Homemade toffee always makes for a great party favor idea – or a welcome addition to the dessert buffet – especially when packaged up or presented in a stylish manner!

This super-delicious Almond Buttercrunch Toffee recipe is from one of my favorite recent cookbook purchases: Bite-Size Desserts by Carole Bloom. {$16 at Amazon}

Party guests are sure to love this decadent candy treat, which features rich, buttery, crunchy toffee that’s topped with a layer of chocolate and finely chopped toasted almonds. Pretty AND delicious! (Full recipe below.)

ALMOND BUTTERCRUNCH TOFFEE

{from Bite-Size Desserts}

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sliced almonds
• 1 tablespoon canola or safflower oil
• 8 oz ( 2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• 1/4 tsp kosher or fine-grained sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 12 oz bittersweet chocolate*, finely chopped

Baking Tools:

• candy thermometer
• 7″ x 11″ baking pan

*bittersweet chocolate should be 62%-72% cacao content

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

1. Place the almonds in a cake or pie pan and toast in the oven for 12-14 minutes, until light golden. Stir the almonds every 5 minutes as they are toasting to ensure they brown evenly. Remove the pan from the oven and cool completely on a rack, then chop the almonds finely.

2. Line a 7×11-inch (2 quart) rectangular baking pan with aluminum foil so that the foil fits snugly in the pan and hangs a bit over the edges. Using a paper towel, oil the foil than lines the inside of the pan. Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the chopped almonds over the bottom of the pan.

3. Melt the butter in a 3-quart heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, water, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant spatula, until the mixture registers 260ºF on a candy thermometer. Immediately stir in 1/2 cup of the chopped almonds and continue cooking the mixture until it becomes golden brown and registers 290ºF on the candy thermometer. Immediately stir in the vanilla and baking soda. Be careful as the mixture bubble and foam.

4. Turn the toffee out in the prepared pan and spread it evenly in the pan and to the edges. Immediately sprinkle the top of the toffee evenly with the chocolate. Let it stand for 2 minutes, until the chocolate begins to melt. Use a small offset spatula to spread the chocolate evenly over the top of the toffee. Sprinkle the top of the chocolate evenly with the remaining 3/4 cup of chopped toasted almonds. Let the toffee set up at room temperature until firm, about 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 15 minutes to set the chocolate.

5. Lift the toffee from the pan by holding the overhanging edges of the foil. Peel the foil away from the toffee and break the toffee into small pieces. Serve at room temperature. Enjoy!

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Keeping:
Store the toffee between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.