This English toffee has become my go-to treat. Tons of reasons why. It takes just a few cheap ingredients. Simple to make. You can keep them for weeks. Easy to pack as gifts (good to fly too). If you like Almond Roca, this is even better because it’s homemade, and it tastes more buttery and nutty.

When it comes to candy thermometer, the so-called must-have tool that every toffee recipe out there calls for, I DON’T HAVE ONE. I think it’s more experience for my toffee because I’ve made it too many times.

Candy thermometer helps you to monitor the temperature so it won’t go too high and burn the toffee. My trick is to slow-cook and simmer the butter and sugar mixture until you reach the dark amber colour, normally it takes around 20 minutes. Not stirring too much is already crucial.

Here is my fix to the common pitfall of making toffee. And it works every time. If you see the butter separates from the toffee. DO NOT GET UPSET. It’s not the end of the world. Don’t throw away the whole thing. Turn off the heat. Lift up your bowl and keep stirring the mixture with a wood spatula for a minute or two until it comes back to a smooth consistency.

Ingredients (around one pound):
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup good quality dark chocolate chip
1/2 cup sliced almond

Directions:
Prepare a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
In a deep, heavy-bottomed pan, heat the butter, sugar and salt over medium heat. Stir frequently until the butter is melted and the ingredients combine. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil.
Let it simmer over medium heat. Stir occasionally with a wooden spatula until the colour of the mixture changes to amber. Around 20 minutes.
Remove toffee from heat, carefully spread it evenly over the baking sheet with a spatula.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot toffee and allow to set for a few minutes to soften. Gently spread the chocolate to thinly coat the top of the toffee.
Sprinkle the almonds over the chocolate layer. Use a sheet of clean parchment paper to gently pat the almonds into the chocolate.
Place the toffee into the refrigerator for at least an hour to harden. Once chilled, carefully remove the toffee from the pan by lifting the hangs of the parchment paper, and break into pieces.