the liquid starts boiling, put a lid on the pot for 3 minutes to create steam that will melt any sugar crystals clinging to the sides of the pot.)
1. Let the sugar boil and bubble away, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Cook it until a candy thermometer registers 300 F, called the hard crack stage. You can also test it by dropping some of the toffee into a cup of ice water- if it is brittle, it’s ready. Don’t rush it by turning the heat to high because it will burn easily (mine took about 20 minutes on medium-low heat). It should be thick and the color of peanut butter. Immediately pour the toffee onto the prepared baking sheet.
1. Cool the toffee for about 2 minutes, then sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Let sit for 3-5 minutes until the chocolate is melted, then spread into an even layer on top of the toffee.
1. Top the melted chocolate with the finely chopped roasted almonds. Lightly press the almonds into the chocolate so they will stick.
1. Let the chocolate set up before breaking the toffee into pieces.
As a reference for people who don’t know about candymaking stages:
**Thread Stage** is around 230 F. When you drop it in cold water it forms a thread that doesn’t ball up. This makes for a suitable dessert syrup but it will not harden into candy.
**Soft-Ball Stage** is around 235 F. When you drop it into ice water it makes a soft, smushable ball. Pralines and fudge are cooked to soft-ball stage.
**Firm-Ball Stage** is around 245 F. Makes a harder ball but it’s still malleable when you take it out of the water. Think caramels–firm but still sticky and slightly soft.
**Hard-Ball Stage** 250 F. Makes a hard ball in the water, but you can still smush it if you try. Nougat and marshmallows require this temp.
**Soft-Crack Stage** is between 270 and 289F. Makes flexible threads in the water that will bend and then break. Taffy is cooked to this stage.
**Hard-Crack Stage** is 300F to 310F. This stuff is molten hot and makes hard threads in the water that snap when you bend them. This is where you need to get toffee and brittle.
Be very careful working with hot sugar, because if you drip it on your skin it will fuse to you and cause a severe burn. I have, unfortunately, experienced this first hand.