English Toffee
1 c almonds, chopped and briefly toasted in a hot pan
1 c Butter
1 1/2 c Sugar
3 Tbs. corn syrup
3 Tbs. water
1 1/2 c milk chocolate chips (use semi-sweet if you prefer but milk chocolate will taste similar to a Heath bar or Skor bar)
Be sure to toast your chopped almonds. This cannot and should not be skipped unless you leave them out altogether. Do not use them raw though, the flavor is not good in the finished product.
First prepare your pan. I like to use a 9X13 inch pan, lined with heavy foil and lightly sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle about half of the chopped toasted almonds into the bottom of the pan.
Combine butter, sugar, corn syrup and water in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, to 300F on candy thermometer or with a cold water test; a teaspoon of syrup will separate into brittle threads when dropped in cold water. If you don't have a candy thermometer (I never have owned one) and you don't want to do the cold water test, the best advice is that this will take about 15 minutes of cook time to get to this point and it will be the color of a penny. Not a shiny new penny, but one that has been in circulation. *wink* A dark caramel color. (Picture the inside of the Heath and Skor bars you have eaten).
Remove from heat; pour and spread quickly and evenly in the prepared pan. Wait about 3-4 minutes and then sprinkle the chocolate chips on the top of the toffee but do not spread. Let the chips sit on the hot toffee for about 5 minutes and then use a spatula to spread the melted chips on the semi-hard toffee. Sprinkle with the rest of the almonds; let set for about 20 minutes until hard. Break into pieces.