Morning Coffee, Then Some Toffee

I had a gingerbread latte this morning at The Coffee Bean. I liked it a lot more than Starbucks' version. I also liked seeing the sign below. It made surfing the web on my iPhone even faster than the usual EDGE system while I waited for my seasonal coffee. Mmm...gingerbread and Internet, together at last.

When I got to my office, my friend Cheeks had left a giant platter of his wife's toffee on my desk. Because so many people come to discuss important matters shoot the shit with me all day long, Cheeks thought my office would be a central location on my floor.

The toffee was so damn good. Buttery. Crunchy. Nutty. Totally drool-inducing.

Cheeks and his wife were nice enough to share the recipe. Enjoy!

Mrs. Cheeks' Toffee
1 lb. butter
2 c. sugar
2 c. chopped roasted almonds, divided
(Dry Roasted and Unsalted Almonds, available at Trader Joe’s)
5 T. water
1 lb. milk chocolate, divided
(Either Mercken’s or Wilton’s chocolate candy melts. Mercken’s are available at cake decorating supply stores, and Wilton’s can be found at Michael’s. Both look like quarter-sized chocolate discs.)

Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Melt butter in a heavy, 4 quart saucepan. Add sugar and water. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until the temperature on a candy thermometer reaches 335 degrees. The mixture will be the color of a brown paper bag. Add 1 c. of the almonds. Pour entire mixture onto cookie sheet, and spread to approximately ¼ to 1/3 inch thickness. While still warm, sprinkle ½ lb. of milk chocolate on top and allow to melt. Using a rubber spatula, spread the melted chocolate over the top of the toffee. Immediately sprinkle with ½ c. almonds. Allow to cool for a couple of hours, until toffee and chocolate harden.

Once toffee and chocolate coating have hardened, flip the cookie sheet over onto a large cutting board.

Melt the remaining ½ lb. chocolate in the microwave on the “defrost” setting for 3 minutes. Stir, and melt on “defrost” for an additional 2 minutes. Stir chocolate again, and spread over the other side of the toffee. Immediately sprinkle remaining ½ c. almonds over melted chocolate, and allow to cool a couple of hours, until chocolate has hardened.

Break the toffee into pieces using the point of a large knife.