I’ve been asked for my candy recipes so I decided to work it into Valentine’s day!  I hand stamped/crafted the topper using Stampin’ Up! supplies (see my online store here).

I love candymaking and I have been doing it for years. I got my start taking classes at The Chocolate Duck in Farmingdale, Long Island, NY where I lived when first married.

Homemade Buttercrunch.  I never could find a recipe for buttercrunch candy, but it appeared to be toffee inside chocolate and almonds.

So, I use the toffee recipe (below) then dip it in melted chocolate and roll in roasted, chopped almonds.  I buy my almonds raw and roast them.  After cooling, I chop them (unfortunately, you need the nuts to be chopped not dust, so you kind’ve have to do them by hand or a manual ‘chopper’–you know, the one that kills your hand).

Warning about candymaking: everyone is suddenly your ‘friend’, children and husbands aren’t to be trusted alone with finished product and plan your hiding spots carefully.

To make the toffee:
•    1 ½ lbs. butter
•    1 ½ tsp salt
•    6 cups sugar
•    ½ cup corn syrup
•    1 ½ cups water

1. In a 6 quart saucepan, mix sugar, corn syrup and water thoroughly before cooking. Bring to a boil, insert thermometer. Cook, stirring to 280 degrees.
2. Stir in the butter. Cook, stirring to 315 degrees.
3. Stir in the salt. Cook, stirring constantly to  ~320 degrees max (317 degrees).
4. Off heat, stir in vanilla and then pour onto cold oiled cookie sheets.
5. While batch is warm, use a dull knife to score it into squares or small rectangles.
6. When it is cold, break into small pieces and store (on layers of wax paper) in an airtight container and allow to mellow for at least 24 hours.

Hope that satisfied my chocolate loving friends out there!  Enjoy the recipe.  I usually burn myself a few times making toffee, so be careful!