I was in college the first time I tried Almond Roca. I remember the pretty pink tin and had no idea what it contained, but I do remember that I ate the whole thing in one sitting – must be one of the many explanations for the “freshman 15” I gained that first year. I would often buy a tin now and then as a treat, so imagine my delight when I came across a homemade version on Pinterest (that site is too addictive – way too many recipes to try!). This one is from Chef in Training, and it is delicious.

The recipe says to let the candy layer cool “a bit” before adding the melted chocolate layer, and I think I let the candy layer cool just a bit too long. I only let it cool for as long as it took me to microwave melt the chocolate, but I think next time I will pre-melt the chocolate so it is ready to pour over the candy layer after only 1 minute of cooling time. I think the toffee layer needs to be “tackier” so that the chocolate will adhere to it better. I had a bit of a separation problem when I went to cut the cooled candy, and I think that may be the reason why. It was still delicious, and I still had plenty of bites where the layers all stuck together. The stuff that crumbled was great on ice cream 🙂

Homemade Almond Roca

1-1/2 cups chopped almonds

16 ounces brown sugar

1 pound unsalted butter (4 sticks)

24 ounces chocolate chips

Line a 18 x 13″ cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lightly butter the parchment paper. Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the chopped almonds onto the bottom of the cookie sheet. Set aside.

In a 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar and butter over medium high heat while stirring frequently until bubbly and thick. Use a candy thermometer and cook until soft crack stage (270 degrees Fahrenheit). Watch carefully to prevent burning. Remove from heat.

Pour mixture evenly over top of the almonds on the cookie sheet. Let stand for a few minutes.

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave with 1 teaspoon of shortening or oil (I used coconut oil) to help keep chocolate smooth. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between until melted and smooth.

Cover candy layer with melted chocolate and evenly sprinkle the remaining chopped almonds over the chocolate layer.

Allow candy to set up for several hours. Once completely set, break into pieces using a sharp knife.

Yield: About 2 pounds

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