Chocolate Almond Toffee
This Chocolate Almond Toffee is an easy treat to make…just try not to eat it all at once!
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So I was lying in bed the other night playing around on my phone a little bit before falling asleep. I usually check the sports news, and then I wander over and look at the weather forecast. Occasionally I’ll peek at my email, but I usually just leave that for the daytime hours. Somewhere in my wanderings, I fell into a rabbit hole. (Isn’t it so easy to fall into rabbit holes on the internet? Then you wake up 20 minutes later and wonder how you ended up reading about the origin of sandwiches.)
This particular rabbit hole was a live streaming video. And I sat there and watched it for at least 15 minutes. So what was this live video, you ask? Well, it’s a street cam in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It’s a street cam of a random intersection in town. This thing apparently went viral back in September, but I must have missed the news back then. Hey, better late than never, right?
This is just a normal intersection in the center of town. Nothing crazy. But the Jackson Hole webcam has a cult following on the internet. An arch made of elk antlers overlooks the intersection, and the arch (or The Arch as it has come to be known on the internet) has taken on a mythology of its own. Apparently, The Arch is pleased by red trucks, so whenever a red truck drives through the intersection, the YouTube chat blows up. Red truck!! RED TRUCK! The Arch is pleased.
Of course, now that the webcam has a dedicated audience online, folks have started doing things just for the webcam. For instance, there was this Sheriff who ‘dabbed’ to please The Arch…and the internet loved it! You never know what you’ll see in that intersection. 99% of the time it’s just cars and people crossing the road. But you might see a dabbing sheriff. Or I’ve heard reports of a horse coming through the intersection. You just never know. And that’s why you need to watch! (In fact, I just watched a massive snow plow go through the intersection. Kinda cool!)
Toffee is hands down one of my favorite sweet treats. There used to be a little chocolate shop around the corner that made the best toffee, and I’d splurge (usually during the holidays) and get a little bit. But then the chocolate shop moved. No more toffee for me.
Fortunately, my Mom happens to love Chocolate Almond Toffee as much as I do, and she shared her recipe with me. Warning: this Chocolate Almond Toffee is seriously addicting. And it’s seriously not good for you, too. (But hey, that’s what the holidays are for! We’ll get back to healthy eating in January.) This toffee only requires 4 ingredients. The trick (if you can call it a trick) is to make sure the butter + sugar mixture reaches 300°F. Other than that, this is a piece of cake…err, piece of toffee?…to make!
This toffee would be an excellent holiday gift for neighbors, teachers and friends…if you can keep from eating it all first! Enjoy!
Oh, and red truck!! The Arch is pleased. And an unmarked bus just drove through the intersection. And now the YouTube chat is debating whether it was a CIA bus spying on The Arch. Gotta love the internet!
Chocolate Almond Toffee
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1½ cups salted almonds chopped
- 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a standard rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
- Using a medium saucepan, add butter and place over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until butter has completely melted.
- Place candy thermometer in saucepan. Add sugar, increase heat to high and stir. Continue heating, stirring constantly, until temperature reaches 300°F. (Note: This could take 10-15 minutes. Continue stirring to prevent butter/sugar mixture from burning.) (Note2: Use a large saucepan than you think you need. The butter/sugar mixture will expand as it heats!)
- Pour butter/sugar mixture into prepared baking sheet; spread mixture evenly with a wooden spoon. Let mixture cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, spread chopped almonds on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 3-4 minutes. Shake pan and then continue toasting for another 1-2 minutes. Set almonds aside. (Note: Watch almonds closely when toasting as they can burn quickly!)
- Using a double-boiler or a microwave, melt chocolate chips until fully melted. Pour chocolate over butter/sugar mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle toasted almonds evenly on top of chocolate.
- Let toffee cool completely and then cut with knife or break into rustic pieces.
Notes
Hi David! This toffee sounds so delicious and perfect for food gifts! I like to use mason jars for cookies, candies, nuts, dog cookies and mixes for quick breads. I think I enjoy making the gifts just as much as giving them! Isn’t it amazing the stuff you find on the internet? I especially like having instant access when I want to research something or talk friends like you! :).
Oh, this toffee is PERFECT for foodie gifts, Dorothy…well, that is assuming you can manage to package it up before you eat it all. Haha! Mason jars are a great way to deliver gifts…I should remember that this year. 🙂 And, yes, cheers to the internet. It’s full of a bunch of rabbit holes, but it’s also got some pretty awesome stuff out here…like recipes for Chocolate Almond Toffee!
David! I didn’t knew about the Jackson Hole arch or the viral videos! but you made me laugh! You can seet for hours watching the videos while eating this beautiful chocolate toffee!
Oh man, those Jackson Hole videos are hilarious, Gaila. I mean you’re staring at an intersection in a random city…but you just can’t stop watching! 🙂
I love those videos – and now I’m in that same rabbit hole, thank you very much 🙂
Loving how easy this recipe is too.
Hey, I’d apologize, but I know you secretly love that Jackson Hole webcam, Kristen! 🙂 I mean you just never know what’s going to happen next. Is that man going to cross the street? Or is he going to go in the store? And the best is reading the YouTube chat while watching…there are some pretty hilarious comments out there! Thanks for dropping by, my friend!
I watched this video for 20 seconds a quiet calm came over me. I can see why you got sucked in for 15 minutes. The Sheriff dabbing made my day; I watched it ten times lol. The last few years I’ve been making Spicy Almond Toffee, and everyone goes crazy for it, but this year I want to elevate my toffee. I am pretty sure you read my mind with this recipe David.
It is indeed strangly calming isn’t it, Mary? I have no idea why…but it’s just fun watching that random intersection. You never know what’s gonna happen…I mean Sheriff Dab might show up again! 🙂 Spicy Almond Toffee, eh? Sounds intriguing! I like the spicy angle you have there. I might need to learn more about that one!
That is so weirdly funny!! People will watch anything….but I can totally see what you are saying. getting lost in the rabbit hole is not hard to do and then you finally realize that so much time has passed and you got nothing done and you could have been doing something productive, like even reading a book or something (or at least that’s me), lol 😀 This looks unbelievably delicious, David and would be perfect for gifting (if it lasted that long). Love how few ingredients there are. Pinning! Hope you’re having a great week 🙂
It is totally weirdly funny…and you really have to read the live YouTube chat while you watch. There are some hilarious comments out there! All too often I find myself in these internet rabbit holes, and then I ‘wake up’ 30 minutes later going…man, I needed to be productive! haha! But speaking of this toffee, it’s pretty darned amazing, Dawn. Like the best toffee I’ve ever eaten. And I’ve eaten a lot of toffee in my day! 🙂 Thanks, my friend!
No word of a lie, as I was reading this I look up to see a red truck drive by my window! How have I never heard of this Jackson Hole webcam thing?? Anyway, great looking toffee. I hesitate to make it, as no one else would get to eat any!
Wait. You live at that intersection in Jackson Hole, Wyoming? How awesome is that?? Haha…just kidding! Maybe you should set up a webcam out of your window. It just could become the next internet sensation! Red truck!! 🙂
Wow.. Delicious toffee.. I am gonna try this out soon!!
You definitely should try this toffee out, Sharmila! It’s super tasty…and perfect for this time of the year! 🙂
Never heard of the Jackson Hole arch either but I have to admit it calmed me down watching it. How funny how the brain works 🙂 It would be even better to watch it with a jar of your Chocolate Almond Toffee! What a great foodie present as well. Have a nice weekend!
See? I told you! It makes no sense at all, but there is something actually quite fun about watching that Jackson Hole webcam. But for a real laugh, make sure to read the live chat there on the YouTube site. And, yes, this Chocolate Almond Toffee makes for a great foodie gift…if you can manage to actually save some to give away. Haha! Thanks so much, Miriam! 🙂
I love toffee. Thanks for sharing this with us, and thanks for the reminder to make it for the holidays. It’s easy and so delicious.
I definitely understand the importance of the intersection cam. I get the same experience watching a fire in the fireplace. Although I don’t see red trucks in the flames unless I’ve had a lot to drink.
Toffee is one of my favorites for any time of the year…but I actually let myself eat it during the holidays! 🙂 And yes, I agree with you about the fire in the fireplace. Something totally mesmerizing about it. But then again, the fire in the fireplace doesn’t have a live YouTube chat along with it…and that’s worth it’s weight in gold! (Although the chat doesn’t really weigh anything technically…so…)
Hahaha! Oh boy – that sheriff was just too funny – this whole intersection watching has me fascinated – when I read your first few lines about it, I was like “seriously no way” then I watched a bit of that video – and duuuuude – ugh – it’s like those Hallmark movies – or a aJerry Springer show – I know I shouldn’t be watching, I know I have a ton of things to do – but I. cannot. stop. GAH!!!! Thanks for that David! 🙂
BTW – I have your clover rolls on the menu to make this Christmas, but dude – am not even gonna attempt these – cos I just might not be able to stop snacking on em – they sound wonderful!
I’m telling you, Shashi! It makes absolutely no sense at all. But then you wake up in the morning and all of a sudden you’re like, “Hey, I wonder what’s going on at The Arch right now.” Haha! And make sure to read that YouTube live chat…sometimes it really does get quite hilarious!
Definitely make the cloverleaf rolls! (Or their close cousin, the Butterflake Rolls.) Those are crazy good for the holidays. This toffee is crazy good, too…but it’s really hard to resist eating the whole batch! 🙂
The video you’ve been talking about might be fascinating, but the Toffee is the star of this post, David! I like toffee, but I’ve never made it. Just trying to stay away from it because like you said, it’s a dangerous thing. I might not able to stop eating until all the toffee is gone (or until I’m gone cause of sugar overdose). So if you consider toffee as my Christmas gift, please don’t send a lot. 1/2 pound would be enough for a start. Another 1/2 you can send around New Year. It might be slightly sprinkled with candy cane. Or gingerbread cookies. Or even lavender. I’m not joking indeed – a little of lavender fantastically works with caramel/toffee flavors. But that’s of course up to you; that’s your present you’re going to send to me so I don’t want to interfere. Surprise me, David:)
Yeah, toffee is so darned easy to make, Ben! But the problem is that it’s so darned easy to eat, too. I seriously can’t trust myself around a batch of good toffee…and this is one darned good toffee recipe. 🙂 I’ll get to working on your 1/2 pound of toffee per week shipments. How does every Monday sound? Haha!
I believe you, this toffee looks addicting!!
I think how you feel about the Jackson Hole intersection watching (which, by the way, I’ve been wanting to do a weekend getaway to Jackson Hole for awhile!) is how I feel about watching crime/mystery shows. My husband jokes that I’m secretly sadistic watching all of these crime shows, but I’m really into it I think for the psychology and sociology aspects. It’s just interesting to learn more about how people think and why they behave the way they do – I think so at least! Maybe I should have been a sociology major or gotten a criminology degree.
Oh my gosh, I totally love crime/mystery shows, too, Nicole! We used to watch them way more often before Robbie so now our DVR is full of old episodes of Law and Order, Dateline, 60 Minutes, etc. I took a sociology class once, and I found it really interesting! I say take that vacation out to Jackson Hole, and then make sure to do something crazy for the camera. I can promise you people will be watching! 🙂
haha I had no idea about this video, so funny, what all goes on in this world!! The toffee sounds so good, yum! Send me some?! 🙂
It is totally a strange video, but it is also oddly addicting to watch. Enough people know about it now that you never know what you’re gonna see! Plus, reading the live chat on YouTube is usually pretty hilarious. 🙂 I’ll get you some toffee in the mail right away…assuming I don’t eat it all first. Haha! Thanks, Manali!
I used to be able to buy a delicious chocolate toffee when we lived in New England but not here in Florida. Now I can make my own…I’m pinning your recipe. 😀
Oh no! It’s so hard to find a place that makes good toffee. I was kinda the same when the chocolate shop near us moved. But I’ll hold this recipe up against any store-bought toffee! It’s a good one, Karen! Happy Holidays!! 🙂
So… now I know what I’ll be watching in my spare time from now on. Great find, David! I had no idea the Jackson Hole webcam even existed, but it is a randomly/awkwardly brilliant idea on their part. On another note, your toffee looks exceptional! The texture looks perfect and who can resist all that chocolate? Thanks for sharing!
Haha…spare time? During the holidays? 🙂 Seriously, though, that Jackson Hole webcam is very oddly addicting. I have no idea why it’s so entertaining! And you absolutely have to read the live YouTube chat while you watch…it’s worth it. This toffee is one of my favorite holiday snacks…hands down! Thanks so much, Alyssa!
Okay that was odd but in a good (humorous!) way….It’s these kinds of videos which just suck you in and voila- 2 hours have passed.
These toffee looks delicious and I love the addition of almonds- I’ve never tried it this way before!
I think you should get sucked in and watch for 4 hours! You never know what you might see at that intersection, mate. Heck, a kangaroo might just hop right through the middle. And you certainly wouldn’t want to miss that! But do make sure to read the live YouTube chat while you watch…it’s hilarious. Also, go make toffee. Butter + sugar + chocolate + almonds. It’s so much better than the store-bought version! 🙂