English Buttercrunch

This candy right here is Christmas to me. But we called it English toffee, or just toffee, instead of it's actual name "Buttercrunch".  I know this because I did some checking last fall when I helped with an English themed baby shower, I wanted to check and see if it was actually English and came across the specifics of the name.

I noticed a distributing trend when looking through recipes, and that was the addition of corn syrup. It's totally unnecessary and ruins the taste.The butter and sugar cook together and brown beautifully to create a wonderfully brittle and delicious candy. Typically I make this with pecans on top and while the remain my favorite I have used walnuts and hazelnuts as well.

Try it, you won't be sorry.

1 lb salted butter, room temperature

2 c. white sugar

1 c. sliced almonds

1 c. chocolate chips

1 - 2 c. nut meal

1 heavy, flat bottom pot

1 rubber spoon, that can withstand 500*

1 candy thermometer

1 large metal cookie sheet

In the large flat bottom pot, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sugar and stir to mix. Keep stirring over medium heat, making sure to scrape the bottom well. The mixture will bubble a lot but you don't want it to be a heavy boil. Keep boiling and stirring until the mixture reaches 285 on your candy thermometer. Dump in the nuts and remove from heat. 

Stir in the nuts and immediately pour onto your cookie sheet. Spread the candy to your desired thickness. When the candy is set a little bit but still hot, sprinkle with the chocolate chips and let sit a few minutes until they melt; when the chocolate is melted spread it on top to cover and sprinkle with the pecan meal. 

Let sit until the chocolate is set. Sprinkle off the extra pecans, break into pieces and enjoy. 

Original Picture - Post updated 10/6/2018