Did you have good intentions of making some homemade gifts this year?
Are you ready to try your hand at making candy from scratch?
Maybe you just had a rough day and are in need of some chocolate.
No worries, I’ve got you covered. Homemade Almond Roca is a delicious place to start. This recipe has been a Christmas treat standard in our home for years.
This recipe really is simple, even if you have never made candy before. The ingredients are basic, and the only unusual equipment you need is a candy thermometer. Other than a whole lot of stirring at the beginning and a little bit of quick work at the end, the steps are totally manageable.
One word of warning, though: you want to make Almond Roca during a time when you won’t be interrupted. My babes were sleeping in heavenly peace yesterday afternoon, so I jumped at the opportunity to make a batch.
Just as I was getting to the step of pouring the molten sugar mixture over the almonds, the UPS man and the FedEx lady descended on my door within 2 minutes of each other. I knew one package needed a signature so I dumped the pot and ran for the door. Despite a burned hand and a melted spatula, the candy still turned out great.
I planned to package it in cute little holiday bags to hand out to my daughter’s Sunday school teachers. Judging by how fast it is disappearing, though, we’ll never make it to Sunday…
Almond Roca
1t. & 1 c. butter, divided
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 T. light corn syrup
3 T. water
1 c. almonds, coarsely chopped
1 T. almonds, finely chopped
3/4 c. chocolate chips
- With 1 teaspoon of butter, coat a cookie sheet and spread out the 1 c. of coarsely chopped almonds (you won’t need to go to the edges). Set aside.
- Melt 1 cup of butter in a medium pot. Add the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixure reaches 290 degrees (just before hard crack stage) on a candy thermometer.
- Working quickly and carefully, pour the hot mixture over the almonds on the cookie sheet. It’s ok if you don’t cover all of them.
- While still hot, sprinkle the top of the candy with chocolate chips. Using a flat spatula, lightly spread the chocolate over the candy as they melt. Sprinkle the finely chopped almonds over the top.
- Let the chocolate cool before breaking the candy into 1-2″ pieces. Arrange in a bag, tin, or on a plate.
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Holy mackerel, what are you doing to me? Almond Roca is almost sinfully good, but I refuse to buy it because it’s so expensive. Adding this to the list of to-dos today. That and buying a candy thermometer.
Yes we make almond roca every year for christmas! YUM!
I know what I’m doing Saturday
Made it last night….. slight diff recipie but still good. if you don’t have a thermometer, you can test on plate to hard ball stage or til its a light golden brown in the pan… if you drop a drop into ice water and then taste and crunchy.its done…if youput a drop on cold plate , wait a moment or 3-4 and then taste..if crunchy..its done!
wait a minute – isn’t there supposed to be chocolate on both sides? am i missing a step or am i just ill-informed by my dear mom-in-law?
I know that’s the way it’s made when you buy it, and you could definitely do it that way at home.
If you want it covered in chocolate, you could pour it on a sheet or in a pan, score it with a knife, let it cool, break it into pieces, then dip it into chocolate & chopped almonds.
I think I’m just too lazy for all those steps…
If you want the chocolate on both sides, wait for one side to cool. Then, flip the entire sheet and add melted chocolate and almonds again. Then, break apart and enjoy.
Oh my that looks so amazing!!!
I didn’t see it mentioned in the recipe, but I make this all the time and I find the results from putting the pan over medium heat. Also, I found the best candy thermometer at Cash and Carry. It has a cage around the thermometer to protected it from your spoon.
Whats the price of the thermometer there?
About $13. It’s very nice and works great!
We make almond roca every Thanksgiving and Christmas, too, with a slightly different recipe. It’s highly addictive!! Gonna give this recipe a try for a change. I’ve always wanted to try using mini chocolate chips….seems easier. We have always grated a couple of large hershey bars in a Salad Shooter, (I chop the almonds that way too). We put chocolate on both sides by sprinkling the cookie sheet first with almonds, then with grated chocolate bars. Then pour the hot mixture on top, then another sprinkle of grated chocolate, and last, sprinkled with almonds. The hot mixture is way sufficiently hot enough to melt the grated chocolate on both sides, and the almonds stick to it. The center candy mixture we use is 1 pound butter and 2 cups sugar, heated to 300 degrees. My favorite pieces are the ones with thick chocolate….my husband likes the ones with more almonds.
Can’t wait to try a new version!
Someday I want to try substituting crushed peppermint candy canes for the almonds………..
Thank you for this great recipe. BUT BE CAREFUL PRINTING! It is not print friendly it printed out sooooo many pages before the recipe. I wasted a lot of ink
Holy cow! My dad is going to flip when I tell him I found a recipe for homemade almond roca. He LOVES the stuff. I’m definitely going to make him this around Christmas time.
Pretty cool, Thx for sharing. Gonna give it a try.
I stiil use my Great Grandmother’s recipe. It uses 1 lb butter, 2 cups sugar, vanilla, to
asted almonds in the roca, chocolate on both sides and walnuts. Once I made it with white chocolate because I have a friend that is allergic to cocoa. I always give tins of almond roca for Christmas.
My recipe is 1 c. butter and 2c. sugar also, but mine says to boil for 9 minutes to get it to temp. That way you don’t need a thermometer. Merry Christmas!
what size cookie sheet?
Just a standard baking sheet works great!
just made this this morning and I can’t stop eating it! thanks for the recipe. off to take some to the firemen!
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