Anna's Almond Roca

[jphilg]

Because my Dh has a big mouth and not such a knack in the kitchen, see this thread (URL=http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32448/URL), he and I were the very lucky recipients of a box of Anna's (Claire797's) Famous Almond Roca. Bearing no resemblence to the grainy mess my DH created, this has to be the best toffee-genre candy I have ever had.

I am reposting in hopes of sharing the Anna's Almond Roca love....I hope everyone makes it for the holidays!


Anna's Almond Roca
2 Cups Sugar
1 Pound (4 sticks) Butter
1 Cup Water
1/2 tsp. Salt
3 Cups Almonds -- the "shaved" kind, not slivers or whole
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 pound bar of Cadbury Milk Chocolate -- broken up

Reserve 1 cup of the almonds and set aside. Mix sugar, butter, water, and salt in large, heavy saucepan and heat to boiling over medium to medium high heat. Make sure there's room in the saucepan for the mixture to foam up and boil. Heat mixture over medium to medium high until it foams and reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. When temp reaches 240, stir in 2 cups of almonds. Stir mixture constantly and watch temp carefully until temp reaches 290. Remove from heat, stir in soda and QUICKLY pour onto a cookie sheet covered with buttered or greased wax paper. Mixture should start to harden immediately. As mixture hardens, sprinkle chocolate chunks over hardening mixture and spread the chocolate chunks around until they melt. Sprinkly melted chocolate with reserved almonds. Let sit until toffee hardens and chocolate sets.

NOTE: For this recipe to turn out perfect, you have to watch temperatures CAREFULLY. Don't let the almonds burn (so use medium to medium high heat) and don't remove the mixture from the stove before temp reaches 290. If you do, you'll get chewy almond roca .

[Gracie]

Jen - this looks awesome! Can you please tell me what are "shaved" almonds? I would have thought they were the super thin, flat, what I call "slivered" almonds yet it says not to use slivered!

Thanks!

Loren

[valchemist]

I think slivered are those skinny squared off little stick-like things. shaved are the flat ones you described.

right?

[jphilg]

Superthin flat ones.

[claire797]

Thanks Jen!

I am so glad you all liked the almond roca. I guess that also proves it keeps well since I sent it in the mail. Usually, it gets eaten within a day or 2 by my dad.

For those of you who want to know what shaved almonds look like, here's a picture. The shaved almonds are the ones on the bottom.

http://www.almondsarein.com/images/taste/youare/body_index_pic1.jpg

[Gracie]

Great - OK now for my next question (which I thought of after I hit "submit":rolleyes: )

How thin do you spread the mixture on the waxed paper? And do you watch out how thin it gets when you spread the chocolate chunks?

Loren

[claire797]

Originally posted by Gracie
Great - OK now for my next question (which I thought of after I hit "submit":rolleyes: )

How thin do you spread the mixture on the waxed paper? And do you watch out how thin it gets when you spread the chocolate chunks?

Loren

Loren,

If I make a full batch, I spread the wax paper in a jelly roll (15x10 inch) pan just so the candy will have some room to spread. If I make half a batch, I put the wax paper in a 9x13 size pan -- again, just to keep my counters clean. How thin you let it get is a matter of preference. If you make a full batch and pour it on wax paper without a pan, it will spread pretty thin.

One thing I forgot to add is that this recipe is super-easy to halve. In fact, I've even been known to make only a quarter of a batch. Why don't you try making 1/2 a recipe and put the wax paper in a 9x13 inch pan? That should give you just the right amount of thickness. Also, if you mess up the first batch, you won't waste as many ingredients ;)

[aggie94]

Jen, thanks for posting a separate thread on this recipe. I must have missed it the first time.

Anna, it looks wonderful! I'm planning to add this to my Christmas cookie/treat list this year. Can't wait - I love almond roca!! (oh yeah, aren't I supposed to making it for other people?? :o )

[claire797]

Originally posted by aggie94
Jen, thanks for posting a separate thread on this recipe. I must have missed it the first time.

Anna, it looks wonderful! I'm planning to add this to my Christmas cookie/treat list this year. Can't wait - I love almond roca!! (oh yeah, aren't I supposed to making it for other people?? :o )

Let me know if you need a tutorial or a sample ;).

[LaraW]

Originally posted by claire797


Let me know if you need a tutorial or a sample ;).

Oh, boy is that ever a dangerous offer. Anna, you might be making almond roca for the rest of your life just to let all of us BB'ers sample if we need one!!!

[claire797]

Originally posted by LaraW


Oh, boy is that ever a dangerous offer. Anna, you might be making almond roca for the rest of your life just to let all of us BB'ers sample if we need one!!!

I've thought about selling it, but I'd have to find a commercial kitchen (Texas Law) and then I'd have to go out and start convincing stores why they should sell it. Maybe one day I'll try to market it ;).

[Gracie]

Anna - Then we can say we knew you when!!! Thanks for the spreading tips.

Jen - that link to the thread about your DH's big mouth isn't working! That would be fun to read.

Loren

[jphilg]

Hmmm...let me try again with that threadPeter's adventure with toffee (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32448)

[RebeccaT]

Anna, what's the best way to store this?

Looks divine, I can't wait to try it!

[claire797]

Originally posted by RebeccaT
Anna, what's the best way to store this?

Looks divine, I can't wait to try it!

In a tightly sealed tin.

[brykate]

I'm gonna make it! (and thus get over my fear of the candy thermometer:( ) My dad also loves almond roca and I tend to eat more than my share of HIS. So this will be perfect.
:p Katie

[valchemist]

what does roca mean?

[Gracie]

Jen what a great thread! I must have missed that one! I remember people talking on JeAnne's thread about Peter posting and I was totally clueless. He sounds like a gem. Maybe when you guys move up here we can introduce you to the Massachusetts BB'ers.

Loren

[leightx]

Ok Anna, I'm sure this falls into the "stupid question" category - but if I don't really like the flavor of almonds, will I still like this? I'm debating, since I have a recipe for English Toffee that I love (with broken pecans in it), but I'm thinking of trying this one too / instead. Are the almonds more there for texture or taste? Are they still in little slivers in the final version (in the toffee, you can't really tell that there are pecans in there - it just tastes crunchy).

Leightx

[claire797]

Originally posted by leightx
Ok Anna, I'm sure this falls into the "stupid question" category - but if I don't really like the flavor of almonds, will I still like this? I'm debating, since I have a recipe for English Toffee that I love (with broken pecans in it), but I'm thinking of trying this one too / instead. Are the almonds more there for texture or taste? Are they still in little slivers in the final version (in the toffee, you can't really tell that there are pecans in there - it just tastes crunchy).

Leightx

Hmmmmm. If you like English Toffee you will like this. Just don't put the almonds on top.

[RebeccaT]

Emily came over last night and we tried our hand at Almond Roca... happy to report that it is AMAZING! It turned out crisp, rich, and delicious... Thanks Anna!

I did run into some issues breaking it apart... Anna, do you just break it into pieces, or do you cut it up into more uniform slices?

[msbeehavn]

This sounds great! When I lived in my apartment, my landlord for Xmas one year gave us all a box of homemade almond roca. Homemade puts the store bought kind to shame, although the store bought kind will definitely due in a pinch ;). My question was, can you use parchment paper in the pan. And if so, do you need to grease that? Can't wait to try this. I have a brand new candy thermometer that has never been used. Can't think of a better recipe to try it out on :)

[claire797]

Originally posted by RebeccaT
Emily came over last night and we tried our hand at Almond Roca... happy to report that it is AMAZING! It turned out crisp, rich, and delicious... Thanks Anna!

I did run into some issues breaking it apart... Anna, do you just break it into pieces, or do you cut it up into more uniform slices?

Hmmmmmmm. Seems like uniform pieces would be real hard to do. I break mine up to make jaggedy pieces -- always have, always will ;)

[honeygirl1971]

This sounds great! I am already planning a big candy-making session after Thanksgiving, and I'm putting this one on my list. Thanks Anna and jphilg!:)

[Leisa M]

Anna, we need to make candy together. My aunt and my mom always got together for a day of cany making. YOu and I should do that.:)

[RebeccaT]

Originally posted by msbeehavn
My question was, can you use parchment paper in the pan. And if so, do you need to grease that?

msbeehavn, Emily and I felt like greasing the paper was not necessary; we thought it just made the bottom of the roca kind of slippery. Next time, I plan to try it on ungreased parchment paper. If you try it that way, please let us know how it works!

[TamiKnight]

The recipe I have allows for the use of any kind of nuts. If you prefer the taste of pecans, use them. I've done this with Brazil nuts, almonds, and pecans. They were all good, and they all give it a slightly different flavor.

[Robyncz]

My 1/2 batch of Anna's almond roca is cooling. I made it exactly as written (except that I had to use Hershey's milk chocolate instead of Cadbury because that's what I could find). I can't wait until it is cool enough to break up and try!!!!!

Thanks for sharing the recipe, Anna!

[Leisa M]

Originally posted by TamiKnight
The recipe I have allows for the use of any kind of nuts. If you prefer the taste of pecans, use them. I've done this with Brazil nuts, almonds, and pecans. They were all good, and they all give it a slightly different flavor.

Do you chop the pecans?

[claire797]

Originally posted by Robyncz
My 1/2 batch of Anna's almond roca is cooling. I made it exactly as written (except that I had to use Hershey's milk chocolate instead of Cadbury because that's what I could find). I can't wait until it is cool enough to break up and try!!!!!

Thanks for sharing the recipe, Anna!

Great! I hope you love it. The almond part should harden up quickly (10 minutes or less)and the chocolate generally takes awhile to set. Once the almond part has hardened, I usually throw the whole tray into the refrigerator to firm up the chocolate.

[Robyncz]

MMMmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!! My chocolate layer came out a little thicker than I would have liked, but otherwise this is outstanding!! The texture and flavor are just right. Thanks again for the excellent recipe.

[TamiKnight]

Leisa, it really depends on personal preference. If you like a bigger "bite" of pecan, leave them whole or break them in half. If you do chop them, I would just chop them coarsely. I haven't looked to see what recipe is being talked about here. It mine, I stir the nuts into the hot candy mixture, which toasts them a little bit. Pecans are fairly delicate, and I think work better in somewhat larger pieces.

[claire797]

Originally posted by TamiKnight
Leisa, it really depends on personal preference. If you like a bigger "bite" of pecan, leave them whole or break them in half. If you do chop them, I would just chop them coarsely. I haven't looked to see what recipe is being talked about here. It mine, I stir the nuts into the hot candy mixture, which toasts them a little bit. Pecans are fairly delicate, and I think work better in somewhat larger pieces.

And remember. If you make it with pecans, it is not almond roca. The texture will be completely different.

[brykate]

Leisa, you got me thinking that a "Candy Making Day" sounds like a good idea and some fun too. Wish one of you guys was close to me! :)
Think it will be ok to store candy until Christmas??
I found a good tip and thought I'd share for any other candy thermometer rookies like myself:
""
Checking Your Candy Thermometer

Most of these candies are made of sugar syrups and require the use of a candy thermometer. Before making the candy, check your candy thermometer for accuracy by placing it in water and bringing the water to a boil. The thermometer should register 212ºF (100ºC). If the reading is higher or lower, take the difference into account when testing the temperature of a syrup."" 

~Katie

[claire797]

Katie,

Lots of candies freeze well. I'm pretty sure almond roca freezes (it never sticks around long enough in my house for me to try) and I know fudge freezes well too.

[TamiKnight]

Originally posted by claire797


And remember. If you make it with pecans, it is not almond roca. The texture will be completely different.

My recipe is a bit different, but tastes just like Almond Roca nonetheless. I've made this literally dozens of times, and there is no difference in texture in my recipe no matter which nut is used. I've even made it without nuts at all. And it does freeze. I find that the appearance changes somewhat--the candy becomes more opaque and loses its gloss. However, the flavor is not affected.

This is the recipe I use (from Joy of Cooking--the old edition) and it can be doubled with no problem. I guess I'll have to try the other recipe and do a side-by-side taste test. In my free time, of course. Wait, I'm an English teacher. I don't HAVE free time! Silly me!

Before beginning, prepare a buttered slab (I use marble) or pan.

Nut Crunch

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
3 tablespoons water

Cook rapidly and stir constantly about 10 minutes, or until the mixture reaches the hard-crack stage, 300 degrees. Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups nutmeats. Turn the candy quickly onto the buttered slab. When almost cool, brush with 1/4 lb. melted semisweet chocolate. Before the chocolate hardens, dust with 1/4 cup finely chopped nuts. At this point, I usually slide the whole thing into the freezer for a few minutes to harden the chocolate.

Break into pieces when cold.

[claire797]

Originally posted by TamiKnight

I guess I'll have to try the other recipe and do a side-by-side taste test. In my free time, of course.

Please let us know if you do! I've made it with pecans and the texture was different -- it was gritty. Not bad, just not the same as almond roca Since pecans are a much softer nut, I wasn't surprised.

Also, since my recipe is for almond roca and not "nut crunch" I like to stick with almonds ;)


If I have time, I may try to make your "nut crunch".

[Leisa M]

Originally posted by brykate
Leisa, you got me thinking that a "Candy Making Day" sounds like a good idea and some fun too. Wish one of you guys was close to me! :)
Think it will be ok to store candy until Christmas??
I found a good tip and thought I'd share for any other candy thermometer rookies like myself:
""
~Katie

I wish you were close. Anna and I can't get together because of time, and kids. If you were not in WA....

[aggie94]

Anna,

Do you use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe? Or does it even matter? I want to add it to my Christmas cookie/candy list, and am giving it a test run tomorrow night, for DH to take to school/work. :)

[brykate]

Or what about stick margarine?? Has anybody used that?
Might as well ask since we're on the subject :)

[Robyncz]

I used salted butter and it came out great.

[claire797]

Originally posted by brykate
Or what about stick margarine?? Has anybody used that?
Might as well ask since we're on the subject :)

Please don't use margarine, Katie. Please!!!!!!!

But I use salted butter (for the record) in almond roca and in just about everything.

[Robyncz]

Toffee and Caramel are two candies that depend on the butter base for their rich flavor. I think substituting margarine would be a mistake.

(Just my two cents. . .)

[honeygirl1971]

Originally posted by brykate
Leisa, you got me thinking that a "Candy Making Day" sounds like a good idea and some fun too. Wish one of you guys was close to me! :)

~Katie

I wish! I plan to do this but it will be by myself. I don't think I can get anyone to join in the fun--although I shouldn't have any trouble unloading the candy once it's done. ;) I guess we'll just have to have a "virtual" candy making day with BBers! :D

[Leisa M]

That sounds fun, everyone could list what they made and the recipes they used. I need to get some real butter, I have parkay margarine in the fridge. My DH is going to be upset because I just bought the Parkay. Oh well....:D ;)

[claire797]

Originally posted by Leisa M
That sounds fun, everyone could list what they made and the recipes they used. I need to get some real butter, I have parkay margarine in the fridge. My DH is going to be upset because I just bought the Parkay. Oh well....:D ;)

So how much does Parkay cost? 80 cents? He'll live.

H.E.B had butter on sale last week for $1.50. a pound. Maybe it's still on sale for the holidays.

[Leisa M]

I don't know, I think Parkay costs about $1.00. I will have to check out butter $$$.

[brykate]

Originally posted by Robyncz
Toffee and Caramel are two candies that depend on the butter base for their rich flavor. I think substituting margarine would be a mistake. (Just my two cents. . .)
aaaah.... That's right! I knew that if I'd thought about it :rolleyes: :)
I normally do all my shopping in one store but I'm actually planning on hitting the best sale prices for the best baking products. Watch; I probably won't end up saving much in the end! Butter by the pound is another to add to my list to look for.
I'm going to TJ's this weekend with my supper club buddies so maybe I'll do some major candy making the weekend after Turkey Day. If I can wait that long :( But I will be one to wait and see what day some of you aim for - for that virtual fun ;)

[greysangel]

H.E.B had butter on sale last week for $1.50. a pound. Maybe it's still on sale for the holidays


not to go wayyyyyyyyyyy off topic here, but have y'all noticed other "holiday" food items going on sale?

I personally was very happy to see huge sales on all flavors of Chex :D :D Guess that chex mix is pretty darn popular ;)

JeAnne

[leightx]

I'm, ahem, licking the almond roca off the back of the candy thermometer as I type this...

I just finished making this, and so far so good! However, I'm wondering if I cooked it long enough. It is kind of a beigey buff color (the color of my carpet, in fact!) instead of golden brown. Is that right? I let it reach 290 and took it off immediately. Maybe by thermometer needs calibrating - it is one of the "real" thermometers though (not a dial). Doesn't matter, still tastes excellent! I also put about 1/2 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips on top since I don't like milk chocolate.

Leightx

[claire797]

Leigh,

If you took it off at 290 you should be fine. The worst that could happen is it doesn't get hard. Sometimes, if the candy is not cooked long enough (between 290 and 300) it sets up as chewy rather than crunchy. Let me know what happens to it.

Chewy almond roca is not bad, but it's better crunchy.

BTW. The beigy buff color is usually the sign of a perfect batch. The trick is getting it the beigy buff color and hard. It's easy to under or over-cook.

[jazzcat]

I will HAVE to make this for the Christmas holiday. I'll bring my first BATCH into work. Sure to get plenty of reviews there!:D

Beth

[Robyncz]

Originally posted by leightx
[I just finished making this, and so far so good! However, I'm wondering if I cooked it long enough. It is kind of a beigey buff color (the color of my carpet, in fact!) instead of golden brown.

Hey Leigh,
I wondered the same thing about the color but mine came out fine. When I have made toffee before it came out more "caramel" colored. But mine hardened up great. Now, good luck NOT eating all of this. I made mine for DH to take to his brother and dad when he goes to sit with my FIL in the hospital tomorrow and I'm really having a hard time staying away from it!!!!

[leightx]

In the interest of science, I just broke a piece off - delish!!

I think I have the perfect batch! ;)

Also - I didn't think to look at the recipe before I left the house, so I only put in 1.5 cups of almonds (and none on top - b/c I don't like raw almonds...) - still really yummy!

I was just wondering about the color since the toffee I usually make is a darker golden color.

Thanks Anna! I'm selling some at the bake sale on Friday (and keeping some to eat of course!)

Leightx

[aggie94]

Am I the only one who had issues getting the butter/sugar/water mixture to 240? It's been on the stove for a loooong time, and it seems to have maxed out at 226. In fact, it took about 15 minutes to get from 220 to 226. :confused: I don't know if it's gonna make it to 240. Or am I just being impatient?

[aggie94]

Okay, never mind. I think I'm just being impatient. While I was typing this message, it climbed to 235. Better head back to the kitchen.....

[claire797]

Originally posted by aggie94
Okay, never mind. I think I'm just being impatient. While I was typing this message, it climbed to 235. Better head back to the kitchen.....

Feel free to turn up the heat.

It should only take about 5 to 8 minutes to hit 240. When you add the almonds at 240, don't stop stirring! Things will move fast.

[aggie94]

Yep, it moves fast!! Wow - this is gonna be AMAZING. I broke off some of the little bits that didn't come out of the pot, and they're delicious. :) Can't wait until it's ready. Anna, thanks again for a fabulous recipe!

[claire797]

Originally posted by aggie94
Yep, it moves fast!! Wow - this is gonna be AMAZING. I broke off some of the little bits that didn't come out of the pot, and they're delicious. :) Can't wait until it's ready. Anna, thanks again for a fabulous recipe!

It's so neat to watch a recipe I've been making for 16 years get passed around and played with here on the board. This is such a special board. :cool:

[aggie94]

Okay, now, any tips on how to break this up?

[claire797]

You've probably figured something out by now, but I just hack it into chunks with a butter knife.

[aggie94]

Oh, yeah. This was perfection. :D

Anna, it's SO delicious. Better than any almond roca I've had before. The butter knife would have been good. I ended up using my hands. :rolleyes:

[claire797]

Originally posted by aggie94
Oh, yeah. This was perfection. :D

Anna, it's SO delicious. Better than any almond roca I've had before. The butter knife would have been good. I ended up using my hands. :rolleyes:

I use my hands sometimes too.

I'm curious. What kind of chocolate did you end up using? I always use Cadbury Dairy Milk, but it sounds like everyone is using their own favorites. For instance, Leigh used semi-sweet Nestle chips and Peter and Jen experimented with Trader Joe's.

[aggie94]

I used the Cadbury. Because you said to. :p

Honestly, though, I think a pound might be just a tad too much. I like the toffee part better than the chocolate (plus, the Cadbury stuff is really rich for milk chocolate!), so next time, I'll use a little less (like 3 bars, instead of 3 1/2) and spread it thinner.

[RebeccaT]

I used El Rey Milk Chocolate "discos," and they were wonderful. Next time I am going to try Guittard Milk Chocolate chips, otherwise I'll stick with the El Rey. The El Rey was cheaper than buying Dairy Milk or Ghirradelli, since you get it in the bulk section.

[tripletone@hotm]

I received some Anna's Almond Roca in my holiday swap package this week from Anna and it is the absolute BEST!!! if you have to pick one recipe to make from the BB you'll be sorry if it's not this one, WOW that is soo good!!!

[Tiger]

Wow! I made this stuff last night and it's excellent! It was the first time I ever used a candy temrmometer. I cut the recipe in 1/2 and used a 9 x 13 pan. For the chocolate I used a 12oz bag of Hershey chips. This was a little too much chocolate for my taste. I want to taste more of the almond part. Next time I'll make the full recipe but stay at 1 bag of chips.
Mine is a little chewy. Is it suppose to be real crunchy? What did I do wrong?
I'll be giving this is gifts this year. Do you think people will believe me when I say I got it off a Light cooking board? ;)

[claire797]

Originally posted by Tiger
Wow! I made this stuff last night and it's excellent! It was the first time I ever used a candy tempmometer. I cut the recipe in 1/2 and used a 9 x 13 pan. For the chocolate I used a 12oz bag of Hershey chips. This was a little too much chocolate for my taste. I want to taste more of the almond part. Next time I'll make the full recipe but stay at 1 bag of chips.
Mine is a little chewy. Is it suppose to be real cruchy? What did I do wrong?
I'll be giving this is gifts this year. Do you think people will believe me when I say I got it off a Light cooking board? ;)

I'm glad you liked it! Now that you know how to make the almond part, maybe you could try topping it with a better chocolate -- like Cadbury, Lindt or heck -- Valrhona! You could get really decadent. I agree that a pound of chocolate is too much. I don't think I've ever used that much either.

[gertdog]

I bought all the ingredients for this to make next weekend, including the Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate. I'm quite excited! If it turns out, my grandmother will be delighted. She LOVES almond roca and will be so tickled if I send some I made myself.

And I have the benefit of everyone's previous experience... thanks!! :)

[claire797]

Originally posted by gertdog
I bought all the ingredients for this to make next weekend, including the Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate. I'm quite excited! If it turns out, my grandmother will be delighted. She LOVES almond roca and will be so tickled if I send some I made myself.

And I have the benefit of everyone's previous experience... thanks!! :)

Stephanie,

Your grandmother is going to LOVE it. Maybe you could make a practice batch tonight? Then again, your probably a little *busy* in the kitchen.

[gertdog]

Anna, the problem with the test run is that I'd end up eating it all myself. I'm going to be daring and make it at the last minute, right before I package it for sending. I have that much faith in your recipe. I have made toffee before and like my recipe, but yours sounds even better! :)

[brykate]

So far Stephanie and I will be doing our "Virtual Candy Day" together! I'm planning a major day of cookies and candy on **Saturday** (after Thanksgiving) with a friend. Getting rid of the baby for the whole day and everything! I'm looking forward to taste testing this almond roca next to the little tub of Brown & Haley that I bought the other day :rolleyes: Honest! It's just for the purpose of showing up Anna's!

Tiger - looks like if it's chewy it maybe needed to cook just a tiny bit more/hotter. According to an above post she says 290-300 for crunchy. I'm making all these notes on my printed recipe! :p But you encourage me in that you were a candy thermometer rookie too! I'm only a little nervous now.

Anyone else doing a day of baking and candy soon?

[Laura B]

I am definitely going to try this recipe soon. I have never had roca before. (I don't think I've even had toffee before.) But I love almonds and chocolate together, and this recipe has gotten such raves! When I go get my turkey from Whole Foods tomorrow morning, I think I'll pick up the chocolate and the almonds so I'll have them on hand.

[claire797]

Tiger,

I encourage you to try again. It should not be chewy at all. It still tastes okay (believe me, I've had my share of chewy batches!) but it's much better when it is crunchy. Try letting your thermometer reach a little over 290 before you remove it from the heat.

[aggie94]

My batch definitely came out very crunchy. Please try it again - it's soooooo good. My DH took about 2/3 of the batch to school/work, and came home with 3 requests for the recipe. It was devoured (and I've since finished off the other 1/3 :eek: ).

Anyway, to be sure that I was going to get crunchy and not chewy almond roca, I was going to heat to 295 to be safe. Before my thermometer got there, I started smelling a slight odor of burning toffee, so I pulled it off, mixed in the baking soda, and poured it into the pan. I'll admit that there was some very brown almond roca at the bottom of my pan, not quite to the point of burnt but past done, and I think my candy came out perfect. So anyway, I guess my point is that it seems to me the line between not done enough and too done is pretty wide. Even when it starts to smell as though it's burning you're probably still OK. At least I was. :rolleyes:

[Robyncz]

The other variable to consider is the weather. I've always heard you're not supposed to make toffee or caramel when it is raining or humid. I don't know why, but I've heard it from enough people to believe it. . .

Tiger, if it was very humid when you made yours, that might explain why it came out chewy.

[Tiger]

Don't get me wrong. Yes it came out a little chewy but it's wonderful! I can't imagine how good it'll be if it's crunchy.:D
I'll make it again soon for the holidays. The batch I made last night is for a party on Sat.
I was being very careful so I took it off exactly at 290. It had just started to brown a bit but no where close to burning. Next time I'm going to 300!:p
This candy in a Christmas tin will be a great gift for all the "have no idea what to get" people. Not to metion teachers, mailmen.......

[LaraW]

Originally posted by Tiger
This candy in a Christmas tin will be a great gift for all the "have no idea what to get" people. Not to metion teachers, mailmen.......

....dentists

:eek:

:p

[claire797]

Originally posted by aggie94
Before my thermometer got there, I started smelling a slight odor of burning toffee, so I pulled it off, mixed in the baking soda, and poured it into the pan. I'll admit that there was some very brown almond roca at the bottom of my pan, not quite to the point of burnt but past done, and I think my candy came out perfect. So anyway, I guess my point is that it seems to me the line between not done enough and too done is pretty wide. Even when it starts to smell as though it's burning you're probably still OK. At least I was. :rolleyes:

Exactly! I couldn't have said this better.

I've made many perfect batches that I thought I had burnt because of that faint burnt sugar smell towards the end. There really is a fine line.

Also, remember to keep stirring after you add the almonds. NON-STOP! Once the almonds are added, everything just has to keep moving.

[jazzcat]

How long for it to set and be ready for cutting?

I can't wait to try. I'm hoping to bring this to work tomorrow!:D

[Tiger]

jazzcat- After it cooled I put it in the refrig. over night. I didn't cut it, I just broke it into pieces. (lifted the whole thing off the par. paper and just started breaking) I'm not saying this is the right way, it just worked for me.

[jazzcat]

Thanks for the tip.

Seems the bittle is hard but the chocolate is still a little soft, so I stuck it in the frige.

You know what I'll be doing before bed or first thing tomorrow morning!:D

Beth

[Laura B]

This is cooling on my counter. I think I was successful. I had a faint burnt sugar smell at the end - I let mine get almost to 300 degrees. It was a beautiful color as I spread it on the pan. Some toffee was left on the sides of the pot and it had hardened, so I tasted it. Nice and crunchy. Very tasty! I cannot wait to try the finished product. I used almost a full pound of chocolate - half milk and half bittersweet Callebaut.

Thanks for the recipe, Anna!

:D

[Laura B]

WOW!!!

This is fantastic, Anna! DH and I are going to make ourselves sick on this tonight. :)

[claire797]

Originally posted by Laura B
WOW!!!

This is fantastic, Anna! DH and I are going to make ourselves sick on this tonight. :)

I am so glad you like it! I really need to get in the kitchen and make another batch to give as gifts.

[Laura B]

OK, I thought I would have some fun and take a picture! Hope this works:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2cc20b3127cce920a08b084cd0000001410

[Tiger]

Laura,
That's how mine looked too. But mine was soft and chewy. I took it off at 290. Next time I'm going for 300.

[gertdog]

OMG, Laura, that's gorgeous! Mine is cooling on the counter now. I had the same "slight burnt sugar smell" experience that others had... I think it was almost 295 degrees when I removed the pot from the burner. The temperature increases very quickly at the end.

I can't wait to taste!!!

[gertdog]

Picture me doing a happy dance around the kitchen!!! This is so good! It's perfect. Now the trick is getting it out of sight and packed up into gift boxes. :D

[claire797]

Originally posted by gertdog
Picture me doing a happy dance around the kitchen!!! This is so good! It's perfect. Now the trick is getting it out of sight and packed up into gift boxes. :D

I hope your Happy Dance isn't like Elaine's from Seinfeld ;)

I just made almond roca too. I also made more caramel corn and some pralines while I was at it since it's a rainy day. Packing and shipping starts this afternoon.

[valchemist]

Originally posted by claire797



I just made almond roca too. I also made more caramel corn and some pralines while I was at it since it's a rainy day.

I don't know much of anything about candy making, but I thought you weren't supposed to make it when it is rainy/humid.

well, if it turns out ok, then who cares!

[claire797]

Originally posted by valchemist


I don't know much of anything about candy making, but I thought you weren't supposed to make it when it is rainy/humid.

well, if it turns out ok, then who cares!

It's because I carefully watch numbers on the candy thermometer ;)

I think the advice about making candy on a rainy day applies to those people who use times and "eyeballing" when making candy -- those daredevil types.

[Terrytx]

okay, okay, okay! I resisted reading this thread until now. When it hit 4 pages, I figured I'd better tune in to see what all the excitement was all about. I'll tell you what-if it wasn't thundering, lightning and raining cats and dogs, I'd be on my way to the store. And to think, I almost missed out on this stuff. I'm making it as some as I can get to the store.

[SuzyQue]

This is my first post, so I hope that I do everything right and it comes out as I intended...

I made the almond roca (1/2 batch) last night -- I couldn't resist because of all of the rave reviews! It was my first experience using a candy thermometer. (Actually, I borrowed the thermometer specifically to make this recipe!) I loved this recipe! It took a little longer than I thought it would to get the temperature up to 290 after I added the almonds -- about 5 minutes. Then, it looked a little light in color so I left it in until it hit 300. Maybe I had the heat too low? I used Ghirardelli (sp?) milk chocolate chips, and I would do that again. I forgot to grease the wax paper, and the wax paper stuck a little bit to the bottom of the candy, so next time I'll be sure to remember.
Thank you for posting this recipe!

[Laura B]

SuzyQue, welcome to the board!

[saw]

Well, I have been reading about everyone's adventures with and rave reviews of this recipe but I have had a fear of candy thermometers for a while so I resisted. But, the more reviews I read, the more I felt I had to give this a try so I went out and bought a candy thermometer and broke out the recipe last night. I made only half a batch so that I could test my abilities. I am happy to report that, thanks to all of the good advice on this thread, my almond roca turned out great! I still can't believe I actually made it!

I had to be patient with the temperature -- I kept thinking my thermometer didn't work because it slowed way down at around 220 degrees. But it picked up again once I put the almonds in at 240 and I held out until I had the faint burnt sugar smell that some of you have mentioned -- I think it was around 295 degrees. It is crunchy, golden and absolutely yummy! Thanks so much for the recipe, Anna, and for the advice from everyone else who has tried it. I think I may have conquered my fear of the candy thermometer. I am going to try a whole batch this weekend.:D

Sarah

[saw]

Okay, now that I just posted about how good the almond roca turned out, I came home to find a problem -- I went to break the remaainder into pieces since this morning I just nibbled to see how it tasted (it wasn't set when I went to bed last night!) and the chocolate part on top is acting kind of funny. I was trying to break it with my hands and the chocolate kept breaking off from the toffee part so that I would have a piece that was a little bit of toffee and a LOT of chocolate, which would leave another piece with no chocolate.

Am I the only one this has happened to? What could I do differently to prevent this from happening? I mean, it still tastes great, but it doesn't look so nice. I used a Hershey Symphony bar for the top -- do other chocolates work better? What if I had used a butter knife to break it up -- do you think that would help?

Thanks for any advice --

Sarah

[claire797]

Originally posted by saw

I used a Hershey Symphony bar for the top -- do other chocolates work better? What if I had used a butter knife to break it up -- do you think that would help?

Thanks for any advice --

Sarah

Sarah, I've used Symphony occassionally and have noticed that happening too -- but not to the extent that it ruins the appearance or that it's a big deal. If you keep the candy at room temperature, the chocolate should stay firm but not so hard that it slides off.

[penguin]

I plan to make a batch this afternoon if we get to leave work early due to the snow. But after re-reading the recipe, I have a question. Do you stir the sugar/butter/water/salt mixture before the temp reaches 240? I get the impression you don't, but felt the need to clarify. I haven't made candy in ages and don't feel 100% confident in my skills. :rolleyes:

[claire797]

Originally posted by penguin
I plan to make a batch this afternoon if we get to leave work early due to the snow. But after re-reading the recipe, I have a question. Do you stir the sugar/butter/water/salt mixture before the temp reaches 240? I get the impression you don't, but felt the need to clarify. I haven't made candy in ages and don't feel 100% confident in my skills. :rolleyes:

Nope. No stirring unti you add the almonds at 240. Then stir, stir, stir.

[gertdog]

Sarah, was your Almond Roca at room temperature or chilled when you tried to break it up? I first tried breaking mine up when it was at room temperature-- completely set, but not chilled. I had the same problem with the chocolate layer separating from the toffee and leaving some "naked" toffee pieces. I chilled the pan of candy for about an hour, tried breaking it up again, and didn't have that problem at all.

[saw]

Gertdog -- yes, I tried to break it when it was at room temp., so maybe that was the problem. Thanks for the tip! I was planning to make another batch this weekend, so I will try chilling it before I break it up (if I can wait that long ;) )

Sarah

[Robyncz]

Hmmmmm. My chocolate broke off some of the toffee and that was straight out of the refrigerator. So maybe it has to do with the type or quality of chocolate rather than the temperature?? I used Hersheys. . .

[mrswaz]

Okay,
I am NOT a candy-making person. Last year I failed miserably in one attempt to make a macadamia-nut brittle, and decided never again. Well, as I watched this thread grow and grow, I thought, it must be easy.

OMG!!! Not only can I successfully make candy, but I successfully made the most incredible candy ever!!DH, DD, and myself, cannot stop. And after such a success, I've gone a little crazy. I made the Almond Roca Tuesday, and encouraged by that success, I made English Toffe and Peanut Brittle yesterday, and I also have the makings for a batch of Carmel and another batch of the Almond Roca, waiting for me today. I've gone candy crazy!! Thanks Anna!

[claire797]

Originally posted by mrswaz


OMG!!! Not only can I successfully make candy, but I successfully made the most incredible candy ever!!DH, DD, and myself, cannot stop. And after such a success, I've gone a little crazy. I made the Almond Roca Tuesday, and encouraged by that success, I made English Toffe and Peanut Brittle yesterday, and I also have the makings for a batch of Carmel and another batch of the Almond Roca, waiting for me today. I've gone candy crazy!! Thanks Anna!

WOW! You are a candy-making MACHINE. Yahoo.

Candy-making is kind of addictive once you get started. Good luck with that caramel. I've never tried to make it but I'll bet homemade caramel is REALLY good.

[mrswaz]

My Mom always makes homemade caramel...it is very good, and always worth her time. We'll see if it's worth my time though.:rolleyes:

I really had the best of intentions when I started this candy thing a few days ago. Of course I was thinking that tins of homemade candy would make great gifts. Now after the rave reviews of the fam, I don't know if any of it will make it to the packaging process. I'll probably have to bolt the door for a day, make fresh candies, and package them before anyone gets their fingers involved.

[Terrytx]

Mine came out perfect . I had to put it in the freezer to keep us from eating it all last night. Thanks Anna!!

[jazzcat]

I made this for "my Hostess" at Thanksgiving. She and her family loved it. Also my co-workers loved it as well. I saved a couple of pieces for my Mom to try when she came down last weekend and she loved it as well. She asked me for the recipe,.....and others from work did too.

I'll be making this again! Soon!!

Beth

[jellyben]

Gotta say this was heavenly. Finally got it made after a little detour. I got all the ingredients in the pot only to find my candy thermometer missing. My husband had a vague recollection of seeing our 2year old playing with it. Yikes. So the pot of sugar and water and butter sat in the fridge till I could get to the store next day. It didn't seem to affect the final result. Love it!

Has anyone tried chopping the almonds for the top? I remember devouring the store-bought kind as a kid, and it was sort of rolled in finely chopped almonds. I might try this next time.

OK, I need an almond roca fix!
Karen

[britneyelise]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

This stuff was so good that my mother told me I had to hide it somewhere that only I could find, so that when she wanted some, she would have to ask me!

This was my first time making anything with a candy thermometer, about four months ago, I got over my yeast fear, and now I am over my fear of candy. This turned out perfect! Thank you Anna! This is going in all my holiday gift baskets.

[claire797]

Originally posted by jellyben

Has anyone tried chopping the almonds for the top? I remember devouring the store-bought kind as a kid, and it was sort of rolled in finely chopped almonds.
Karen

I always chop up the almonds and sprinkle them on top. I guess the recipe doesn't make it clear, but that's how I do it :).

Britneyelise, glad you are over your fear of candy thermometers.

[little_bopeep]

Anna, what did I do wrong??? My roca tastes great, but it's swimming in butter! I know why my chocolate layer didn't work (I used choc chips and they won't harden). I'm so discouraged!

[Terri-Lynn]

I made these as a birthday gift to my sister on our make it or bake it theme and they were so wonderful. I ended up seeing parents, inlaws and my sister all on the same day so I was spreading the joy of almond roca and everyone loved them. DH cant wait until I make more, I have never made candy before and I must say it is alot of fun.

Thanks

Terri

[Beth]

Originally posted by claire797
It's because I carefully watch numbers on the candy thermometer ;)

I think the advice about making candy on a rainy day applies to those people who use times and "eyeballing" when making candy -- those daredevil types.

Claire, I have read in several reliable books that you should not try to make candy -- especially a hard candy, in rainy weather. Having made commercial strength filling puller before, I have avoided making candy in damp weather. That's not always convenient -- especially during the holidays, so I am trying to figure out the difference.

Do you use a digital thermometer? My thoughts were that the difference in wet weather was either the humidity itself or the difference in barometric pressure, which is lower in wet weather. The humidity would be less an issue if your air is heated or cooled enough to remove the humidity (I have cranked up the heat or air when I thought the weather might be a little damp but I really wanted to make something for a certain time. The lower air pressure might cause a column thermometer to rise too quickly -- that wouldn't happen with a digital thermometer.

I tend to use 3 tests myself --a thermometer, a cold water test, and the eye/ear/nose test, but the print is just about completely removed from my candy thermometer. The indents get hard to read with steam on them,. so I'm about ready to buy a new one. Thought thia was worth an inquiry before I do.

[claire797]

Originally posted by Beth


Do you use a digital thermometer?

Beth, I only use my digital thermometer for roasting meats. For candy, I use one that looks like this:

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=102262

I really don't know much about the "don't make candy on a rainy day" rule but I've been making lots of it on rainy days and haven't had a problem. We do have central heat. Maybe that has something to do with it. I don't know. I'm sure if you do a google search for candy making tips and humidity there's a bunch of information. I keep meaning to research this and then I get distracted or run out of time

[Barrie]

I made a batch of this over the weekend too. omg is it good! Thanks Anna for sharing this easy and fabulous recipe with us! :) I made half a recipe and used about 6 oz. of Ghiradelli double chocolate chips (DH and I prefer dark chocolate to milk). My candy thermometer seemed to get stuck on 220 for the longest time and I wondered if it was ever going to get to 240, but it finally did. I put my pan in the fridge for about half an hour when the chocolate didn't seem to be getting firm enough after sitting on the counter for an hour, and then I whacked it apart with a butter knife. I had no problems at all with the chocolate layer separating from the toffee layer. YUM! I put the container of it in the fridge hoping if it was "out of sight, out of mind," but nope, we still can't stay away from the stuff when it's in the fridge. I think it tastes even better cold.

[Valerie226]

well now you've done it. I went and bought a candy thermometer & will try this this week. I LOVE almond roca but haven't eaten any in years. (have had braces for three years & they are coming off soon) I will schedule my candy making for the day before I see the orthodontist, so if I break a wire it will still be OK. I know I will love this. Thanks for the recipe!

[Tiger]

I just made this for the second time last night and it came out so much better! I let the temp go to almost 300 degrees this time. I did the whole recipe and used 1 4oz bar of Ghiradelli. It was perfect. The chocolate didn't overpower the toffee and it wasn't chewy but nice and hard. Don't get me wrong we ate the last batch this is just so much better.:D
I call it Almond toffee though. No one knows what I mean when I say Rocca. I have to admit I never heard of Rocca before either. What does it mean?

[claire797]

Originally posted by Tiger

I call it Almond toffee though. No one knows what I mean when I say Rocca. I have to admit I never heard of Rocca before either. What does it mean?

I don't know what it means. "Rock" maybe?

[aggie94]

Almond Roca is a registered name for a buttercrunch/toffee candy made by Brown & Haley. It's sort of like coming up with your own taffy recipe and calling it Tiger's Laffy Taffy. Or something like that. :o

[Laura B]

I made another batch of this on Sunday. I used more chocolate this time because I thought I would like a thicker chocolate layer, but I will not use more in the future.

My question: starting last night and even worse today, my chocolate layer is spotty. It tastes fine, but there are tiny little white dots all over it. It has been stored in a tightly closed gladware container. I'm wondering if the culprit is old chocolate? To increase my amount of chocolate, I added to my brand new Callebaut chocolate one Ghirardelli (sp?) chocolate bar that had some "bloom" on it. Do you think that bloom is now coming through on my finished product? I'm not sure if that makes sense.

[claire797]

Speaking of butter crunch. A girlfriend of mine made butter crunch and gave me her recipe. The ingredients were almost the same as almond roca but the technique was different. The almonds were added at the end -- that is, after the sugar mixture had hit 280 or 290. At the risk of sounding snobby, I prefer the almond roca to the butter crunch. I think it may have something to do with the fact that the almonds in the almond roca are added earlier and cooked a little. The hot almonds exude their almondy goodness into the candy as it cooks ;).

I will add, that I am in awe of this particular friend of mine because she makes her butter crunch WITHOUT a candy thermometer. Now that is impressive.

[Robyncz]

Anna, having also tasted the other recipe in question, I can objectively say that I agree with you!

R

[claire797]

Originally posted by Robyncz
Anna, having also tasted the other recipe in question, I can objectively say that I agree with you!

R

It must be the cooked almonds, right? I think that is the SECRET.

[jphilg]

Laura, I am not sure about bloom coming through...generally I thought that bloom went away when you heated chocolate. Maybe it is a tempering issue? The chocolate got too hot and the spots are actully dullness?

Just an idea....how disappointing!

BTW, Peter bought a bunch of almonds last night to make this again.

Jen

[Laura B]

Originally posted by jphilg
Laura, I am not sure about bloom coming through...generally I thought that bloom went away when you heated chocolate.

I thought so, too. I have no idea what went wrong. I am making another half batch today or tomorrow for a gift. I will be using some milk chocolate Callebaut that I bought today. I hope this batch doesn't get spotty after I have sent it out!

[brykate]

ok guys, I've been reading this thread dilligently and re-reading to get all the tips and advice. This being my first time making candy and with a thermometer and all I've been avoiding the whole thing!
Like Little_bopeep's; mine also is swimming in butter! :( :confused: I'm so discouraged too! :( I followed all the tips, really! I did. I even had the oven on to keep the air warm and no humidity. It did take a long time to get to 240 and I turned the heat up a bit to help. And then I let it get to almost 300 before taking it off & adding the soda. But by then I could tell the butter was swimming. I'm not going to waste my ghiradelli on it. Even after how long it took me to get it all chopped. (can you tell I'm really wanting to whine!?:rolleyes: ) Is this what happens if it gets OVERCOOKED?
I think I feel like crying! :( waaah

I'll get over it...... and eventually work up the courage to try it again. ah well.

[little_bopeep]

Originally posted by brykate
ok guys, I've been reading this thread dilligently and re-reading to get all the tips and advice. This being my first time making candy and with a thermometer and all I've been avoiding the whole thing!
Like Little_bopeep's; mine also is swimming in butter! :( :confused: I'm so discouraged too! :(
I was thinking that maybe I had sprayed the wax paper with too much Pam and that it had pooled up instead of the butter, but I'm not certain.
I went ahead with mine, and then when it was cool enough to remove from the pan I placed the whole thing on paper towels. That pretty much did the trick, and it's not slimy anymore. My chocolate never did set up, so it's messy as heck to eat. But it's quite tasty! Weird, tho...as the days go by, it's getting less crisp and more sugary. It's very humid here, tho, so it's not all that suprising. It's still awesome. :cool:

[claire797]

Originally posted by brykate


I'll get over it...... and eventually work up the courage to try it again. ah well.

So did you let it harden up? I hope you didn't just throw it out before it hardened up. It sounds like you did everything right.

[Beth]

Originally posted by claire797


Beth, I only use my digital thermometer for roasting meats. For candy, I use one that looks like this:

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=102262

I really don't know much about the "don't make candy on a rainy day" rule but I've been making lots of it on rainy days and haven't had a problem. We do have central heat. Maybe that has something to do with it. I don't know. I'm sure if you do a google search for candy making tips and humidity there's a bunch of information. I keep meaning to research this and then I get distracted or run out of time

That's the same type I use, and my earlier post was the extent of my research, but maybe one of us will find something that will tell us what the deal is. With the humidity here, it would be nice to know what makes the difference and how and when to deal with it.

[claire797]

Originally posted by Beth


That's the same type I use, and my earlier post was the extent of my research, but maybe one of us will find something that will tell us what the deal is. With the humidity here, it would be nice to know what makes the difference and how and when to deal with it.

Here's what I found after googling a bit:

http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/weather-story.html

http://www.muntersamerica.com/mcs/htm/conpro.htm

http://www.jintanafood.com/noppadol.html

[brykate]

Originally posted by little_bopeep

I was thinking that maybe I had sprayed the wax paper with too much Pam and that it had pooled up instead of the butter, but I'm not certain.
I went ahead with mine, and then when it was cool enough to remove from the pan I placed the whole thing on paper towels. That pretty much did the trick, and it's not slimy anymore. My chocolate never did set up, so it's messy as heck to eat. But it's quite tasty! Weird, tho...as the days go by, it's getting less crisp and more sugary. It's very humid here, tho, so it's not all that suprising. It's still awesome. :cool:
Nope. I could pretty much tell before I even added the baking soda that something wasn't right. It was like the butter suddenly seperated and it was looking too slimy. But it had obviously "carmelized or beiged" (changed color) quickly and was time to get it off. I think I probably overheated and/or burned it.
Don't worry Anna I didn' t throw it out. It still tastes great. But also like Little_bopeep's, it's grainy/sugary. Completely wrong texture. DH and I will have no qualms about not wasting it :) I plan on trying again sooner than later so I can redeem myself and tell you all that I can do it too! ;) :o :p

Next I'm going to look up those google sites and see if my rainy day here influenced after all.

[Melman]

I haven't gotten brave enough to try this candy so far, but I'm hoping to make a half a batch either this weekend or the next.

I had just read brykate's and little_bopeep's comments about the buttery mess and then read my email. I had an email from All Recipes that targeted candy. Here's one of the comments. Does this sound like it's pertinent to what happened to you guys?? Since I haven't made it, I'm not even sure it's considered to be a "toffee".
*******

Trouble-Free Toffee. The number-one toffee pitfall is separation--that is, when some of the butter separates from the mixture and leaves a slick, oily layer on the surface of the toffee. Separation most often happens when the heat is too high, or when the mixture is stirred too much. Be patient; toffee takes awhile to cook properly, so don't try to speed up the process by cranking up the burner. Only stir the mixture occasionally, to prevent burning, and always rinse off the spoon before putting it back in the pot or the sugar crystals on the spoon may cause the entire mixture to crystallize and turn grainy. If your toffee does separate, keep cooking it and stir about 1/2 cup hot water into it, a few tablespoons at a time, until it's smooth again.

[Tiger]

ummmh.....Boy did I stir . And my last batch came out perfect. I'm suprised they say not to stir so much.

[claire797]

Originally posted by Tiger
ummmh.....Boy did I stir . And my last batch came out perfect. I'm suprised they say not to stir so much.

With a lot of candy recipes -- fudge for example, stirring causes crystalization and graininess. Stirring does not cause this to happen to almond roca. I have always stirred after the almonds have been added and the stirring has kept the mixture from burning.

I'm inclined to think that Katie's problem was either too high a heat or perhaps a saucepan/pan that wasn't heavy enough. Where is Tyler Florence? We need some Almond Roca 911 in Katie's kitchen.

[RebeccaT]

I think I agree with you, Anna... I think that Katie's heat might have been too high. It stays at 220 degrees for a LONG time before finally moving again up to 240, I have made it twice now and that has happened both times. It sounds like she overcooked it a little before adding the almonds, and when the almonds were added the chemical composition changed and caused it to separate.

As far as humidity here, Beth... The first time I made it, it was perfect. The second time I made it, it was the SLIGHTEST bit chewy/tacky, but not enough to bother me or DH. It was a little colder and less humid the first time I made it... but I think that the weather inside your kitchen has more to do with it than the weather outside.

[Barrie]

Anna, I've read in some of your prior posts that you've shipped your almond roca. How do you wrap it? And have you had the chocolate melt on you during shipping? I'm shipping it from AZ, and we're in the upper 60s and sunny right now, so I'm concerned about the chocolate melting. I'd be shipping it to a climate cooler than it is here, but I'm worried about what would happen to it once it's out of my hands but before it leaves Arizona.

[claire797]

Originally posted by Barrie
Anna, I've read in some of your prior posts that you've shipped your almond roca. How do you wrap it? And have you had the chocolate melt on you during shipping? I'm shipping it from AZ, and we're in the upper 60s and sunny right now, so I'm concerned about the chocolate melting. I'd be shipping it to a climate cooler than it is here, but I'm worried about what would happen to it once it's out of my hands but before it leaves Arizona.

It ships quite well. Just wrap it up in a tin and send it along. If the chocolate softens, the recipient can throw it in the refrigerator for awhile and it will firm up again. With your weather in the upper 60s, you should be fine. If it were in the 90s and you were shipping to someplace else in the 90s whereupon it might sit in the mailbox, you might be more concerned -- but I think you'll be fine.

[Melman]

Wait....if we're throwing Tyler Florence into the equation, I'll graciously volunteer my house for the Almond Roca endeavor! Yeah...I know...it's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

:o

[britneyelise]

I just had to weigh in on the seperation problems. Mine seperated too, but after I spread it on the paper it immediately began to harden and I just tilted the pan to pour off the seperated part. Then I put the chocolate on and sprinkled my almonds, it still came out perfect. In fact I have made it twice now and that seperation has happened both times, but has never affected the end product. I hope that you all try again, it is so worth it!

[mrswaz]

Originally posted by Melman
Wait....if we're throwing Tyler Florence into the equation, I'll graciously volunteer my house for the Almond Roca endeavor! Yeah...I know...it's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

:o

I was thinking the same exact thing!;)

[brykate]

Originally posted by Melman
*******Trouble-Free Toffee. The number-one toffee pitfall is separation--that is, when some of the butter separates from the mixture and leaves a slick, oily layer on the surface of the toffee. Separation most often happens when the heat is too high, or when the mixture is stirred too much. Be patient; toffee takes awhile to cook properly, so don't try to speed up the process by cranking up the burner.
Thanks Melman! This descibes my toffee and sounds exactly like what happened. I'm pretty positive I turned the temp up too much and maybe need a heavier kettle. Next time I'll be more patient, use a bigger or heavier pot and pay attention to crystalizing on the spoon.
It still hardened on th paper and even soaked back up some butter - but it's still all wrong texture. I think I'll have another tasty smackeral now :-)

I get Tyler Florence first!! :o :p

[Barrie]

Originally posted by claire797
It ships quite well. Just wrap it up in a tin and send it along. If the chocolate softens, the recipient can throw it in the refrigerator for awhile and it will firm up again. With your weather in the upper 60s, you should be fine. If it were in the 90s and you were shipping to someplace else in the 90s whereupon it might sit in the mailbox, you might be more concerned -- but I think you'll be fine.


Thanks, Anna. :) I'll give it a go! One more question . . . do you put anything (such as waxed or parchment paper) in between the layers or just stack it all in there together?

[Laura B]

Originally posted by Barrie



Thanks, Anna. :) I'll give it a go! One more question . . . do you put anything (such as waxed or parchment paper) in between the layers or just stack it all in there together?

I have the same question. I have a half-batch cooling right now that I plan to package up in the morning and ship out.

[claire797]

Originally posted by Barrie



Thanks, Anna. :) I'll give it a go! One more question . . . do you put anything (such as waxed or parchment paper) in between the layers or just stack it all in there together?

I just line the tin with a bit of wax paper and throw the candy in there. Since almond roca is broken up anyway, this works fine.

[Barrie]

Originally posted by claire797


I just line the tin with a bit of wax paper and throw the candy in there. Since almond roca is broken up anyway, this works fine.

cool - that's what I'll do. Thanks again! :)

[Alethea]

I made this over the weekend, and concur with everyone else that this is delicious.:) And, I am not at all a sweets eater, so the fact that I couldn't stop breaking off corners says a lot.

I started out making a full batch, but gave up because despite allowing a lot of room (or so I thought) for the butter/sugar/water to froth, I was fearing a grease fire was imminent when the mixture was hovering at 210 degrees. But the half-batch worked perfectly, despite my screwing up and stirring before adding the almonds. I did let it get slightly above 290 degrees, but it was just starting to smell "burnt" and the finished product was crisp and delicious. I brought it into work, and people talked about how good it was for half an hour! Anna--I gave you all the credit. Thanks so much for posting this and giving so many pointers. (And sorry if I've mistakenly referred to you as Claire; it wasn't until reading this thread that I realized your screen name didn't correlate to your real name.) :o

[claire797]

Originally posted by Alethea
Anna--I gave you all the credit. Thanks so much for posting this and giving so many pointers. (And sorry if I've mistakenly referred to you as Claire; it wasn't until reading this thread that I realized your screen name didn't correlate to your real name.) :o

Wow. That makes me so happy :) (BTW. Claire is my middle name so you can call me either.)

[Tiger]

Anna Claire, How does it feel? You posted a recipe and have started a tradition for families near and far!! I'm giving so much of this out for gifts this year. I started packing it up last night. I have to do it before I eat it all! I'll just have one more piece, ok just one more, I swear this will be my last piece...........

[claire797]

Originally posted by Tiger
Anna Claire, How does it feel? You posted a recipe and have started a tradition for families near and far!! I'm giving so much of this out for gifts this year. I started packing it up last night. I have to do it before I eat it all! I'll just have one more piece, ok just one more, I swear this will be my last piece...........

My dad thinks it's neat. I've been making it for him for the past 15 years and he has always talked about how great it is and how that's all he wants for Christmas, birthdays etc.

What makes me laugh is how popular this recipe is on a Cooking LIGHT board. Go figure ;)

I need to come up with a light version of almond roca. Nah.

[emilycat]

Sorry; I'm just not going to let the thread die without raving first.
Anna, this was my first venture into candy making, and you're all right -- I'm now addicted! I've been scouring the board trying to find more candy recipes, but I highly doubt any will measure up to this one. I did use a bit less almonds than the recipe calls for on top, and just about 1/3 pound of bittersweet chocolate (a mixture of El Rey and Callebaut, since that's what I had), but I loved it the way it was.
BF was very displeased that I took most of it to work, and the coworkers are very impressed.
Thank you so much!

[greysangel]

Another cheer for Anna's Roca!

YUMMY!!! I made this over the weekend for my trays and I have to say it was the easiest of all the things I made :) (I had some baking soda disaster with some cookies :( ) Huge raves from DH and the crew at work. Thankfully, it's a bit too sweet for me personally so yay! I even saved the crumbs to sprinkle over ice cream ;)

JeAnne

[LaraW]

I made this 2 times this weekend as well. This was surprisingly easy, and it turned out great both times.

The first batch was for a cookie exchange with my supper club, and we made this on Friday night; that batch turned out so good that I decided to make another batch to send with Christmas presents that will go into the mail tommorrow.

YAY! :D

[lovemybeetle]

To quote a classic, I know it's been said many times many ways....but this is the best - and first - candy I've ever made. I made a whole batch with my new (and no longer feared) candy thermometer and a second (and perhaps third) batch are not too far behind. I used Ghiradelli chocolate chips and it looks wonderful. I had a little trouble breaking it up but that's ok. The crumbs are for DH and I so the more crumbs the better. I want to give these as christmas presents with some hazelnut truffles and some baklavah. I think it will go over famously and hopefully become a holiday tradition in my family.

As everyone has said...Thanks Anna!!!!:D :D :D

[goldilocks]

I made this over the weekend too. Can I ask how you all are storing it? I will be giving it away by the end of the week and I hope it will still be good by then. I put it in the fridge so the chocolate wouldn't melt. I hope I did not ruin it!

[claire797]

Thanks Guys! You all have made my day :).

I'm so glad you're almond roca turned out and that everyone liked it.

Emilycat, you're super-fancy "El Rey/Callebaut" version sounds terrific. Maybe I'll have to branch out from my usual Cadbury Dairy Milk and try topping it with some really good stuff.

Lovemybeetle, glad you've become friends with your candy thermometer :)

Lara and JeAnne, it is surprisingly easy if you follow directions ;).

Also, Jeanne. Sorry to hear about your baking soda disaster. Hopefully, you'll post about it in another thread. I'm always interested to hear how one can wreak havoc with baking soda. It looks so innocent in it's shiny yellow box......

Goldilocks -- refrigerator and freezer are both fine for storing.

[LaraW]

Originally posted by goldilocks
I made this over the weekend too. Can I ask how you all are storing it? I will be giving it away by the end of the week and I hope it will still be good by then. I put it in the fridge so the chocolate wouldn't melt. I hope I did not ruin it!

I have it stored in a ziplock bag right now, and will be sending it in a tin (I think).

[Valerie226]

I bought a candy thermometer & almond roca It is wonderful. I have hidden it in a tin that says 'fruitcake" on the outside. maybe it will last a little while that way.

the only thing I would add for novice candy makers like myself is this: I made 1/2 batch and used a 4 qt pot. the candy thermometer barely, just barely stayed in the candy as it was approaching the 290-300 temp. earlier when it foamed up it was no problem. so either make a full batch ( THE OBVIOUS SOLUTION!!) or don't use too big a pot which makes the liquid too shallow to keep a thermometer in. It is just too good!!!

[goldilocks]

Lara, are you keeping it in the fridge/freezer or on the counter?

[LaraW]

I have it out on the counter (out of the sun :D )

[Linda in MO]

I want to make this later in the week, but have some questions. I've been following this thread from the beginning, so I apologize if these questions have already been answered...

Do you toast the almonds? Raw almonds just don't seem to have much flavor. I was thinking of maybe toasting just the almonds that go on top.

Can I pour this out on my exopat/silpat sheet instead of wax paper?

When you store it in the freezer/fridge does the chocolate get white-ish in color?

I put my candy thermometer in boiling water and it only went to 208 degrees. Isn't boiling water supposed to be 212 degrees? Should I let the mixture go 4 degrees higher because of this? (I read this tip in a magazine)

Also, on another thread someone was asking about the different brands of butter because a friend told her to only use land o lakes butter in toffee. Just wondering what brand others are using. I bought the land o lakes just to be safe.

Thanks!

[Melman]

Guess what I made this weekend? Almond Roca. Surprise!! With so many people making it, I'm surprised there wasn't a small of butter and sugar cooking in the air everywhere! :D

I'm very pleased with results! It's wonderful!!!!! Anna, thanks SOOO much for posting this recipe! I'm making another batch at some point this week.

I ran into a problem of my own...which may have caused a second problem. First, I was extremely careful with the thermometer and keeping a close watch on the temperatures. I watched it slowly creep up to 240 degrees, dumped in the almonds and continued stirring until it reached 295-300. Terrific. So far, so good.

I dumped it into the waxed paper in the 9x13 pan (I made a half batch). I sprinkled a few semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips on top. I noticed almost immediately that the butter separated just like several other people mentioned. Before I sprinkled the rest of the chips, I tried getting out the "floating" butter. I ended up turning it on its end and poured off probably close to 1/8 cup of butter!!!! I have NO idea what caused that. I used a store brand of butter and wondered if it could possibly be certain store brands that cause the problem. I ended up sprinkling the rest of the chips and then the almonds.

As I turned back around to the counter, there sat the baking soda!!!!! OH NO! I forgot the last ingredient!! I had no idea if it would harden or what in the world baking soda does to candy. I did fine. I stuck it in the fridge and it hardened into the most incredibly wonderful candy!!!

I stopped at the grocery store this morning and picked up a box of Land O' Lakes butter. I'm giving that a shot later this week and will be sure to include the soda.

Even with the screwups...I'm extremely pleased with this stuff. If this is the batch that "messed up", WOW!, I can't wait to taste the stuff that's NOT messed up!!!! :D

[breadmama]

As another person who's been avidly following this thread, I'm preparing to try my hand at the almond roca tomorrow. I was also wondering if the Silpat would work for the wax paper.

Also, what's the consensus on toasting/not toasting the almonds?

Last question: Any reason why I shouldn't use my non-stick Calphalon dutch oven for this recipe? I could always use my big Farberware stockpot, but love the non-stick feature of the other. I just don't want to wreck it.

I can't wait to try this recipe!

Thanks for sharing the recipe and everyone's helpful hints!

[Robyncz]

Originally posted by breadmama
Last question: Any reason why I shouldn't use my non-stick Calphalon dutch oven for this recipe? I could always use my big Farberware stockpot, but love the non-stick feature of the other. I just don't want to wreck it.

My Calphalon commercial non-stick has survived three batches of this stuff--completely unscathed. I don't see why you would have a problem.

[gertdog]

I used Land O Lakes butter in mine (I think).

I think it would be fine if you toasted the almonds that go on the top. I wouldn't toast the almonds that get mixed into the toffee, though, as they will toast while the toffee cooks.

I didn't make this recipe on a silpat, but I have made peanut brittle using a silpat and it worked absolutely great. Just make sure the mat is big enough for the toffee to spread out. For this recipe I used a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment just to make sure no toffee would run off the edge.

I stored mine on the counter in a tin. It will keep in a cool dry place for weeks.

Breadmama, I think you'll be fine using your nonstick pan. It might seem like you've got a sticky gooey mess on the inside of the pan after you pour out the toffee, but you won't need to scrub and scrape. Just soak the pan in hot water and the candy will dissolve.

[greysangel]

I used LOL butter Melman and didn't have a problem. I also stirred CONSTANTLY and never let my spoon leave the pot :D I was meticulous! The Cadbury milk was fabulous. For my personal tastes, I think next time I would try with a darker chocolate.

JeAnne

p/s anna, my soda was just off so the cookies were flat and mushy. I was so upset because I had done three different doughs and stuck them in the freezer!!!! They tasted good, but not presentable enough to make it to the cookie tray :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Oh well. More topping for vanilla frozen yogurt ;)

JeAnne

[LaraW]

Originally posted by greysangel
The Cadbury milk was fabulous. For my personal tastes, I think next time I would try with a darker chocolate.


I made one batch with milk chocolate, and I thought it would be good with dark chocolate, so I used semi-sweet chocolate chips. I really liked the way that one turned out! I ate it for breakfast this morning! :eek: :o ;)

[claire797]

Originally posted by Robyncz


My Calphalon commercial non-stick has survived three batches of this stuff--completely unscathed. I don't see why you would have a problem.

I use a non-stick pan as well so no worries. As for the silpat, give it a try. I can't imagine it would hurt your silpat OR the candy.

Toasting the almonds might be a good idea if you have the time. I've never done it so I can't say. If you try it, let me know how it goes. I'd only toast the almonds that go on top though and definetly NOT the almonds in the candy part. They cook along with the sugar and if they've already been "cooked" (toasted) it might mess up the candy.

Linda, I don't know about your candy thermometer but it's probably fine. If you make sure to take the candy off between 295 and 300, it should harden up.

I think the chocolate "bloom" as they call it only happens to some chocolates. I don't know why that happens but I'm sure someone else could tell you. At any rate, it doesn't happen to mine when I refrigerate it. Aesthetically, it shouldn't make much of a difference if there is some "bloom" because the almonds should hide it.

And lastly, I've used all kinds of butter (all salted!) and haven't had a problem.

[Leisa M]

I finally made it! I haven't had a chance to taste it though. I will let you know how it tastes.

[Barrie]

Does anyone know what purpose the baking soda serves in the recipe? I've made it twice now, and I haven't noticed a difference in either the color or consistency of the mixture in the pot either before or after the addition of the baking soda.

[Melman]

My one and only batch so far was made WITHOUT the soda. Whoops. I'm interested in seeing the difference when I have it included correctly the next time.

Anna just said the words I was almost afraid to hear...SALTED butter. I used unsalted store-brand. For the folks who had the separated butter, did you use salted or unsalted. I used unsalted and my butter separated. The thing that worries me is that I just bought LOL butter yesterday to make this again...I bought unsalted.

[penguin]

No, unsalted is fine. I used unsalted store-brand and mine came out great. Granted I may have just been lucky since some in this thread mentioned store-brands can be inconsistent, but I'm cheap. :p

[LaraW]

Originally posted by Melman
My one and only batch so far was made WITHOUT the soda. Whoops. I'm interested in seeing the difference when I have it included correctly the next time.

Anna just said the words I was almost afraid to hear...SALTED butter. I used unsalted store-brand. For the folks who had the separated butter, did you use salted or unsalted. I used unsalted and my butter separated. The thing that worries me is that I just bought LOL butter yesterday to make this again...I bought unsalted.

I used unsalted store brand butter both times and had no problems either time.

I would be interested to find out what purpose the baking soda serves as well.

[breadmama]

My first 1/2 batch is cooling as we speak, and it looks promising. I didn't have any probs with my Costco brand bulk unsalted butter, and I did notice a slight burned smell just as I was pulling it off the heat. I tried a bit of the "drips" and it tasted great, not burnt. So, I'm excited. Now I just have to see if I ended up with crunchy or chewy roca.

I tried Trader Joe's Swiss Milk Chololate for the first time, and it was very good. I'll use that again when I make my full batches of the almond roca...thanks for the recipe, Anna! I am sure my family will love receiving this wonderful treat!

Safety hint...many of you probably do this anyway, but I thought I'd share it. I keep a bowl of ice water right by the stove in case any of the hot syrup splashes on me. I still remember making peanut brittle with my grandma and seeing her try in vain to get a small but very painfully hot blob of caramelized sugar off her hand. Yeeouch!

Being able to immerse a burned hand is reassuring to me! And, I was able to drop drizzles of the syrup in the ice water and see what stage the syrup was at, and then of course, taste it! :)

The ice water bowl is also a good idea if you're using a hot glue gun with kids.

[Molli526]

I finally made this. THANK YOU ANNA! Wow, this is fabulous. DH keeps going back for more :D So good. I used about a pound of Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate (from TJ's) and Costco bulk butter. Mine separated just a little, probably b/c I got tired of standing there for so long, but I added about a tablespoon of water and everything seems to be fine.

[allergycook]

This is a complete guess....but I have noticed hard candies with baking soda are more "crispy"....those without are just plain hard...like suckers. I could be wrong, but that's my 2 cents worth

~Heather

[claire797]

Originally posted by Molli526
I finally made this. THANK YOU ANNA! Wow, this is fabulous. DH keeps going back for more :D So good. I used about a pound of Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate (from TJ's) and Costco bulk butter. Mine separated just a little, probably b/c I got tired of standing there for so long, but I added about a tablespoon of water and everything seems to be fine.


Hooray Molli! Glad you liked it.

Heather, I think you're right about the baking soda. Chemically, baking soda "expands" or adds air to the candy, thereby imparting a somewhat crispy rather than hard texture.

[Melman]

I made Almond Roca one more time before Christmas. My first time was when I forgot the baking soda. I also used store-brand butter. The butter separated as soon as I poured it into the pan. I ended up pouring off about 1/8 cup of butter before it hardened. It was still excellent and yummy and OHMYGOSH...just wonderful!!! :D :D :D

In my second attempt, I used Land Of Lakes butter. I also used my PC probe thermometer. Due to "operator error" (darn, one day, I'll remember to read the instructions BEFORE using that thing!!! :o ), about the time the temp reached 140, my thermometer started DROPPING!! Yikes!!!! I dumped in the almonds and grabbed another thermometer from a kitchen drawer at the same time. The temp was over 200 almost immediately! (There's no telling how hot it got before I actually dumped in the almonds.)

I added the baking soda and poured it into the prepared pan. The butter separated immediately just like the first batch. Neither batch was done on a humid day (well, considering this is the south!) I poured off about 1/8 cup of butter before it hardened. This candy was a little darker than the first batch, but that's probably because it cooked a little longer than normal. It seemed to break apart a little easier than the 'non soda' batch, but I can't really tell a difference in the taste or hardness of it.

Regardless, this is the candy that everyone keeps telling me is so wonderful! :-) Two semi-mess-up's, and it still came out wonderful. This candy will definitely be on my list for next Christmas!!! Anna, thanks again SO MUCH for posting this recipe!!

[boisewinesnob]

I am now officially a member of the almond roca club too :)
I did have a little bit of butter separation, but it seems great nonetheless.
DH declared it "dangerous" (meaning it's so easy to make and so darned yummy!).

My only gripe (which has nothing to do with the recipe) is that my stupid candy thermometer gouged a big scratch in my non-stick calphalon :mad: ! Grrr!

Oh, and thanks breadmama for the tip about the ice water. I took your advice but, luckily, didn't have to use it after all :)

[Darlin]

Anna: I'm also curious about the addition of water. My mother-in-law used to make toffee and she just used butter and sugar - no water or soda. What does the water do?

[claire797]

Originally posted by Darlin
Anna: I'm also curious about the addition of water. My mother-in-law used to make toffee and she just used butter and sugar - no water or soda. What does the water do?

I don't know. It may slow down the cooking process a bit. That is, the candy probably cooks slower as the water evaporates into a nice steam. That's a good chemistry question!

[LaraW]

Anna, thought that you might be interested to know that I gave almond roca with all of our Christmas gifts and every single person made a point to tell me how good it was. I guess that the stuff I sent to m parents was gone before my grandparents even got there.

I've had several requests for the recipe.

[Molli526]

Originally posted by claire797


I don't know. It may slow down the cooking process a bit. That is, the candy probably cooks slower as the water evaporates into a nice steam. That's a good chemistry question!

Oh Val! We need your brain please :)

[allergycook]

If you buttered the wax paper, the butter separation could just be the butter melting that is on the paper. Hard to tell what's happening for sure, but since everyone is having the same problem makes me wonder if it's the paper butter melting, not really butter separating out of the mixture.....

~Heather

[Barrie]

Originally posted by allergycook
If you buttered the wax paper, the butter separation could just be the butter melting that is on the paper. Hard to tell what's happening for sure, but since everyone is having the same problem makes me wonder if it's the paper butter melting, not really butter separating out of the mixture.....


I've made the recipe 4 times, have buttered my parchment paper each time, and have never had the separation problem.

[valchemist]

Originally posted by Molli526


Oh Val! We need your brain please :)

sorry guys. I have no clue. I wish I knew more about food chemistry, but I don't. I put a book about the science of cooking on my Christmas list, but I didn't get it. :( One of these days, I really want to learn about this subject, though.

[Mamasue]

I have joined the Almond Rocca Club! :D I made this last night for my guests on New Years Eve and let me tell you that this is dangerous stuff! I have to stop nibbling or I will be sick. :D Anna...thank you so much for sharing this. DH assisted me because my dutch oven that I used was too heavy to hold while pouring on jelly roll sheet. This recipe makes a large amount so froze a bag for future use. :D

[claire797]

Originally posted by Mamasue
I have joined the Almond Rocca Club! :D I made this last night for my guests on New Years Eve and let me tell you that this is dangerous stuff! I have to stop nibbling or I will be sick. :D Anna...thank you so much for sharing this. DH assisted me because my dutch oven that I used was too heavy to hold while pouring on jelly roll sheet. This recipe makes a large amount so froze a bag for future use. :D

Yay! I've made so many of your recipes that I'm glad to hear you found one of mine you liked :). Thanks Sue!

[Melman]

I have Harold McGee's book about food and science (whatever it's called.) Have I read it? HA! I started it, glanced through the chapters, and closed it. I'm not sure there's anything about candy preparation though. Since I'm one of the folks who had the problem of butter separation, maybe I should look. :)

As far as the waxed paper being buttered and that possibly being the problem, there's no way I had 1/8 of a cup of butter on that waxed paper. I actually poured the butter off the second batch into a measuring cup so I wasn't over-stating the amount. Since I used Land of Lakes, I'm eliminating the 'store brand' possibility. I'm not sure about the humidity though. I had gorgeous days both times I made it, but that didn't necessarily mean it wasn't humid. I'm in SC. Humidity is always a possibility.

[Robyncz]

Completely contrary to the advice of our Almond Rocca guru, I have just made a half batch using pecans instead of almonds. Now, I have to say, I didn't do it on purpose. The butter, sugar mixture was already on its way up to 240 when I realized that I had used the almonds for something else. :rolleyes: I quickly surveyed the pantry and decided to make do with some pecans. While it obviously won't be "almond rocca," I'm hoping the end result will still be yummy, since I'm planning on taking this to a New Years Eve party tonight. I'll let you all know how it goes. . .

In the meantime, I need a name for this stuff. Any suggestions more creative than "pecan rocca"?

Robyn

[msbeehavn]

I made this to take to a family function and was a little wary of it because my second batch separated so bad. I've had various little things happen in making the different batches such as having to change pans "mid-boil" because it looked like a disaster waiting to happen..:) I've also had the butter separation like I stated previously. One batch separated soooo bad, in a huff, I just dumped it in the pan with no chocolate on it, then poured off I don't know how much butter. DB and DF say they think it tastes just fine. My 80yr father came up with the idea of crumbling it over vanilla ice cream..that made me grin...:) I made another 1/2 batch which started to separate as it reached the end so I panicked and pulled it off before it could separate tooo much. It tasted okay but was more on the chewy side. I gave some to a friend and she took it to a party with her. She later told me they were all raving about it. I decided to give it one more try and this time, as someone mentioned earlier in this post, when it was done foaming it started to fall in temperature which I thought was really weird until I finally realized the thermometer was out of the mixture. Egads, what next! I pushed it back into the candy and went on! It started to separate as well and I remembered hearing about adding a little water to it to make it come back together. I tried this a little at a time but could not see it making any difference.It turned out fine in the end, had to pour off just a little butter. Everyone at the family gathering was RAVING about "Who made the Almond Roca" and how great it was! I told them all about your recipe Anna and how much fun we have all had attempting to make the perfect batch...:)

Just wanted to say thanks again, Anna, for this great recipe! It will definitely be in our family favorites file..:D

[boisewinesnob]

Originally posted by Melman
I had gorgeous days both times I made it, but that didn't necessarily mean it wasn't humid. I'm in SC. Humidity is always a possibility.

Well I live in the high desert (almost zero humidity) and I had problems with the butter separating a bit. Not 1/8 cup, I don't think, maybe a couple tablespoons? Not enough to where I thought I had to pour it off; I just mixed it up with the chocolate while spreading it around.

[Wendy w]

Originally posted by Mamasue
DH assisted me because my dutch oven that I used was too heavy to hold while pouring on jelly roll sheet. This recipe makes a large amount so froze a bag for future use. :D

I love the dutch oven for making candy in and yes, it is very heavy, but I did it. Must be nice to have a "hunk" ;)at home to help. Let us know how freezing works, I have been hesitant to do so.

[aggie94]

Wendy,

Emily says the almond roca freezes beautifully. She says it's as good, if not better, than fresh. I haven't sampled any frozen roca, but I trust her. ;)

[Melman]

I looked in Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking" (this is one of the books that Alton Brown references often.) There's a really nice candy-making chapter in the book, but no mention to butter separating at all. I now know more than I ever cared to know about candy-making and temperatures and different types of candy, etc. :)

I searched on the internet to see if I could find any additional information. I stumbled across another bulletin board (Cook's Corner??) Someone asked pretty much the same question about why the butter was separating. The person who responded said that the weather and/or humidity, the temperature of the mixture, and nearly everything else we've mentioned was a possibility. The one thing this person mentioned what that he/she never used salted butter but had had the butter separation once when salted butter was accidentally used. We've already eliminated that as what caused it since we've had varying results with salted and with unsalted butter.

I guess this will be our puzzling question of the year. Should we start a thread on what HAVEN'T you learned this year that you wish you had??? :D :D :D

[Wendy w]

Originally posted by aggie94
Wendy,

Emily says the almond roca freezes beautifully. She says it's as good, if not better, than fresh. I haven't sampled any frozen roca, but I trust her. ;)

Thanks Eva!! I believe in Emily too!!:D

[RebeccaT]

Just wanted to share a thought I had. I saw a similar recipe over the holidays for "Macadamia Nut Toffee," that called for chopped macadamias in the toffee mixture, white chocolate melted on top, and chopped macadamias on top of that. Does that sound good or what??? I am (never thought I'd say this) SO tired of making holiday goodies (made three batches of Almond Roca alone!), but I think that I will keep this variation in the back of my mind as one to try! What do ya'll think?

Oh, and Robyn, I froze the Roca as well, with good results. You might want to double bag it if you are using Ziplock Freezer bags, though, because one batch that I froze picked up other freezer flavors. :( It wasn't very obvious, but I could tell. Emily has a Foodsaver, though, and said hers tasted freshly made. Just FYI. :)

[badunnin]

Actually, I made the macadamia nut one! It was incredible. I personally prefer it over the almond, I think mainly because I could taste the nuts more. Definitely worth a trip back into the kitchen for. :-)

[Mamasue]

http://mamasue52.homestead.com/files/Almond_Roca1.jpg

Just testing. :D I finally got my digital camera and wanted to take pictures for my Mastercook and then see what it looks like here. Just pretend that I am not around.....:D

[claire797]

Originally posted by Mamasue
http://mamasue52.homestead.com/files/Almond_Roca1.jpg

Just testing. :D I finally got my digital camera and wanted to take pictures for my Mastercook and then see what it looks like here. Just pretend that I am not around.....:D

Looks good! I see you made yours thick. Lately, (and by lately I mean last month) I've been making mine very thin. That is, pouring smaller amounts out over larger surfaces so that it spreads more.

[Mamasue]

You caught me! :D Yeah, I used a jelly roll pan. They are about a little less than 1/2" thick. I took these out of the freezer for the picture and immediately put back so that they wouldn't be under my nose. These are a bad thing! :D

[Lauren]

Mamasue,

My mouth is watering. I made my almond roca thick too. Next time I'll use two cookie sheets, instead of one. Did anyone mention the silpat? I poured it on the silpat which worked out great!

[Mamasue]

Lauren....I didn't use my silpat but will next time. At the time I was thinking cutting these with knife and was afraid to use the silpat for that reason but then realized after making them that once cooled all I had to do was break them with my hands. But the next time I make these will be for a gift or give away. I simply can't have these around the house! :D

[Lauren]

MamaSue,

I hear you! I ate more than my share. :D When the candy cooled, I turned it over and tapped it with a meat mallet. It worked!

[boisewinesnob]

I think this thread needs to be bumped as it has been a while since we all went crazy over this stuff, and there are so many new people who need to know about it :)

I thought of it because I'm making it tonight :D

[aggie94]

I made a batch over Thanksgiving, and am getting together with a friend to make 3-4 batches this weekend for holiday gift-giving. :D

[msbeehavn]

It is definitely the time of year for "Anna's Almond Roca". I'm excited about it and dreading it at the same time...While at the family Thanksgiving dinner a future SIL made a point of asking me if "I was going to bring that wonderful Almond Roca to the Xmas gathering this year???" Geez, talk about pressure. I've already started checking the weather reports to get a dry day which is no small feat in the Seattle area in December...;)

Good Luck Everyone,

http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0903/weihnachten/xmas-smiley-032.gif

[claire797]

Originally posted by boisewinesnob
I think this thread needs to be bumped as it has been a while since we all went crazy over this stuff, and there are so many new people who need to know about it :)

I thought of it because I'm making it tonight :D

Thanks for bumping the thread :).

Now if I can just get my act together and make some too! I've been rather cookie crazy this season and haven't made any candy at all.

[JaneStarr]

I made my first batch of Anna's Almond Roca yesterday, and it came out great! This was the first successful use of a candy thermometer that I've been avoiding for years.

I made the full recipe using Cabot salted butter and a 12 oz bag of Hershey's Special Dark chips. I toasted the cup of nuts that went on top of the chocolate.

I poured the recipe onto a Silpat-coverd 1/2 sheet cookie pan. (It has sides.) The candy didn't stick at all to the Silpat. Next time, I will use 2 pans so that the roca comes out thinner. I preferred the thinner edges to the thick center.

My only problem was that I had to keep pulling the pan half-way off the burner in order to keep it from bubbling over. Once it reached around 230, I didn't have that problem anymore. I had to cook on Med-low for a very long time to get it past 220 w/o boiling over.

A tiny bit of butter did separate out, so I blotted a couple of areas with a paper towel once it was poured onto the Silpat.

Thanks for bringing this yummy recipe to our attention!

Jane

[krispy spo]

I finally made it twice yesterday. I took the first batch off at 290 and it came out grainy/chewy. It tastes yummy but I didn't want to put it in my gift bags because I knew it wasn't 'right'.

I came back and reread this thread and was ready to try again! I kept the second batch on until 300 and it came out perfectly! I am breaking it up right now.

The first time I used waxed paper sprayed with Pam and had a little bit of trouble peeling it off so I used parchment paper sprayed with Pam for the second batch with no problems!

Thanks Anna!

[claire797]

Glad it turned out for you guys! :cool:

I made some yesterday too. Did another "micro-batch" by quartering the ingredients and cooking it in a smallish (3 quarts?) heavy saucepan. Making small batches is a little less stressful. If it doesn't turn out, I've wasted fewer ingredients. They're also easier to work with.

Yesterday I did a batch of almond and a batch of white chocolate hazelnut. I like the almond better, but the variation was good too.

[Tiger]

I have to say I'm making it for my cookie/candy holiday trade. We also must supply the recipe for everyone. Before I printed it out I changed the temp. from 290 to 300. Those 10 degrees makes a big difference. From chewy to cruncy!

[karen w]

After reading a bit more about candy making(before trying this recipe, of course!), I think I may have the answer(or at least, a possible explanation) as to why some people had problems with the butter seperating from the candy. The most likely culprit might be the formation of sugar crystals on the sides of the pan as the candy is stirred gets incorporated back into the pan and can cause butter seperation AND a grainy result. Solutions to this problem include buttering the sides of the cooking pot and using a pastry brush dipped in water to push any crystals that begin to form into the pot.

Also if chocolate is seperating from the toffee layer, it may be because of a thin film of butter on the toffee. You can use a paper towel to wipe the film off butter of the toffee once it sets up slightly. Then put chocolate on top. Of course, at this point you may have to melt the chocolate first if the toffee has already cooled too much.

Awesome recipe Anna!
Hope this helps a little!!
Karen

[Robyncz]

karen,
Interesting! I have been taught never to scrape the sides of the pan when I'm making caramel or toffee (the only two candies I've ever made). I never questioned why--I just did it. I guess your explanation explains it. Thanks!

By the way, I made my first batch of the year yesterday and it came out EXCELLENT!

Thanks again, Anna, for one of my very favorite holiday recipes.

[kristalsnow7]

I think this might be the longest thread, ever. And then I got totally sidetracked by the other thread where Jen's husband made the roca and it didn't turn out too well. Hilarious!

In any case, I came to this thread because Jen was kind enough to include some of this fabulous roca in her swap package to me. I just wanted to thank Anna for posting this amazing recipe--DBF and I have polished almost all of it off!! It is really really good. :)

[britneyelise]

I put off making this until yesterday because it is so dangerous to have around the house. Last year I made the full recipe about 12 times and half the time consumed half the pan all by myself. Yesterday I halved the recipe and took half of that to an office party today. The rest is on the counter tied up calling my name. I think I have to go answer it!

I have given this recipe out more times than I can count, thanks again Anna, this stuff is perfect, perfectly evil to my exercise program. Oh well, I'll take a bite and toast to an extra half hour on the treadmill.

Shannon

editing to ask: Anyone else think I used the term half a little to much? Maybe trying to downplay my eating habits!

[lhall]

Well...

You could have said you'd take
half a bite and toast to an extra half an hour on the treadmill.

:D

Leigh

[Melman]

It's official!!! I made the most gorgeous batch of Almond Roco last night!!! The butter didn't separate!!! The whole batch was the prettiest golden color!!

This was the first time I've made this candy this year. Last year, each time I made it, some of the butter separated almost as soon as I poured it into the pan. I have no clues what would be different this year. I actually used unsalted store-brand butter. I used a Polder thermometer...but not an actual candy thermometer.

Who knows. But better yet, who cares!!! :D :D :D :D

Not only is it bee-yoo-ti-us, it's also extremely tasty!! :D

[SandyM]

I'm roca challenged. :( :o I tried it twice last year, each time a complete disaster. I'm sticking to fudge this year.

I am, however, enjoying :rolleyes: living vicariously through you successful roca makers. :D :D

[boisewinesnob]

Originally posted by kristalsnow7
I think this might be the longest thread, ever.

Unfortunately, this one beats it ;)
http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46545&highlight=PMs

And probably the photo thread and maybe typhoid lisa :D

But this thread has the best recipe!

[Molli526]

Originally posted by SandyM
I'm roca challenged. :( :o I tried it twice last year, each time a complete disaster. I'm sticking to fudge this year.

I am, however, enjoying :rolleyes: living vicariously through you successful roca makers. :D :D

Sandy,

I have a feeling this is the recipe which I will break down and make. If I do, I will save you a container to enjoy :)

[brykate]

Originally posted by SandyM
I'm roca challenged. :( :o I tried it twice last year, each time a complete disaster. I'm sticking to fudge this year.
I am, however, enjoying :rolleyes: living vicariously through you successful roca makers. :D :D
Ditto - yep, me too. I tried it at least twice last year. But still ..... hearing the rave reviews and what it's *supposed* to look like <sigh> I will probably try it again. Because even when it wasn't right it still sure tated GOOD! I hope yours did too. Wanna pick an evening to try it again Sandy? Last ditch effort? Anyone else who "failed" last year?
ah well. I taste it vicariously too ;)

[claire797]

Molli and Sandy,

I strongly recommend making a small batch the first time. Here's how I've been doing it this year.

Small Batch Roca

1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shaved/sliced almonds
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup almonds (chopped up)
1 2-4 oz (about) Cadbury Milk Chocolate Bar broken up

Melt the butter over medium heat (I use #4 on my gas stove). When butter is almost melted, throw in the sugar, water and salt. Stir a little. Put candy thermometer in and leave the mixture alone until thermometer reads 240. Have your almonds ready to go! At 240, stir them in. Keep stirring until mixture reaches 290 or 295. Note: Keep the heat at medium. Raise it only if nothing seems to be happening at all. Going from 240 to 290 shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes. As soon as you hit 290, turn off heat. Stir in baking soda and quickly pour onto parchment, silpat or buttered foil. Let it sit for a minute to harden slightly and then put broken up chocolate bar bits on top and let them soften. When they're soft, spread them around with the back of a spoon on top of the roca part. Sprinkle with almond bits. Chill until chocolate is solid again.

[SandyM]

Thanks for posting this, Anna.

Hiya Katie! :D Sure, I'll give it another try. Let me know when you'll be standing at your oven, stirring stirring stirring, and we can chat. Of course you'll have to do it early in the day so I'm not up at midnight! :D

[brykate]

okey dokey Sandy :) Will do. (good advice on the midnight detail!)
And thanks for the small batch post Anna.
:)

[aggie94]

For those who had trouble with this recipe, I thought I'd throw out an observation I had this weekend. I've made this recipe a dozen times with my Pampered Chef digital thermometer, and it's always come out perfect. I got together with a friend at her house on Sunday to make 4 batches of this stuff for office gifts, and I forgot to bring my thermometer along. So we used her regular candy thermometer, the kind that clips to the side of the pot, and the first batch we made was off. I knew as soon as we went to pour it onto the cookie sheet that something was wrong - the color was strange, and the remnants left behind in the pot weren't hardening as quickly as they've done in the past even though we let it go to 295 before pulling it off.

Well, our conclusion was that the candy thermometer, which rests on the inside of the pot, was getting an inaccurately high reading from being so close to the side of the pot. My PC thermometer will angle in towards the center of the mixture, so it doesn't get the heat from the metal pot. So the first batch never really reached hard crack stage. We had to jury-rig something to pull the thermometer away from the side of the pot, in order to get a more accurate temperature. The other 3 batches were fine.

[SandyM]

Hmmm. You just described my candy thermometer, Eva.

Not likely that I can get a PC thermometer in the next week, so I'm off to hunt for something similar.

Thanks for the info!

[Laura B]

I use a candy thermometer that clips to the side of the pot, and all of my batches have been perfection! :D So, this makes me wonder if your friend just needs to replace her thermometer. I'm guessing there are varying levels of quality in candy thermometers. Mine is the regular kind (meaning not digital), but it has feet so that it doesn't touch the bottom and it has the sliding clip. I think it was about $20 at a kitchen store.

[Molli526]

I made it last year and used the candy thermometer with no problems. I just made sure the "ball" of the thermometer was high enough off the bottom of the pan. Mine is the same style as Laura's.

[Molli526]

Grr. Can't edit.

Anna,

Thanks for the small batch. I am trying not to make goodies this year so I don't have all it around to tempt me and make me gain unhealthy weight.

[AmyO26]

I made the small-batch recipe, and it is delicious! It was the first time I had ever used a candy thermometer, and I was nervous that it might not turn out the way it was supposed to, but it is perfect (at least I think so :p ). I might even try another, larger batch before Christmas...thanks again Anna for the recipe!

[breadmama]

I made a full batch tonight, and poured 1/4 cup of butter off the pan right after trying to spread it in the jelly roll pan. (I measured!) Then I blotted off some more! Yikes! I thought I'd followed all the hints carefully - but I'd forgotten about the adding in hot water one. Maybe that would have helped?

It looks okay, but I won't know if it's grainy until I break it apart. The bits on the spoon were grainy. Phooey.

Well, I'll keep on trying! It seemed to take about 45 minutes from start to finish on the stove, at the line between med. and med. high on my dial. That seemed like a REALLY LONG TIME to sit there and stir. Is that what others found? Maybe I should turn it up more next time. I was worried about scorching it.

Any thoughts?

Laurie

[oceanjasper]

Thanks so much for this recipe! Last night was my first attempt at making candy and it was a total success. In fact, I think I am hooked. :D

I first made a baby batch of the roca and was a bit worried because my thermometer barely made it under the liquid. I had to keep it face down and angle it inside the pot. It was a little bit of an inconvenience to have to lift it up to check the temperature, but it still turned out great! I then made a double-baby batch (got braver!) and finished it up with one more baby batch. They all worked out and I am so happy. I gave over half of it away as gifts today and have already eaten my fair share...:D

I did have some butter come off it when pouring it into the pan, but I just ignored it and it still tastes fine. It definitely didn't take 45 minutes for each batch, but then again I did little ones, so I bet that would make a difference.

I also made the microwave peanut brittle that was posted on the BB (and one batch with cashews) and it was so easy and so good. I definitely got my sugar fix last night!

I hope I am not pushing my luck, but tonight it is biscotti night. Never made biscotti before either...

[claire797]

Originally posted by oceanjasper
I had to keep it face down and angle it inside the pot. It was a little bit of an inconvenience to have to lift it up to check the temperature, but it still turned out great!

You must be using the same kind of thermometer I'm using. It's not a glass bulb thermometer, but rather a long, flat rectangular shaped thermometer which you can clip to the side of the pot (which I don't recommend) or rest on the bottom. There's a little metal tab on the bottom so you can rest if without letting the glass part touch the bottom.

Sandy, if you haven't bought your thermometer yet, you could pick up of these up at Linens and Things.

I have used the glass bulb thermometers, but you can't rest them on the bottom and the temperature of the side of the pan is not what you want to be measuring.

[SandyM]

Thanks Anna. I'm not seeing the thing in my mind, but I'll make a trip to BBB this weekend and see if I can find one - I'm sure it'll be there somewhere. :)

I will do this. I will do this. :p

[Molli526]

Sandy, You can do it!

This is the thermometer I have. I think it is the same as Anna's.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004XSC9.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[britneyelise]

:) Thats the themometer I have too!

This stuff is insane good, I made a full batch again and had to package it up to give away as soon as the chocolate hardened so I didn't eat it all.

Did anyone mention that the crumblies that happen when you break up the dough make great ice cream toppings? mmmmmmmmm good...

Shannon

I should mention that I also made a quarter batch of this stuff with dry roasted peanuts. I made the Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cake from Chocolatier and it says to garnish with peanut BRITTLE, but the people that will be eating it have a hard time biting into brittle without breaking a tooth. So I made the roca with peanuts since it is much easier on delicate mouths. It tastes really good, not as good as almond, but the peanuts get this nice toasty flavor.

[Laura B]

That's the same one I use, too.

[boisewinesnob]

Molli, I have the same thermometer. Has anybody else had problems with the numbers fading? Mine are almost gone :(

[PoppyJ]

I finally made this last night and oh my gawd....it was too good!!! I was so nervous because I haven't had much luck with candies (my last peanut brittle was more of peanut chewy), but after trying a sample of Almond Roca at Costco I knew I had to try and make this at home. It was an adventure to make it. I ruined three different utensils...my candy thermometer (the top fell off and it landed in the boiling mixture), the rubber handle of my whisk melted, and so did my scraper. After making sure there were no remnants of melted rubber, it went into the pan and cooled. So yummy and so dangerous to have in the house, I had to give it all away.

BTW, I used a piece of chocolate my DH bought home from work. He received a 5 LB chocolate bar as a gift. The thing was about 3-4 inches thick and it took a meat mallet, hammer, and screw driver and sore arms to break this thing into small enough chunks to use for this recipe.:p

[eliw23]

Ughh .. I thought I had a disaster on my hands. I just finished making the Almond Roca. Waited until the temp was 290, added the baking soda and poured it onto my exopat. Unfortunately a pool of butter appeared and it wasn't hardening immediately. I made a perfect batch last Christmas and remembered some people had the butter issue. I dumped the chocolate on top anyway so it could melt. The sides were hardening but the middle was still practically butter. I dumped some off and put it in the freezer. Luckily its hardening and the texture is still crunchy. I do see some solid butter around the sides. I have no idea why this happened but last time I didn't use the exopat and I may have cooked it higher than 295. I hope its good enough to give to some of my co-workers tomorrow.

*Sigh* What a long day. I made Crab Puffs and Garlic and Rosemary Cloverleaf Rolls to freeze until Christmas and prior to the Almond Roca, I just finished making Barefoot Contessa's Jam Thumprint Cookies. Everything was going so well up until the butter suprise. Oh well, off to the kitchen to check on the Almond Roca status again.

[LonghornGal]

Bumping this for those thinking of holiday yummies. It's TASTY!

--Kristin

[Heidi]

Well, poop. I just tried this out for the first time (made the small batch) and had the dreaded butter separation problem. :( Not sure what I did wrong, but I will try again. I am going to have to get a new thermometer, though. I have one of the all-glass ones, with the clip that holds on to the side of the pan. My saucepan has this weird lip around it though, which prevents the clip from fitting! So I had to use a larger pot, and I think it was too large because the mixture in the pot was so shallow that there was barely any for the thermometer to sit in. In fact, I am wondering if it was actually touching the bottom of the pan--maybe it gave me wrong readings, and that's what caused my butter problem? I don't know. I read this thread through completely, but I'm going to do it again. It doesn't seem like we ever came to a consensus about what causes the butter to separate and how to fix it! I am determined to figure this out!

ETA: I didn't butter my parchment, so I know the butter did separate out of the mixture. Hope I can get the parchment off! Forgot about the adding hot water trick, wonder if that would have helped?

[claire797]

Originally posted by Heidi
In fact, I am wondering if it was actually touching the bottom of the pan--maybe it gave me wrong readings, and that's what caused my butter problem?

That could definitely mess things up. I don't know if it caused the butter separation, but it could cause improper readings. So did you refrigerate the results? Sometimes the butter pools a bit, but the candy still turns out okay after a brief stint in the refrigerator. I hope something was salvageable.

[Heidi]

Yup, I threw it in the fridge and that helped. However, when I broke it up to put in a tin, it seems like the bottom of the roca is kinda slimy/greasy...I'm assuming that's from the butter coming out of the mixture? Still tastes okay, but you have to wash your hands after eating a piece! :o I'm going to get a new thermometer and give it another whirl. I can tell it has potential! :)

[oceanjasper]

I thought today was going to be almond roca day, but I just checked the temperature and humidity on the weather website. It is 39 degrees F with 90% humidity (and it's not even raining!). I do have a gas fireplace that I can leave on for awhile to hopefully get out any dampness. Do you think I should take my chances? Has anyone tried this recipe at that high of humidity?

[Beth]

You know, you can work in an air conditioned, dehumidified building and still have a problem. We have talked about this before, and I think it may have to do with low air pressure in bad weather. It may have an impact similar to higher altitudes, and there must be a way commercial confectioners use to get around what ever it is, but I'm not sure. I wouldn't chance it if it is rainy. I've done less than rainy and it's not edible except as a dental work remover. :o

[Tiger]

I have a big notation on the bottom of my recipe- "DO NOT MAKE IF RAINING" I must have had a problem once.

[oceanjasper]

Thanks! I think I will make something else today. :)

[RunnerKim]

I was going to add a post to an old thread about macadamia nut variation of Anna's recipe but it wouldn't let me and I saw Bethany also mentioned making it here. I just wanted to say we love Anna's almond roca but the macadamia nut variation was truly amazing. We were sorry we only made a small amount of it (compared to the rest anyway). We give candy out to many people as our holiday appreciation gift and received many comments on that in particular. We bought chopped nuts from TJs. We did wish we'd used a little more white chocolate as it seemed thinner than when we use regular chocolate. If you're thinking about this variation, I encourage you to try it. Yum. Thank you Bethany for posting your happiness with it - I remembered reading it and DH loves macadamia nuts so it wasn't a hard sell to him when I suggested it.

Kim