In 2005, I learned how to make Almond Roca, which is essentially toffee candy with chocolate and almonds within and dusted on top. After sharing my treats with friends and family, many have expressed interest in how to make it. Tonight I made my first holiday batch and took photos throughout the process. Here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to make Almond Roca.

HOMEMADE ALMOND ROCA CANDY (cont)
Utensils:

• pyrex 2 quart measuring dish or a standard bowl
• skillet with 2-inch sides (prevent spilling)
• cookie sheet
• wooden spoon
• 1 cup measuring cup; 1 teaspoon measuring spoon
• cook surface (stove)
• fork and possibly a spoon

Ingredients:

• 1 pound sugar (2 level cups)
• 1 pound real butter (4 sticks)
• 1 pound unsweetened chocolate wafers (buy from chocolatier for best results)
• 1 pound ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon (tsp) of vanilla

Directions (approximately 45 minutes; constant stirring to avoid burning):

- Turn your burner temperature to a medium-low setting.

- Add the 4 sticks of butter, 2 cups of sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla to the pan

- Stir with a wooden spoon (use wooden as this takes over 30 minutes and plastic will melt)

- After 5 minutes of stirring, it will start to separate the sugar from the butter. Keep stirring.
- The two will come back together and start to form a fluffy substance. Keep stirring.

- About 10 minutes later, they will separate once again and butter will emerge. Keep stirring.

- Place your chocolate wafers in the bowl or pyrex dish and place in microwave for 2-3 minutes or until mostly melted. It will continue melting so take it out and wait.

- About 5-10 minutes later, the substance will rejoin again and now a carmel color.

- Continue stirring mixture which is now toffee and add about 1/3 of the ground almonds.

- Stir until a consistant mixture and then pour into a 11×17 cookie sheet

- Use your wooden spoon or a metal spoon to spread and distribute the roca and smooth it as good as you can. It will have a buttery surface. I soak this up after it’s solidified a little longer with a paper towel. I then score the surface with a fork before pouring the chocolate to help the two surfaces to stay joined after cooling.

- Pour the chocolate on top and spread with your spoon.

- Pick up the whole pan and “smack” it on the counter surface a few times to level and smooth the chocolate.

- Sprinkle, or dust, the remaining crushed almonds evenly over the top.
- You’re done! Now let it cool overnight on the counter. If you have pets; perhaps cover it or store it in the oven overnight to prevent paw prints.

- After your roca is cooled, you can use any tool you want to break it up.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 21st, 2006 at 10:49 pm and is filed under Knowledge. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. This post has been viewed 5,206 times.