By Lilly
ENGLISH TOFFEE
What you need:
1 cup sliced almonds
1 lb. dark chocolate (I prefer Ghiradelli’s)
2 cups butter
2 2/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 corn syrup
What you do:
1. Prepare a jelly roll pan with greased aluminum foil. Set aside.
2. Combine butter, sugar, water and corn syrup in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter. Insert a candy thermometer and bring the candy to a boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Continue to stir every few minutes until the mixture reaches 300 degrees.
4. While the candy is cooking place almonds into oven set at 325 degrees, toast for about 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
5. As soon as the candy hits 300 degrees take it off the stove and pour it immediately into the prepared jelly roll pan. Do not scrape the pan!
6. Let the toffee cool slightly then score with a sharp knife.
7. Once it is cooled completely break into pieces.
8. Following package directions melt chocolate. Dip toffee (or paint it on with a pastry brush as I have) in chocolate and coat with sliced almonds- let cool on cooling rack.
FLEUR DE SEL CARAMELS
What you need:
Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups sugar
2 cups light corn syrup
3 ounces (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon Fleur de Sel (sea salt)
1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)
What you do:
1. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line with parchment then coat parchment with spray.
2. Place sugar, corn syrup and butterin a large pot. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves and butter melts.
3. Slowly pour in heavy cream.
4. Cook over medium heat stirring often, make sure to keep your eye on the candy thermometer until it registers 255 degrees.
5. While this is cooking, open and scrape vanilla bean into a a small dish with sea salt so you can easily pour it into the mix when the caramel is done.
6. Once the thermometer reads 255 degrees, remove the pot from heat and quickly add vanilla and salt mixture.
Stir vigorously.
7. Immediately pour (without scraping pot) into prepared baking sheet and let cool. (I find it’s best to put the sheet on a cookie cooling rack as well so the heat can escape from the bottom of the sheet.)
8. Once the caramel has cooled, cut with a well-oiled, sharp kitchen knife into whatever sized pieces you desire.
I like to give these as gifts – you can find great wrappers at places like Sur La Table. You can also buy custom boxes and the padded inserts like mine from Papermart.
