You might be asking yourself why we celebrate Almond Buttercrunch on June 29th? Not just because it’s delicious. The candy became popular during World War II. A few years earlier, the candy company, Brown & Haley made their own recipe, which was packaged in tins. Soldiers overseas were sent buttercrunch. During that time, most almonds were exported from Spain, and “roca,” the Spanish word for rock.
To celebrate this delicious candy, try making your own (courtesy of http://candy.about.com).
What You Need:
- 4 oz (1 stick) butter
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp light corn syrup
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1.5 cups toasted whole almonds, coarsely chopped
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate or candy coating
What To Do:
1. Prepare an 8×4 loaf pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, the corn syrup, and the salt, and stir until the brown sugar dissolves.
3. Once the brown sugar melts, start your timer and cook the candy for exactly 6 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. If you want to use a candy thermometer, stir and boil the toffee until it reaches 290 degrees F (143 C).
4. After six minutes, pull the toffee pan from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the chopped toasted almonds. Scrape the toffee into the prepared loaf pan—it should be in a layer about 1/2-inch thick.
5. Let the toffee set for about 3 minutes, then use a pizza cutter or paring knife to cut the toffee into thin bars about 1/2-inch by 2.5-inches. These will look like small pieces, but once they are dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts, they’ll be substantially bigger. After another 2 minutes, go over your cuts again as the toffee continues to harden.
6. As you wait for your toffee to set, chop the remaining 1 cup of toasted almonds very finely, or put them in a food processor and pulse for several seconds until they are in very small pieces. Pour the finely chopped almonds into a shallow bowl.
7. Once the toffee is completely cool and set, break it into pieces along the lines you made, and trim off any jagged edges with a knife.
8. Melt the chocolate or candy coating. Dip each piece of Almond Buttercrunch in the melted chocolate, then place it in the bowl of nuts. Roll it around until it is coated with nuts on all sides, then take it out of the nuts with a fork and place it on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the toffee pieces are coated with chocolate and nuts.
9. Refrigerate the tray to set the chocolate, for about 10 minutes. Store Almond Buttercrunch in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, but for best taste and texture, bring it to room temperature before serving.
