This homemade almond roca candy recipe is a perfect treat for a homemade gift or dessert to keep in the candy jar! Just a few ingredients and these step-by-step photos help you make this toffee almond chocolate candy!
About 7-9 years ago I used to make a batch of this almond roca, all the dang time. I was obsessed. It's the perfect treat that makes enough to give all your family and friends a bite, it's easy enough if you know what you're doing. And it's relatively fast. Same thing with these Peanut Butter Balls and Chewy Caramels Recipe.
The trouble was I was addicted and I ate copious amounts of my homemade Almond Roca. I overdid it, and then I went on a no Almond Roca, basically the same as English toffee, spell for the last 5 years or so. Almond Roca is a name brand of English toffee here in the States.
I indulged in other sweet almond recipes. Almonds are my favorite whether it's amaretti cookies, almond flour brownies, or Bakewell tart.
Today, however, I was so ready for some homemade almond Roca. You cannot beat the homemade toffee stuffed with almonds, topped with chocolate, and more chopped almonds.
Let's get to the almond roca recipe.
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What Is Almond Roca
Almond Roca is almond buttery toffee dipped or topped with chocolate then rolled or sprinkled with ground almonds. Also known as what heaven tastes like.
What Are the Ingredients
- Salted Butter, you can use unsalted butter just add ½ Teaspoon of Salt
- Granulated Sugar
- Pure Vanilla Extract, only the good ol' real stuff!
- Baking Soda, I learned this trick from Heather at Browned Butter Blondie- the baking soda just helps aerate the toffee giving it a lighter texture.
- Roasted Sliced, Chopped, or Slithered Almonds- for the toffee filling I use whatever type of almonds I have on hand. Just make sure you toast the almonds for the best flavor. You could even get creative and do mixed nuts.
- Dark Chocolate, finely chopped, you could use milk chocolate, I just prefer the dark with the sweet toffee. I prefer to use good quality chocolate but you could use chocolate chips if you wanted.
- Roasted Sliced or Finely Chopped Almonds- for the top of the almond roca I like to use finely chopped almonds, you get that extra almond kind of dust that I think looks iconic to almond roca.
How to Make Almond Roca
My first piece of advice for making any kind of homemade candy is to make it when you can dedicate yourself solely to the candy-making. You need to be stirring the candy constantly or you risk it not turning out properly, this is not a forgiving recipe.
Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and lightly butter the parchment, set aside.
If your almonds are not toasted I would toast them and chop them now, by placing them in a single layer on a large baking sheet and baking at 300F/149C for 10 minutes. You need all elements of the recipe ready to go otherwise you risk the candy not setting up properly. Make sure the chocolate is finely chopped.
In a large bottomed heavy saucepan add the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract and cook over medium-low heat. Do not increase the heat, you want to melt butter and sugar evenly, once the sugar has melted completely, and the mixture is evenly combined increase the heat to medium, not high.
Using a heatproof whisk or wooden spoon mix everything constantly. Depending on how large your pot is, this process will take anywhere from 5-15 minutes. The mixture will be boiling, bubble and thicken up and slowly change color.
Use an instant-read thermometer or candy thermometer to keep checking the temperature of the toffee. I use my Thermapen MK4.
Once the temperature has reached 295F/ 146C take-off off the heat and whisk in the baking soda. Once the baking soda is fully combined add the toasted almonds.
Pour the hot toffee onto the prepared pan and use an angled spatula to spread it into an even layer.
Immediately sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly over the toffee, you could take a piece of foil and "tent" the baking tray to help the steam stay in and melt the chocolate or what I do is place the baking sheet in the oven and turn the oven on to preheat, while the oven is warming and blowing warm air that will melt the chocolate in less than 5 minutes.
Use another angled spatula to spread the chocolate then sprinkle with chopped toasted almond pieces.
Let the almond Roca set up for 1 - 2 Hours. You can put it in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process but I suggest letting it cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour to prevent the chocolate from blooming, and turning white, it will still taste good, the chocolate will just end up with white streaks.
Break into pieces and store in an air-tight sealed container for up to a week. If you store it in the fridge it should last a couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy this homemade almond Roca recipe!
This is a perfect homemade Christmas gift for the holiday season. I love giving homemade gifts to my close family and friends. As it's naturally gluten-free, and you could use dairy-free chocolate, it is a great gift for lots of people!
Can you Freeze Homemade Almond Roca
Yes. For the first two hours of freezing let the almond Roca sit in a single layer, the pieces not touching. If you don't want the pieces to freeze together, then you can't just take a piece out at a time.
Let the frozen almond Roca thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours before eating.
Why Does Butter Separate When Making Toffee
There are a few things you can do to prevent the butter from separating when making toffee, follow these tips to help ensure you make the best toffee.
- Use a thick, heavy-bottomed pot. This helps ensure the pan is heating evenly throughout the pan.
- Constantly stir the toffee, do not walk away and stop stirring even for 30-seconds.
- Do not change temperatures drastically, for example, don't up the stove to high heat to try and cook the toffee quicker.
Craving more toffee
- Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Toffee Sprinkle Banana Bread
- Kahlua Toffee Truffles
- Mascarpone Chocolate Toffee Cookie Bars
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★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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Almond Roca Recipe
This homemade almond roca candy recipe is a perfect treat for a homemade gift or dessert to keep in the candy jar! Just a few ingredients and these step-by-step photos help you make this toffee almond chocolate candy!
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 8oz (1 Cup) Salted Butter
- 200 grams (1 Cup) Granulated Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 5oz (1 Cup) Roasted Sliced, Chopped, or Slithered Almonds
- 9oz (1 ½ Cups) Dark Chocolate, finely chopped
- 2.5oz (½ Cup) Roasted Sliced or Finely Chopped Almonds
Instructions
- Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and lightly butter the parchment, set aside.
- If your almonds are not toasted I would toast them and chop them now, by placing them in a single layer on a large baking sheet and baking at 300F/149C for 10 minutes. You need all elements of the recipe ready to go otherwise you risk the candy not setting up properly. Make sure the chocolate is finely chopped.
- In a large bottomed heavy pot add the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract and cook over medium-low heat. Do not increase the heat, you want the butter and sugar to melt evenly, once the sugar has melted completely, and the mixture is evenly combined increase the heat to medium, not high.
- Using a whisk mix everything constantly. Depending on how large your pot is, this process will take anywhere from 5-15 minutes. The mixture will start to bubble and thicken up and slowly change color. Use an instant-read thermometer or candy thermometer to keep checking the temperature of the toffee. Once the temperature has reached 295F/ 146C take-off of the heat and whisk in the baking soda. Once the baking soda is fully combined add the toasted almonds. Pour toffee onto the prepared pan and use an angled spatula to spread it into an even layer.
- Immediately sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly over the toffee, you could take a piece of foil and "tent" the baking tray to help the steam stay in and melt the chocolate or what I do is place the baking sheet in the oven and turn the oven on to preheat, while the oven is warming and blowing warm air that will melt the chocolate in less than 5 minutes. Use another angled spatula to spread the chocolate then sprinkle with finely chopped toasted almonds pieces.
- Let the Almond Roca set up for 1 - 2 Hours. You can put it in the fridge to speed up the process but I suggest letting it cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour to prevent the chocolate from blooming, and turning white, it will still taste good the chocolate will just end up with white streaks.
- Break into pieces and store in an air-tight container for up to a week.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: almond roca, almond toffee, toffee recipe
Kory Keefauver says
Way easier than other almond Rocha recipes I’ve made in the past and half the time! It tastes SO GOOD!
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Kory, thank you so much for coming back to leave a star rating and review I truly appreciate it!! So happy the recipe worked out well for you, I love this recipe this time of year, cannot get enough! Haha XX Liz
Nicole says
I make toffee every year. I wanted to try this with the added baking soda to make it a softer texture. I made this today and dont know what happened. The toffee texture is great and tastes amazing but the chocolate would not melt for the life of me. I tried all of your tips. It seemed like it seized up. Has this ever happened to you? I peeled most of it off and will melt chocolate and pour on to finish it. It never has happened with my previous almond Roca. I did use milk chocolate instead of dark. Could that make a difference? I am giving 5 stars because I'm sure its user error.
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Nicole, thank you for reaching out. I am so sorry you had this problem 🙁 I've only ever had chocolate seize up if I have overheated it, and normally I add the chocolate right after the toffee is spread out because I want that residual heat to melt it. I know many people just use chocolate chips but I use chocolate callets which are just pure chocolate, whereas chocolate chips have stabilizers in them. Was your chocolate, just chocolate, and was it in date? I would check those two things and maybe next time let the toffee cool for 5 minutes then add the chocolate and tent it? I am so sorry I can't troubleshoot further with you. Please feel free to direct message me on Instagram where you can send photos as you are baking and I can try and help trouble shoot that way. Thanks again for stopping by, I am glad you liked the taste of the toffee!! XX Liz
Emily Walker says
I believe I can do this! I'll let you know how I go. I only have a meat thermometer, which is brand new, but I live in the country and candy thermometers would be a hard find here... Fingers crossed for my Maguivre cooking techniques. Oh.. And I'm using hazelnuts.. suppose that's just a nut preference that won't affect the outcome? X
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Emily, thanks for reaching out! I believe in you!!! You got this, I can do this without a thermometer because I have done it so many times, but the key is to not walk away, I know it's annoying to just stand there mixing but trust me! Hazelnuts sound absolutely scrumptious with this toffee!! I hope you get on well, please feel free to reach out with any questions! XX Liz
Rita Humphrey says
Delicious. And as others have said, much easier than other recipes. The vanilla extract adds to the overall flavor and makes it a much better toffee. The recipe is a keeper!
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for coming back to rate and review the recipe Rita, I am so grateful!! So happy you found the almond roca easy, that can be dangerous LOL it's just so good! Happy New Year! XX Liz
Jaya says
Hi..is it couverture chocolate or compound? If couverture then do we need to temper it?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Jaya, I use couverture chocolate and do not temper it and do not have issues, or you can use chocolate chips, but you could use compound if you wanted. Please let me know if you try the recipe how you like it! XX Liz
Pat Kirkham says
I made his yesterday, it tastes so good and is crunchy not too hard. Will make again for sure. But when I poured it onto the baking sheet there was quite a bit of butter to mop up....what did I do wrong?
★★★★★
Sam says
Slithered almonds? Is this made by snakes?? Please tell me.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Sam! Thanks for the giggle haha! Slivered almonds are almonds that have been peeled, split in half, then cut into tiny strips. I just like the thickness for inside the toffee. Please let me know if you have any other questions or if you try the recipe! XX Liz
Carole says
Cooking disaster! The sugar never melted properly (and was gritty right till the end), the butter and sugar separated and no matter what, I couldn't get it back together. Where id I go wrong? I would like to try it again.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Carole, thanks for reaching out. I am so sorry you had trouble! I have made this recipe countless times and don't have the issue you are describing. After doing some research you could try- removing the pot from the heat and stirring constantly until the mixture comes back together, and then slowly return it to the heat while whisking constantly. I also read you can try adding a tablespoon or two of very hot water and whisk it into the toffee to try to get it back together. I would just take your time when making it again, make sure everything is ready to go, and make sure the burner is not on too high while the toffee cooks, don't walk away, just be patient and keep mixing. Please feel free to reach out with any other questions and do report back, I am crossing my fingers you have more success next time! Merry Christmas! XX Liz
Martha says
Great recipe! Gave some to friends last night as a little gift and am already getting requests for the recipe. Thank you!
★★★★★
Emily W says
Omgoodness! I did it. Thank you so much... I procrastinated until today (Christmas in Australia) out of fear.. but your clear instructions and problem solving in comments got me through .. I had a semi disaster mid way though. The butter and sugar separated and in a panic, I reached for the glucose syrup and added about 200mls, taking it off the heat while I stirred it in. Voilà! Turned the heat down a little and continued to a success. I also used a local hand made 70% cocao chocolate on top, and the blender chopped roasted hazelnuts.. thank you so much. These are my Christmas gift for my English step dad ..he will love them
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Emily, thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment! Happy Christmas! I am so pleased that you had success! The hazelnuts really sound delightful! I made two batches last night and we've been snacking on it all day! Take care. XX Liz