Toasted Almond Toffees

Instructions

• First, line an 11 x 15 in. (32 x 40 cm) cookie sheet with foil, covering the bottom and sides of the pan and smoothing it out as much as possible. Make sure there are no holes or tears in the foil. Grease it lightly with butter or baking spray.

• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, corn syrup and water. Return the pan to the stove and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 300°F (150°C) on a candy thermometer. (There is no easy way to do this properly without a candy thermometer, despite what your grandmother may tell you.) Now, stir in half of the chopped almonds and immediately pour the mixture into the foil-lined baking pan, spreading it with a spatula to evenly cover the bottom. If your young assistant is at hand, make sure she wears oven mitts because the mixture is extremely hot.

• As soon as the toffee mixture is spread, have your child sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the surface. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to allow the warm toffee to melt the chocolate chips, then gently (don’t disturb the toffee!) spread the melted chocolate over the surface of the candy. Sprinkle the remaining chopped almonds evenly over the top, cover with a layer of waxed paper, and lightly press the nuts into the chocolate so that they stick. Remove the waxed paper and refrigerate until hardened.

• Lift the slab of toffee out of the pan and carefully peel the foil off the back. With clean, dry hands break the candy up into chunky pieces and pack them into an airtight container. Can be kept at room temperature (unless there’s a heat wave, in which case refrigerate it) for up to one week. As if it could possibly last that long. Makes a lot. Enough for at least a couple of teachers, with a little left over for you

• Note: Toasting the almonds will not only intensify their flavour, but also make them nice and crunchy. Measure the almonds - onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice so that they toast evenly. Don’t leave the room for even a single second - nuts burn easily. Remove from the oven and let cool before chopping.