Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtually Every Candy Imaginable (73 page)

4.
Continue cooking to 260°F (hard ball stage), without stirring.

5.
Remove from heat. Turn out onto the marble slab or baking sheet. Turn the mass over a few times to let it cool evenly to room temperature.

6.
Divide taffy into portions if you want different colors and flavors. Mix in vanilla extract and coloring if desired.

7.
Butter hands lightly and pull taffy, stretching and gathering it together until it becomes opaque and difficult to pull.

8.
Pull the taffy into a long rope about ½ inch thick. Cut it into bite-size pieces using the shears.

9.
Wrap pieces in wax paper. Let cool before storing.

Yield:

About 50 pieces of taffy

Storage:

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

General Description:

Thin slabs of toffee are covered with a layer of chocolate and sprinkled with almonds.
The slabs are usually broken into irregular pieces. The decadent combination of hard, buttery toffee, rich chocolate, and crunchy nuts has made almond buttercrunch an American holiday classic.

History:

This delicious toffee confection is sometimes known as
English toffee
, but it is an American invention different from the true, original
English toffee
. One of the best-known commercial versions of buttercrunch is the Heath bar, which was created in 1928 by the Heath brothers in Illinois. A bar of hard toffee flecked with almonds and covered in milk chocolate, the Heath bar was originally marketed as a health food. Crushed bits of Heath bar have become a popular mix-in for cookies and ice cream. Other toffee candy bars include Skor, Butter Brickle, and Daim from Sweden.

Serving Suggestions:

Almond buttercrunch is very similar to
chocolate bark
in that you can vary the type of chocolate and toppings: Try using pecans instead of almonds or adding crushed peppermint candies. Give tins of almond buttercrunch as holiday gifts.

Candy-Making Notes:

Make buttercrunch on a dry day; humidity can make the toffee too soft and sticky.

Recipe:

1.
Line an 8-by-10-inch baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.

2.
Combine sugars, butter, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it comes to a boil.

3.
Continue cooking without stirring until the mixture reaches 298°F, hard crack stage.