This chocolate and almond-topped toffee uses maple syrup and baking soda instead of traditional corn syrup to create a hard (but not too hard!) toffee perfect for snacking and gifting around the holidays. A generous amount of seasoning from the salted butter, the kosher salt in the toffee, and the flaky salt sprinkled on top helps to balance the sweetness. Be sure to have your parchment-line baking sheets ready before starting the toffee, as the process moves quickly once it hits the appropriate temperature.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
“The biggest thing that can go wrong when making toffee is when the sugar and butter separate,” says recipe developer Nicole Hopper. “The most common cause of this is when your ingredients are at different temperatures, which is why we call for room temperature butter. It may feel slow to cook it over medium-low, but don’t be tempted to increase the heat or you risk the butter and sugar separating. Salt also prevents separation so if you use unsalted butter, add an extra pinch of salt at the beginning. If your mixture does separate, you can sometimes save it by whisking vigorously and adding one to two tablespoons of hot water.”
Make ahead
Store toffee in an airtight container between parchment paper at room temperature for up to two weeks.