Grandma Sara’s Butter Brickle

Here’s one you’ll want to add to your holiday cooking list, and I recommend you plan on making a double batch because it goes fast. This is Grandma Sara’s butter brickle, or English toffee. She made it every year at Christmastime, and a batch of this, placed in a special piece of crockery, was the coveted gift in our family gift exchange for years.

NEW! Click here to view a video tutorial on YouTube.

Ingredients:

2/3 to 1 cup of raw, sliced almonds (not slivered)
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 cup butter (that’s 2 sticks)
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (milk chocolate is okay too)

Prepare a pan. Line a cookie sheet that has sides (jelly roll pan) with foil, then butter the foil (or spray with cooking spray). Set it aside.

Toast the almonds. Grandma Sara used raw almonds, and so can you. But recently, it occurred to me that toasting them might take this recipe from good to great, and I was right. Also, she also used only about 1/3 cup, but I use more than that – closer to a cup. To toast, spread the sliced almonds on a cookie sheet and place in a 325 degree oven, check and stir every few minutes until the color darkens to a medium golden brown – maybe 10 minutes or so. Watch them closely – you don’t want to burn them. You can test a few to make sure they’re done. (If you lack an off switch for these, toast some extras to nibble on.)

Once the almonds have cooled, grab a handful, crush them, and evenly sprinkle them over the greased cookie sheet.

Cook the toffee part. Place brown sugar, butter and vanilla in a heavy saucepan over medium heat till the butter melts. Cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until candy thermometer reads 300 degrees (hard crack stage). You don’t want it to burn, but you do want it to cook evenly. I usually let mine go to just north of 300.

Don’t stop stirring for more than a few seconds. Don’t be in a hurry (wear comfy shoes). The temperature will hang out around 275 degrees for a really long time, then it’ll shoot up fast to 300, and then it’s go-time.  Pay attention to how the mixture changes- it will seem thin, then almost foamy, then it will thicken, and towards the end of cooking, as the temperature approaches 300 degrees, the color will start to deepen.

It’s almost done!

Remove sugar mixture from heat and pour it evenly over almonds on cookie sheet. You may want to gently spread it with an offset spatula so the toffee layer is evenly thin. Then, sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over hot toffee. Wait several minutes to allow chocolate to melt, then spread it evenly over the sugar mixture. Then, sprinkle remaining crushed almonds over top of melted chocolate.

Allow to cool completely – put it in your refrigerator or freezer to speed the process, or if it’s cold outside, put it out on your porch, but make sure the critters can’t get at it. Once cooled, break into smallish pieces. Store in a covered container in a cool location. Hide it well, because once it is discovered, it’s as good as gone.

We made a video of this recipe!