Almond Roca (Butter Toffee with almonds and chocolate)

I love the taste of Almond Roca and its so easy to make! I decided to whip up a batch for those moments when you just want something sweet but don’t want to commit to eating an entire dessert. I’ve made this Almond Roca three times since I have been here in Italy. One time it was to give away to friends in small gift bags and all of the girls loved it! Italian don’t really have this type of candy so it’s a real novelty!

Almond Roca Recipe

1 pound butter (454 g or 2 cups or 4 sticks)
2 cups sugar (200 g)
6 Tablespoons water (90ml)
1 cup chopped almonds (100 g)
11 ounces chocolate chips (310 g or 2 cups)

Prepare a cookie sheet or metal baking dish with a rub of butter. Melt butter in a sauce pan making sure there is sufficient room for boiling up, it will increase at least four times in size while boiling. When butter is just melted add sugar and water. Cook on high heat while it boils, stirring occasionally.

Cook until it turns the color of a brown paper bag, remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of nuts.

Step two of cooking Almond Roca, it should look the color of a brown paper bag

Dump quickly onto the cookie sheet, I use a 9x11x13 pan (that’s in inches).

Step three of cooking Almond Roca, Pour it into the pan, I already dropped a few chunks of chocolate on it!

Sprinkle with chopped chocolate or chocolate chips and allow the hot mixture to melt the chocolate. It is not necessary to pre-melt the chocolate.

Sprinkle remaining nuts on top, allow to cool completely and chocolate to harden. I pop mine into the refrigerator to speed up the process. I rough chop the Almond Roca by stabbing my knife into a corner of it. Once it wants to come out of the pan I remove as much as possible to a chopping block to complete the breaking of it.

Delicious “Almond Roca” or Butter Toffee with Amonds and Chocolate

Notes:
1. I don’t use a glass dish because it comes out MUCH easier from a metal pan because you can also twist the pan slightly.
2. I use different kinds of nuts, this time I used walnuts.

3. You can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate. I like dark.

4. I have made this with half the amount of butter because it seems so excessive to me! But try it with full butter the first time and adjust as you go along.

5. I don’t have chocolate chips here so I just chunked up a big chocolate bar.

6. You can make Peanut Brittle exactly the same way, just omit the butter. You can add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to turn it foggy if you want but it’s nit necessary, add a cup of peanuts instead of walnuts or almonds.

7. You can also make Carmel Corn the same way, just pour the hot mixture over pre popped pop corn that’s spread out on several cookie sheets. The amount of butter you want to add is up to you.

8. To make Carmel Sauce it is the same process. I would half the recipe. Heat the sugar and water to the brown paper bag color, remove from heat, slowly stir in 1/3 cup of heavy cream and 4 Tablespoons butter.