I first came upon this recipe when I was visiting my great Aunt in Oklahoma City. She was a pack rat and so there were stacks of things and boxes everywhere to the point where you could barely navigate around her tiny little high rise apartment. She was always busy in the kitchen creating these delicious things to eat and I remember being told that prior to her recent move she had been working in Boston on a cooking show in some capacity. I was an obnoxious 16 year old at the time and since the world clearly revolved around me the only part of the story I remembered was the part where Ted Kennedy used to flirt with her in the elevator of her apartment building in Boston (they lived in the same building).
Anyway, I was poking around her not quite unpacked Oklahoma apartment when it began to snow, and this south Texas girl only having seen snow once before in her life ventured out on the balcony to get a closer look. I will never forget it...it was spectacularly beautiful! While I was out there, I noticed this amazing looking candy stacked this way and that in sheet cake pans. It was melted chocolate on top of something covered in toasted almonds. I grabbed a pan and went in to ask if I could have some and aunt Erma Lee laughed and said "of course, just break yourself off a piece" and so I did. It was the most mouth wateringly delicious thing I had ever eaten! I wondered why she just had it stacked outside on her balcony and she said because it was nice and cold outside and she had no room left inside...which was absolutely true!
I have cherished this recipe and have made it for years with rave reviews...it turned out perfectly every time, regardless of weather or amount ( I have a tendency to double recipes). Then one day, no matter what I did I could not get it to turn out properly. The butter separated and floated on top...gag! I cannot tell you how many failed attempts there were. Even one of my friends that I had shared the recipe with called me that year and exclaimed "I can't make toffee anymore...what am I doing wrong?" I commiserated with her but I had no answers.
I finally decided after a couple years and many failed batches of toffee, now mind you I tried everything from every different kind of butter to different kinds of sugar and many different temperatures, to never make toffee again! My husband at the time was crushed, he used to hoard it at his office sometimes until way into February. Then my middle daughter Alexandra gets married and her husband Michael starts in "can't you make toffee? Its my favorite!" Shit! I tell him my sad story but he insists it can be done. We even try on a very cold day in Austin with low humidity and get mixed results. We mopped up some of the excess butter with paper towels but it wasn't the same. Finally after a couple more years, Hallelujah, I have made the perfect toffee, just like old times. I was able to give it as gifts this year...I even gave some to my ex-husband!
Now, what you have been waiting for...the recipe. And it works in hot and humid weather, with the windows open or closed, and the a/c on or off.
1 C unsalted butter
1 C light brown sugar firmly packed
1 T water
2 pinches coarse sea salt
1 C sliced toasted almonds
3 1.55oz or regular sized milk chocolate Hershey bars
Place a 9x12 piece of parchment paper on the counter and sprinkle it with toasted almonds. Bring butter, brown sugar, water, and salt to a boil stirring slowly and constantly with a wooden spoon in a medium sized pot or sauce pan. When your mixture reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer pour out onto prepared surface evenly. Break up Hershey bars and place on top of hot toffee and let melt then spread evenly with a butter knife. Crush the almonds with your fingers and sprinkle the remaining nuts on top. Let set. You can put it in the refrigerator, the chocolate will turn chalky looking but will return to normal when it gets back to room temp. Break it up into pieces to serve.
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