Homemade Almond Roca

I’ll be the first to admit, this isn’t the first Homemade Almond Roca recipe to hit the internet. But it’s one of my very favorite candies and I wanted to share it because some of you may not know how crazy easy it is to make it at home. Homemade Almond Roca has to be one of the most delicious and addicting toffee candies ever created. The flavors of almond, butter toffee and chocolate come together to create a masterpiece of decadence in your mouth. Once you make it at home, it will become an annual holiday favorite!

I would recommend using roasted almonds in this recipe. They’ll need to be chopped fine, or simply process them in a food processor for about 15 seconds or so. There may be a few large chunks of almond left, but I just pick those out (and promptly eat them…).

Save some of the finely chopped almonds out for a topping, and evenly sprinkle the rest on the bottom of a rimmed 13X18 baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper. The candy won’t stick to the baking sheet, but I like the parchment paper because it makes the finished candy easy to remove and cut on a cutting board. “No scratchie my new aluminum bakeware!” Next, simply cook some butter and brown sugar (stirring frequently) until it reaches the desired temperature of 285 degrees. Then pour it out over the almonds in the baking sheet.

Lastly, melt your favorite milk chocolate (I use Ghirardelli) in the microwave on half power until smooth, stirring often. You can mix in a spoonful of shortening to help the chocolate to be extra smooth. Before pouring it out onto your cooled toffee, blot the top of the toffee with a wad of paper towels to soak up any excess greasy butter. This layer of butter will keep the chocolate from sticking to the toffee. Once removed, simply pour the chocolate over the cooled toffee and smooth it out with an offset spatula or knife. Sprinkle the rest of the almonds on top and you have yourself an entire pan of almond roca!

An essential kitchen gadget needed for this recipe: a candy thermometer (or food thermometer works okay if you don’t have one for candy). I also strongly recommend you use a food processor to chop up your almonds. If you have ever tried chopping nuts by hand, it’s a pain. Ask me how I know 🙂

I used a plain square cookie cutter (or biscuit cutter) to cut the pieces featured in my photographs. I did end up using a small hammer to gently tap it down. I really liked the nice looking squares opposed to a more peanut-brittle randomly broken shape. But that’s totally up to you. Some folks will score their freshly Homemade Almond Roca with a sharp chef’s knife to get even pieces when separating the candy. If you want to do this, just pop the entire finished pan in the fridge for about 15 mins. to set the chocolate before scoring/cutting it.

Homemade Almond Roca is a recipe that’s been around for a very long time, and once you taste it, you’ll see why. Please let me know about your experience with this recipe and drop a comment below!

Homemade Almond Roca

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• Author: Emily
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: One 13X18 full baking pan 1x

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Description

Once you make this recipe for Homemade Almond Roca, it will quickly become one of your favorite holiday recipes. It’s easier than you think and oh so delicious!

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Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups finely chopped roasted almonds
• 3 cups packed Golden brown sugar
• 3 sticks of salted butter (24 oz)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 20 oz of milk chocolate chips (2 1/2 cups)
• 1 Tablespoon of crisco or shortening

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Instructions

1. Line a 13X18 rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle the chopped almonds evenly over the bottom and set aside.
2. In a large pot, add the brown sugar and butter. Get a candy thermometer out and set the pan to medium heat. Stir often and slowly with a whisk, scraping often along the bottom. (nonstick pot needs a silicone whisk, metal pot can use a metal whisk. Don’t use a metal whisk on nonstick cookware, it will scratch and scrape up the surface.)
3. When the mixture is thick, bubbly and reaches 285 degrees immediately remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla and pour out over the almond bits in your prepared pan. Smooth with an offset spatula or knife to evenly cover the entire pan. Set aside to cool.
4. In a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and the shortening. Microwave on medium power 1 minute and stir. Repeat process until the chocolate is completely smooth.
5. Blot the top of the cooled toffee with paper towels. Pour the melted chocolate over the toffee and evenly spread it out. Evenly sprinkle the remaining almond bits over the still warm chocolate and pop the entire pan in the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes.
6. Once removed from the fridge, run a hot knife around the edges and lift the Almond Roca out using the parchment paper. Transfer to a large cutting board. With a sharp knife, score the candy and break it into pieces. Or use a metal cookie cutter and a light hammer to create fun shapes.

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