This homemade Chocolate Almond Toffee is simply out of this world. The sweet buttery toffee is covered in rich chocolate and sprinkled with chopped walnut. A simple recipe that you could easily remember and whip up anytime!
The Story of This Delicious Chocolate Almond Toffee
I was never a toffee or candy person. However, I love chocolate and I used to be a serious chocoholic according to my mom.
About a year ago when we visited Utah to ski, our family had the pleasure of meeting my blogger friend Rachael of La Fuji Mama and her family. She is a Japanese cuisine advocate and shares Japanese recipes on her site, as she and her husband spent years living in Japan (check out her extensive Japanese recipes).
When we met up for dinner, she gifted us with her Fuji Nana’s Deadly Chocolate Almond Toffee (picture above is from my Instagram).
When I had the first bite, I really couldn’t believe how delicious the toffees tasted. Did toffees always taste this good? Well, this toffee sure did. Since then I’ve been addicted to this particular toffee. It’s completely over the top and I’m sure if you try, you’ll have a hard time staying away from getting another piece.
According to Rachael, this recipe was originally developed by her great aunt who was an amazing cook as well as a food writer for the Salt Lake Tribune or the Dessert News. The recipe was passed down to Rachael’s mom and to her.
With her permission, I’m so happy to share her recipe on my site with you today. Thank you, Rachael!
3 Helpful Tips for Best Chocolate Almond Toffee
1. Use Heavy Bottomed Saucepan
The saucepan needs to be thick (heavy) and deep, so it can withstand the heat needed to make toffee. If it’s a thin pan, you will burn it so make sure to use the heavy-bottomed pot you have in your kitchen for this recipe. It’s required.
2. Use Long Wooden Spoon
It took me a few batches until I realized that I would really need a long wooden spoon. The short one is okay for stirring, but the heat from the stove was too hot while I was stirring and I felt like my hand was burning. I love this long olive wood wooden spoon (I got a set of 3 on Amazon). The wooden spoon is recommended because it has a high heat tolerance, and is insulated so it won’t cause a sudden crystallization (read more in this article “The Why of the Wooden Spoon”).
3. Remember the Color of Raw Almond
This recipe does NOT require a candy thermometer. I never made candy before and didn’t know it’s pretty standard to use a candy thermometer. Rachael told me the best thing about this recipe is that you don’t need a candy thermometer and it’s so true! I’ve made so many batches and never ever failed even once.
You have to hold a piece of whole raw almond and compare the color of your candy in the pot with it. When it’s the same color, the toffee is done! As simple as that.
Lastly but not least, since candy making is like chemistry, I do not recommend substituting ingredients (except for the type of nuts), or changing the amount of ingredient I shared in the recipe.
A lot of my friends and family enjoyed this toffee as my food testers, and I hope this Chocolate Almond Toffee recipe will bring you and your loved ones joy this holiday season!
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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This homemade Chocolate Almond Toffee is simply out of this world. The sweet buttery toffee is covered in rich chocolate and sprinkled with chopped walnut. A simple recipe that you could easily remember and whip up anytime!
- 1 cup whole raw almonds (150 g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (227 g)
- 1 cup sugar (200 g)
- ¼ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (170 g) (or bittersweet)
- ⅓-½ cup raw walnuts (40-60 g; halves/pieces are good)
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Gather all the ingredients.
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Finely chop ⅓ to ½ cup (40-60 g) raw walnuts. Set aside.
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Place the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (over an area measuring about 10 x 7 inches). Set aside. Optionally you could bake the almonds in the preheated oven at 300 ºF (150 ºC) for 10-15 minutes to bring out more flavors.
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In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, add 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, ¼ tsp kosher salt, and ½ tsp. vanilla extract.
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Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally while with a clean, dry wooden spoon until butter is melted.
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Once the butter is melted, set the timer for 5 minutes and continue cooking and stirring constantly until the toffee is color of whole raw almonds. Depends on your heat, you will be stirring from 5 to 7 minutes (workout time!). If you use lower heat, it could take up to 10 minutes (hence I recommend a long wooden spoon so you can use stronger heat).
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When the candy is color of raw almonds, turn off the heat.
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Immediately pour the toffee over almonds, covering all nuts and smoothing into an even layer. Do not scrape the pan. Keep the pot for delicious hot caramel milk.
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Melt 1 cup (170 g) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips over a double boiler until the chocolate is soft enough to stir smoothly (or melt in the microwave oven for 2 minutes (See Notes).
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Spread the chocolate over cooled toffee.
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Sprinkle with walnuts and let cool until chocolate is firm, about 1-2 hours (or once the toffee is cool down, refrigerate for 20 minutes to speed up the process).
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Once set, cut with a sharp knife or break into bite-size pieces. Store in airtight containers.
- Store toffee in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks, in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. For longer storage, freeze up to 6 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
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Add a small amount of milk to the pot with caramel leftover in it. Scrape off the sides and bottom with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Once the pot is clean, add more milk to adjust the sweetness. Enjoy hot/warm!
Melt Chocolate in Microwave: Heat it on medium high for about 1 minute to start with. Remove from the microwave and stir. Repeat heating at shorter intervals, 15 to 20 seconds, stirring in between, until the chocolate is completely melted and has a smooth consistency.
Equipment you will need:
- Baking sheet with rim
- Parchment paper (or silicone baking mat)
- 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan (please read the blog post)
- Long wooden spoon (please read the blog post)
- Double boiler with heat-proof bowl (or a microwave)
Recipe by Rachael of La Fuji Mama. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Thank you Nami, and all at JOC for a great year of posts. Happy holidays! Especially Happy New Year!
PS these toffees look delicious ????????
Hi Sally! Thank you, these are so good, hard to stay away from them… 😀 Thank you very much for your kind words. Happy holidays to you and your family! xoxo
I was soo trying i figure out what type of desert to make this year. Wanted something different and i found . Thank you very much for another inspiring post! Happy holidays!!
Hi Dena! You’re very welcome. Hope you have a great holiday! xoxo
Nami – In the instructions, you state not to scrape the pan when pouring out the toffee? Why? Thanks!
Hi Betty! I apologize for my late response. To my understanding, the toffee/candy left/stuck in the pot after pouring has been darker in color and different texture from the one you poured. The remaining heat from the pot continues to cook the toffee/candy while you’re still pouring. Hence, you don’t want to add the different texture of toffee to the one you already poured. I’ve cooked the toffee a little bit too long and it became very hard texture (if you cook short amount of time, it’ll be softer candy). I hope this helps. 🙂
Hi Nami: I am trying to make the chocolate almond toffee. I’m having trouble with the constant stirring part. It was liquid y yellow then it got glue like and no longer that liquid. I stirred for 7 min so didn’t dare to continue. I was afraid that the mixture will get burnt. Of course the result is pale yellow and oily a bit. I’ve chopped the walnuts and will melt the chocolate chips soon. Do you think the toffee will still be edible or too soft?
Hi Christina! I apologize for my late response. The cooking time is not important here and it’s more like a guide. Like I mentioned it can take up to 10 minutes if the heat is lower. It depends on the equipment and cooking time how soon the toffee changes its color. What you need to pay attention here (especially we’re not using a candy thermometer) is the color of the toffee. It has to change to almond color, and that’s the finish sign. If it’s pale yellow it will become soft toffee, not the texture we’re looking for (still edible). Hope this makes sense. Each stove (heat) is different, so the cooking time required to reach almond color varies. 🙂
Thank you Nami for the explanations. ???? I will either give it another try or have to bite the bullet & get a candy thermometer. Lol.
Have to get more butter as tonight (Wed) I’ve just made the dough for your green tea white chocolate cookies. Do you think I can keep it in the fridge & bake it say Fri? Or should I freeze until then?
Hi Christina! I’ve made this recipe so many times now and I really think a candy thermometer is not necessary. When I doubled the recipe and increased the pan’s size, it was a bit harder to pour the toffee out of the pot and pour over almonds because my pot was way too heavy. It took me a while to take out the toffee than usual and my toffee ended up a little darker than usual. It was a bit harder toffee but it was still delicious. Other than that, it’s easy to hold one piece of whole almond in your hand and compare the color while you stir. 🙂
Ohh the green tea cookies! They are our favorite too. I looked up and a lot of people said 3-5 days in fridge. I usually bake right away so I don’t have any experience in preserving this particular dough…
Ah your encouragement helps me to give your toffee recipe another try :-). Thanks for the green tea cookies reply.
You’re welcome! When I didn’t have a long wooden spoon, I had to use lower heat and it took longer time to get to almond color. I learned from my experience. 😀
My great-aunt (b. 1910) gave me this recipe, which was her contribution to Christmas Eve smorgasbord every year since about 1958?
We love it, too, and make it every year 🙂
So happy to hear you like the recipe too! It’s dangerous. I can’t tell how much I’ve eaten this year already…. xD
Thank you for another delicious recipe, Nami! I made this today with the help of my boyfriend, and it was so easy. I’ve cut it up into pieces to give to family later, but the broken leftover bits were delicious.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Hi Sarah! I’m so happy you tried this recipe! It’s pretty easy and delicious…. and very addictive. My daughter and I ate all the crumbs HAPPILY. 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind feedback. Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Did you ever use toasted nuts to make more unique like toasted pecans or macadamia nuts?
Hi Caro! You can, but I followed my blogger friend’s recipe (mentioned in the blog post) and didn’t want to change up her good recipe. 🙂
I followed the directions exactly and ran in to a couple of issues. First, it’s hard to tell from the pictures exactly how dark to let this get, but it started to separate so I thought I’d better pull it. Then I realized I had no idea what the almond comparison meant. The inside of a raw almond or the outside? These are two very different colors and mine didn’t look like either. The 5-10 minutes depending on how high the heat is seems vague. I think I would prefer to use a candy thermometer to avoid wasting expensive ingredients.
Secondly, if I were to make this recipe again I would put the almonds in the toffee before pouring it out because if you turn it upside down they are not covered at all. They aren’t in the toffee, but underneath it. I can see why the author who didn’t care for toffee liked this one, it doesn’t seem like toffee to me.
Hi Amber! This is not my original recipe, but I have made this recipe so many times without having any issues, so I hope I can help you…. As I mentioned in the blog post and the recipe (Step 6), it’s the color of raw almond you are using (with skin), hence the “brown” color. They are still raw, and whole almond. This is one of the reasons I love this recipe – hold the almond in your hand and just wait till the candy has the same color. Every time it’s a big success without thermometer. I do own a instant read thermometer too, but I have never used it for this recipe.
Secondly, do you see the pictures of step 7? Almonds are completely covered. If yours are somehow not covered, maybe your size is bigger than mine and didn’t have enough candy. You can either increase the candy or reduce the almonds if you still encounter this issue. But it works perfectly for me or my daughter who now can make on her own.
Hope this helps. I really love this recipe, and if there is anyone who can enjoy this recipe as much as we do, I’d be very happy!
p.s. Many JOC readers have tried this recipe this past holiday season and shared their pictures on FB and Instagram #justonecookbook. 🙂
Unfortunately this didn’t work out for me. I did everything exactly as written and it all went fine until suddenly before changing color the butter separated. I used medium low heat so it was about the 7th minute when this happened. After pouring it out I had rock hard sugar ( albeit raw almond colored 🙂 )
I have no idea what I did wrong.
I won’t make this again as the ingredients are so expensive in Japan I feel like I wasted them.
I am sad as I searched for 2 hours to find unsalted butter in my city.
To be fair this is a big exception, Nami-san’s recipes usually work out for me, I made so many!
Hi Kornelia! I’m so sad to hear that too. 🙁 I know butter is expensive in Japan. I make this toffee ever since I got this recipe from my blogger friend. Her recipe works for me and I like it because it doesn’t require a candy thermometer.
I found this article about toffee failure: https://www.fearlessdining.com/best-homemade-toffee-recipe/
Do you think some of the failure reasons are familiar to your situation?
Hello, thank you for the reply Nami-san 🙂
I did a lot of research after failing, because I didn’t understand at all what I did wrong and I could only think of two things that some people mentioned about toffee online, the first one is mentioned in the article you sent,too : 1. Only stir constantly in the beginning, but don’t stir so often later ( a lot of people seem to think that can prevent the butter separating 2. There is always the possibility that the butter just wasn’t that great. I use Hokkaido butter, it’s the only one here, but to be perfectly honest, I don’t think the quality is that great.
I read that when it separates you can add some hot water and continue stirring… it might be saved. Maybe someone else who tries it has the same issue will be able to save theirs if they use the adding water method. I only find out about it after the fact.
Even though this happened we still ate it, I just renamed it to “choco-nut hard candy”, and nobody needs to know it was supposed to be toffee 😉 もったいない
Hi Kornelia! 本当に勿体無い…。 I made these toffees a lot since I learned from the blogger friend (mentioned in the post). The thing is… I always use the same (brand) ingredients, same method that she taught me, and I never failed once. So I didn’t get a chance to learn what possible failure could happen or what could have been done to save the toffee or what I need to watch out for. This is why making mistakes is important. I could learn and talk about it in the post what to watch out for. I’m sorry I didn’t have enough experience with the recipe to share more information. It’s a good lesson for me that I should not be afraid of making mistakes and should not think I wasted my time and effort when I make mistake, especially because I share the recipes online for everyone to use. 🙂
Your Chocolate Almond Toffee was absolutely GREAT! Easy to follow instructions with basic ingredients, end result was a perfect 10! Nami, once again you’ve hit a home run. Thank you!
Hi Shirley! I’m so happy to hear you liked this toffee too! My kids can’t wait to eat this (I only make once a year lol). Thank you for your kind feedback! xo
Would it work if I used coconut palm sugar instead of the granulated sugar?
Hi Kristie! I’ve never tried it, but I think you can (after a quick google search). Let me know how it goes!
Oh Nami! This post popped up on my feed yesterday and I decided it’s easy enough to give it a try. This is ohhhh so good, like the sees candies toffee I had when I was a child! I live in Australia and for those Aussies want to give this a go, I just used western star unsalted butter from supermarkets and woolies branded almonds and walnuts, plaistowe chocolate so nothing fancy and overly expensive ingredients. The results are magical though!
Hi Nicole! Aww! I’m SUPER happy to hear you enjoyed making this! Isn’t it so easy to make and DELICIOUS! We’re going to make it again tonight or tomorrow too. I only make it during the holiday season my kids are so looking forward to this treat every year. 🙂 Happy Holidays!
Hi! Would it be possible to use salted butter instead?
Hi Jen! I think it is a bit too salty… 🙂
Hi Nami, is it okay to cook the caramel in a non-stick heavy bottom saucepan or will the high heat damage the non-stick coating? Also, what is the reason for not scraping all the caramel onto the almonds? Thanks for the tips on the wooden spoons. I’m going to add this recipe to my holiday cookies list too. Thanks!
Hi Karen! I would say high heat is not good for your non-stick coating. While you’re pouring the caramel, some of it that still stays at the bottom of the pot continues to cook and become darker in color and bitter in taste. So you might want to avoid pouring that part of caramel… You can judge by looking at it. 🙂 I actually like slightly darker caramel but that’s my preference. Hope this makes sense. 🙂
Hi, you said not to substitute the ingredients, however, I (unfortunately) have quite a few allergies and dairy is one of them. Do you think that a vegan oil-based butter product would work as a substitute for the butter? I will likely try myself but was wondering if there was no possible chance of success since I don’t want to waste ingredients (especially that damn-good chocolate!!)
Thanks a lot, and I love your recipes, especially the good Japanese ones.
Hi True Katakari! Thank you for your sweet comment. I’m happy to hear you enjoy my recipes. As I’ve never tried a vegan oil-based butter to make candy, I’m not sure if it works or it doesn’t work, to tell you the truth. How do vegans make toffee or something similar to toffee…? I wish I can answer to your question, but I’m really not familiar with it. And I know, I don’t want you to waste on ingredients too! Have you checked any vegan (dessert) blogs to see how they make?
All of the vegan toffee tutorials I saw used a soy milk or water. However, as I am stubborn and want to try your recipe, I think I’ll try using vegan oil-based baking butter as it’s texture is quite similar to normal butter… I’ll tell you how it goes once I get around to making it. 😀
Hi Katakari! Yes, please let me know how it goes. I’m super curious how it would turn out!! 🙂