Mahogany Buttercrunch Toffee

I awoke this morning, at ten minutes before six, to the sweet sound of Gavin singing "Deck the Halls" in his bedroom. It seems that Christmas has come to our house in a big way this year.

We went and cut down our Christmas tree on Saturday. There is a farm nearby called "Horton's Tree Farm" and it is a beautiful spot. A tractor takes visitors on a wagon to the back of the farm and drops everyone off with their saws. Dogs are allowed to come along, and this year we brought Oscar. After you pick out the perfect tree, you can either hop on the wagon again or drag your tree back to the log cabin where it is wrapped in mesh. Then you can help yourself to hot chocolate and marshmallows, and find a spot around the blazing bonfire.

A lovely picture, but then reality hits. The tree didn't look THIS big in the forest. We got it set up in our living room and we couldn't control our nervous laughter. A couple questions arose... How are we going to get the angel on top? Where are we going to put the couch?

We started trimming the tree (now I understand where this saying really came from!) and got it to "fit" into the corner of the room. The height on our tree is ten and a half feet, give or take. Let's face it though, the height isn't the problem, with our very high ceilings. The problem is the overall girth of this monster, taking up at least a quarter of our not-very-big living room!

I tried the Mahogany Buttercrunch Toffee last year, when I was still taking "Rose's Christmas Cookies" book out of the library. This recipe does require a candy thermometer. There is a chocolate buttercrunch that is made and sold locally. I think the name of the company is "Fraktals" and this reminds me of their buttercrunch toffee. Making it on your own is much less expensive and it makes a great little Christmas gift for friends. Just chop some of the buttercrunch into pieces, and package in a clear cellophane bag tied with a ribbon.

The baking soda is the key to this recipe. According to Rose Levy Beranbaum, "the baking soda gives it a fine brittle shear and less sticky texture" and "when baking soda is used, it combines with the acid in the brown sugar and separates the toffee into layers". I have made this toffee with almonds and cashews. I love cashews and that was a real treat, but they are more expensive than most other nuts. You could also use peanuts and have a good result.

Mahogany Buttercrunch Toffee

2 c. sliced almonds
1 1/4 c. light brown sugar
2 T. water
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1/4 t. baking soda
6 oz. bittersweet or dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the almonds on a cookie sheet and bake them, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. (If you can smell them, better check on them!) Cool completely.

2. In a food processor with the metal blade, pulse the almonds until they are chopped finely but not powder fine. Sprinkle half the nuts over a 7x10 inch area on a greased/buttered baking sheet (I greased the sheet and then put a piece of parchment paper in the pan). Place it near the stove, along with the vanilla and baking soda.

3. In a heavy, medium-size sauce pan, combine the brown sugar, water, and butter. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Stir often to prevent burning until the mixture reaches 285 degrees. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat because the temperature will continue to rise to 290 degrees (this is fine but don't go any higher, for best texture). Add the vanilla and baking soda. Stir the mixture and pour the toffee evenly over the nuts.

4. Immediately scatter the chocolate chunks over the hot toffee. Press the squares lightly with your fingers so they start melting. After about 5 minutes, the chocolate will be soft enough to spread with a long metal spatula in an even layer over the surface of the toffee. Dust the chocolate with the remaining chopped almonds. Cool completely and chop into irregular pieces.

5. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature. Will keep for about a month this way. Enjoy!

*For easier clean-up, soak anything you used in the toffee in hot water or put it all in the saucepan, fill with water, and bring to a boil.