dig out your candy thermometer

I have always wanted to make English toffee. (Out here in the NW it's called almond roca. And they sell it in big tins at the store, but it's always way overpriced and I usually just leave it there on the shelf.) I found a recipe online today and promptly sent Phil to the store for butter, almonds, and chocolate chips. Well, he was making a trip to donate some crap to the Goodwill anyway, so it's not like he went on a special mission or anything. I whipped up a batch - way easier than I thought. I let it cool out in the newly cleaned garage in which he worked his tail end off today.

Almond Roca

Ingredients:

1 pound butter (not margarine)

1/4 c. water

2 Tablespoons Karo Light Corn Syrup

2 c. white granulated sugar

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup sliced or slivered almonds

Directions: Butter bottom of cookie sheet and sprinkle with almonds that have been broken up a bit. Reserve about 1/2 cup for the last step.

Combine the first four ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until cooked to hard crack stage, 290 degrees on candy thermometer. The mixture will become frothy and a nice caramel brown.

Immediately pour over almonds, and spread over cookie sheet. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, spreading with pastry knife. Then sprinkle crushed almonds over the top.

Cool completely. Then simply break it apart and package.

Yep, it tastes as good as it looks. As it well should with a pound of butter and two cups of sugar.