Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, salted
1 ⅓ cups sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 cup coarsely chopped blanched, slivered almonds, toasted

Topping:
2 4½-ounce milk chocolate candy bars, melted (1 bar will do if only covering one side of the toffee)
1 cup finely chopped blanched, slivered almonds, toasted (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread 2 cups of slivered almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast in oven for 5 to 8 minutes until nuts are lightly golden and aromatic. Remove from oven and cool. Chop one cup of the almonds coarsely, for the toffee part, and one cup finely for the topping.

Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking sheet; set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add sugar, water and corn syrup, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, to hard crack stage – 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove from heat and quickly stir in the cup of coarsely chopped almonds. Pour toffee onto greased baking sheet, using a rubber spatula to quickly smooth toffee to the edges. Cool thoroughly.

As the toffee cools, break the chocolate into pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt on high, in 20 second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted.

Turn toffee out onto parchment or wax paper. Spread the flat top with half the melted chocolate, then sprinkle with half the finely chopped almonds. If coating both sides, cover the top with wax paper, then invert and spread remaining chocolate and nuts on the other side. If necessary, chill to firm the chocolate.

To serve, use a knife to break the toffee into bite size pieces. Transfer to an airtight container (metal tins are best) and store in a cool, dry place for at least one month.

Sarah’s Tips:

• Use a candy thermometer for best results.
• After breaking up the toffee into pieces, save the small broken bits and toffee dust to use in other treats like ice cream, cookies, muffins and brownies.