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Place
almonds on a cookie sheet and toast in 350° oven for about 15
minutes, stirring every five minutes. Chop the almonds, and the
sort out the larger pieces into a one cup measuring cup. Save the
finer pieces in two 1/3 cup measuring cups.
Combine butter, sugar, corn syrup and water in a medium-size heavy
saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, to 300°F
on candy thermometer. This may take 20 minutes to one hour, depending
on humidity and heaviness of pan. (A teaspoonful of syrup will separate
into brittle threads when dropped in cold water; the color of the
mixture will be like peanut butter or caramel at this point.) Remove
from heat, and stir in the cup of coarser almond pieces. Pour into
a buttered 13x9x2" pan, spreading quickly and evenly-you can
shake and tilt the pan to distribute the mixture. Cool the mixture,
but not until brittle. Turn out onto waxed paper, and return to
the pan with the waxed paper underneath.
Melt chocolate
in the top of a double boiler over hot water; remove from heat.
Spread half the melted chocolate over top of candy; sprinkle with
1/3 cup nuts; allow to cool for about 20 minutes, or until chocolate
has set. Turn candy over and spread with remaining chocolate and
sprinkle with remaining nuts. Let stand until set in refrigerator
or freezer. Break into pieces.
Makes l-1/2 pounds.
*Note: you
can use a somewhat larger pan or combination of pans than the 13x9"
if you want the candy to be thinner, but you may need more chocolate
and nuts for topping.
**Make sure
you do not add any salt to this or use salted nuts, or else it will
taste like peanut brittle. Almonds are traditional, but you can
substitute hazelnuts or Brazil nuts and get similar results.
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