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. It‘s a simple recipe that you can whip up anytime!
The Story of This Delicious Chocolate Almond Toffee
I was never a 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 (the 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!
5 Tips to Make Chocolate Almond Toffee
1. Use a 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 a 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.
3. Use Medium High Heat and Stir Constantly
I’ve seen some recipes with different instructions, such as using medium heat (vs. medium-high heat in this recipe) or not stirring while making toffee (vs. constant stirring in this recipe).
I assume everyone’s recipe, if you follow it precisely, should work as it’s been tried and tested many times to be shared online.
I follow this recipe to make my toffee every year and it comes out perfectly.
4. 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.
5. Do Not Change Ingredients.
Last but not least, since candy making is like chemistry, I do not recommend substituting ingredients (except for the type of nuts), or changing the portion of ingredients I shared in the recipe.
Once you made this recipe several times and feel confident, you can double the recipe. However, I do not recommend tripling the recipe.
Troubleshooting for Toffee Separation
I make this recipe every holiday since 2016 and I can confirm that this recipe (based on Rachel’s recipe) works every single time. Although I have no personal experience in toffee separation, it’s the most common pitfall.
Possible Causes
- Abrupt temperature changes. Don’t change the stove’s heat or move the pot around.
- The liquid in the mixture has evaporated too quickly.
- You omitted salt. Salt in the recipe helps to stabilize the mixture.
- Different brands of butter (different fat %).
- Heat imbarances. Did you use a small burner that’s smaller than your pot? Make sure to use a heavy-bottomed pot, not a thiner (cheaper) pot that causes hot spots.
If the toffee separates:
If somehow your butter is separated, there are a lot of online resources available but I shared quick troubleshooting inside the recipe.
- Remove from the heat and continue to stir the mixture until it comes back together. The toffee may remix on its own.
- If stirring doesn’t work, heat the mixture on low heat and slowly add 1-2 tablespoons of very hot water, while the mixture cooks. Add no more than a total 4 tablespoons to recipe calling for 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter. Adding the hot water lowers the temperature of the toffee mixture and you will need to tir and cook the toffee until it reaches the correct temperature.
- If you have already poured the toffee out to cool by the time it separates, the toffee is unfortunately too far gone to save. However, once it solidifies, you can try wiping off the excess oil and crush the toffee to sprinkle over ice cream.
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!
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Chocolate Almond Toffee
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole raw almonds
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or use bittersweet)
- ⅓–½ cup raw walnuts (halves/pieces are good)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Since candymaking is like chemistry, I do not recommend substituting ingredients (except for the type of nuts) or changing the portion of ingredients. Once you have made this recipe several times and feel confident, you can double the recipe. However, I do not recommend tripling the recipe.
Before You Start (Caution)
- Butter separation is a common issue for toffee making. Fortunately, it has never happened to me with this recipe (the recipe source in the post and Notes), but remember to follow the instructions precisely when making toffee. 1) Use a heavy-bottomed pot as I mentioned in the post. If your pot is too thin, hot spots on a pot can cause separation. 2) Use a long wooden spoon. It‘s a traditional tool that works the best. I heard different materials could contribute to butter separation. A long utensil helps not to burn your hand. 3) Avoid rapid temperature changes. Do not heat it up and down during cooking or move it around on the burner too much. 4) Use medium-high heat all the way. 5) Stir constantly. You are going to need to stand by the stove while making toffee.
To Prepare the Walnuts and Almonds
- Finely chop ⅓–½ cup raw walnuts and set aside.
- Place 1 cup whole raw almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Almonds should be over an area measuring about 10 x 7 inches (25 x 18 cm). Optionally, you could bake the almonds in a preheated oven at 300ºF (150ºC) for 10–15 minutes to bring out more flavors.
To Prepare the Chocolate
- Melt 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or bittersweet chocolate chips) over a double boiler until the chocolate is soft enough to stir smoothly. Turn off the heat and keep it warm while making the toffee. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave for about 1 to 1½ minutes. 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.
To Make the Toffee
- In a heavy-bottomed, 2-quart saucepan, add 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup sugar, ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and ½ tsp pure vanilla extract. If you are using a candy thermometer, attach it to the saucepan.
- Once the butter is melted, set the timer for 5 minutes. Bring the mixture to a steady boil (not a rolling boil) and cook, stirring constantly, until the toffee is the color of whole raw almonds. As the temperature of the pan and mixture rises you will notice the mixture will bubble and foam as the water boils off and the color darkens around the edges where the mixture touches the pan. Stir the sides and bottom of the pan to even out the mixture temperature. Depending on your heat, it might take 5 to 7 minutes.
- When the water has boiled off, the volume will collapse and thicken and the temperature of the mixture will rise quickly. As the mixture heats up, the color of the mixture changes drastically, especially during the final minute. When the candy is the color of raw almonds (or some calls it the color of a brown paper bag) or your candy thermometer registers 290–300ºF (143–150ºC), turn off the heat.
- ⚠ If the mixture separates while it is cooking, there is a chance you can save it. Although I had never experienced butter separation before, I learned from my research that sometimes separated toffee can be saved by removing the saucepan from the heat and stirring constantly until it comes back together into a smooth mixture. Gradually return it to the heat, stirring constantly. You can also try adding 1–2 Tbsp of very hot water to the toffee to help it come together (up to 4 Tbsp).
- Immediately pour the toffee over the almonds, covering all the nuts and smoothing it into an even layer. Do not scrape the pan. Let the toffee cool for a few minutes. Keep the toffee saucepan for delicious hot caramel milk (see the instructions below).
- ⚠ If you have already poured the toffee out to cool by the time it separates, the toffee is unfortunately too far gone to save. However, once it solidifies, you can try wiping off the excess oil and crush the toffee to sprinkle over ice cream.
- Spread the chocolate over the slightly cooled toffee.
- Sprinkle with the walnuts and let cool until the chocolate is firm, about 2 hours (or once the toffee is cool down, refrigerate for 20 minutes to speed up the process).
- Once set, cut with a sharp knife or break into bite-size pieces.
To Store
- Store the toffee in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks or in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. For longer storage, freeze up to 6 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
To Make Hot Caramel Milk
- 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!
I wanted to make this to bring to the Christmas dinner at my friend’s. It was my first time trying and sadly butter mixture was separated. I tried adding hot water, and it got mixed, but as soon as I brought the pot back in the heat it got separated again. I repeated this maybe 5 times. While doing this the mixture was getting darker and I was worried that it would get burnt. Anyway in the end there were a bunch of super hard chunks (of sugar) and oil. I tried adding hot water again, but this time I reheated low afterwards. Somehow it worked and it became caramelized.
After that, there was no issue and my friends LOVED it. It was a bit of struggle but I’m super happy that it worked in the end. Thank you for sharing the great recipe!
Hi Meg! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking journey with us.
We are glad to hear this came out well in the end.
Happy Cooking!
The mixture separated for me, and I was unable to get it to incorporate again by adding water as you suggested. However, I did not want to waste the butter and sugar so took it off the heat, added a few tablespoons of heavy cream, and beat it with an electric mixer. Then I drained off the small amount of liquid which remained. The final product turned out fantastic! Kind of a cross between a crunchy toffee and a caramel with little crystalline bits which are quite pleasant. My husband was very pleased.
Hi Danni! We are delighted to hear that your technique worked well for you.
Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your culinary experience with us.🤗
I had trouble melting my chocolate chips–they clumped up and would not soften. Can you please tell me what brand of chocolate chips you use?
Hi Janet, Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Nami had successfully used Ghirardelli, Trader Joe’s, and Guittard semisweet chocolate baking chips.
On the next attempt, we recommend drying out all the cooking tools and avoiding getting water or oil in the bowl when melting the chocolate.
We hope this helps!
Thank you! I used Ghirardelli with a double boiler instead of my microwave and it worked beautifully!
Hi Janet, Awesome! Happy Holiday!
This is just amazing! This is my 3rd Christmas making it. So easy and yummy! Thanks Nami!
Hi Stacie! Wow!🤩 Nami and all of us at JOC are so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe very much!
Thank you for using Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback. Happy Holiday!💞
My neighbour has made this for us for the last three Christmases… and it’s SO GOOD!
The most amazing recipe and you just can’t stop eating it!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Hi Lauren! Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed this Toffee. Thanks to your neighbor for sharing this with you too.😊
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!! 🙂
Hi Nami, is it okay to cook the caramel in a non-stick heavy bottom saucepan? 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 think it should be ok to use your non-stick saucepan, but the highest you can use for those pans is medium-high heat. 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! Would it be possible to use salted butter instead?
Hi Jen! Yes, I think you can. Some toffee recipes use salted butter too. I don’t usually get salted butter and salt my own butter. 🙂
You should be able to use salted butter, it will help amplify the flavour of the toffee. I use salted butter in my buttercream and think it tastes better.
My neighbour made this for us and she adds cracked sea salt to the top of the chocolate (with the nuts) and it’s amazing!
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!
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
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. 🙂
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!
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
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. 🙂
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