Christmas English Toffee

Pastel by Vicki Smith

Hello,

I volunteer at the Hunterdon Art Museum a handful of times each year, generally stuffing envelopes with postcards for upcoming exhibits.  The museum is housed in what was once a grist mill dating back to 1763 and located on the Raritan River.  Their exhibitions feature contemporary art, design, and craft. The juxtaposition of modern art with the thick, stone walls and wood beams of the interior seem to complement one another. A couple of years ago the museum threatened to go digital with their promotions, but I am glad that they did not as I am a fan of artist postcards and enjoy working with the group of women who gather to volunteer and to visit. The women are invariably entertaining companions and I always walk away having gleaned some interesting new information. One woman grows grapes and makes wine as a hobby, one has stories about New York in the 60s when she was a student at NYU, and another explains the art of felting. There is an ease to the flow of conversation that seems to stem from the fact that we are there to complete a task together. It makes me appreciate what it must have been like to participate in a quilting bee.

When our sons were younger, my friend Barbara and I would plan a baking project during the holidays that would include the boys. Like my volunteer sessions at the museum, the activity and the socializing flowed together. It was also a chance to tackle a recipe we might not have been ambitious enough to try on our own. One year the New York Times published an English toffee recipe that Dorie Greenspan had adapted from the book Chocolate by Nick Malgieri. I still have the clipping tucked away in a folder of recipes. I have made it many times since as it was a favorite of my father’s. It is really not difficult to make. You will need a candy thermometer that has the little feet attached. My directions are virtually the same as Dorie Greenspan’s other than my pan is slightly smaller and I never seem to require quite as much chocolate to coat the toffee as she suggests.

This recipe may be closer to American buttercrunch than English toffee as it is made with white sugar as opposed to the brown sugar favored by the English. The white sugar allows the butter flavor to be more dominant. Toffee dates back to 1825 in England when sugar became plentiful and simply refers to sugar that has been caramelized with butter and poured into a pan to cool. A high temperature makes for a harder, crunchy toffee. Corn syrup is used so that the sugar does not crystallize.

English Toffee

Ingredients

2 sticks of unsalted butter, plus extra butter to coat the pan

1 1/2 cups of sugar

3 T. light corn syrup

2 cups toasted almonds, chopped and divided

10 oz. semisweet chocolate

Directions

1. Butter a 10 x 15-inch pan, and line it with buttered foil. I cut the foil so that it extends beyond both ends and will serve as handles to remove the candy from the pan. Have ready 2 cutting boards that are as large as your pan, or two pieces of cardboard covered with parchment or wax paper that are as large as your pan.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, corn syrup, and 3 T. of water. Cook stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 300 degrees on your candy thermometer. Keep a watchful eye toward the end as the temperature can suddenly rise quickly. Remove from the heat. Stir in one cup of the almonds and pour into the foil-lined pan, spreading it with the back of a spoon to fill the pan.

3. When the candy becomes firm, use the foil handles to lift the candy from the pan and place it on one of the parchment-covered surfaces. Use your second parchment-covered surface to flip the candy over and peel off the foil. Allow to cool completely.

4. Wipe the top of the candy with a damp paper towel to remove excess butter. Allow it to dry.

5. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt it either in a double boiler or in a small pot set inside a larger pot of simmering water. Allow the chocolate to cool so that it is just warm to the touch. Use a spatula to spread half the chocolate quickly over the candy. Scatter half of the remaining nuts over the chocolate. Turn the candy over using a board, dry this side with a damp paper towel, and repeat the process with the chocolate and almonds. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set the chocolate.

6. Break the candy into pieces. The candy will keep at room temperature for up to a week. (I have kept it for longer than this. I have also frozen it.)

Yield: 3 pounds. Time: 45 minutes- one hour.

Photo by Vicki Smith

Do you do any special baking at this time of year?

Thanks for reading!

Vicki