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Dark Chocolate Buttercrunch
This recipe requires few ingredients and little effort, but the result is superb, making it appear you slaved over a hot stove all afternoon. What's more, this candy is so rich that a few pieces go a long way, making it ideal for holiday gift bags. For those of you unfamiliar with buttercrunch, it's a lot like a Heath Bar. And, like a Heath Bar, not only is it tasty candy; it's delicious crunched up and stirred into ice cream, or mixed into whipped cream and spread between layers of a chocolate cake.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional; for enhanced flavor
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon baking soda, optional (see "tips," below)
- 2 cups diced pecans or slivered almonds, toasted
- 2 2/3 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped; or chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large, deep saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the salt, sugar, espresso powder, water, and corn syrup, and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil gently over medium heat, without stirring, until the mixture reaches hard-crack stage (300°F on an instant-read or candy thermometer). The syrup will bubble without seeming to change much for awhile, but be patient; all of a sudden it will darken, and at that point you need to take its temperature and see if it's ready. (If you don't have a thermometer, test a dollop in ice water; it should immediately harden to a brittleness sufficient that you'll be able to snap it in two, without any bending or softness). This whole process should take about 10 to 12 minutes. Pay attention; too long on the heat, and the syrup will burn.
- While the sugar mixture is gently bubbling, spread half of the nuts, in a fairly closely packed, even single layer, on a lightly greased baking sheet (a half sheet pan works well here). If you're unfamiliar with making buttercrunch, it may be easier to use a 9" x 13" pan lined with greased foil or parchment. Top the nuts in the pan with half the chocolate.
- When the syrup is ready, stir in 1 teaspoon baking soda; it'll foam up, so be careful. Pour the syrup quickly and evenly over the nuts and chocolate. Immediately top with the remaining chocolate, then the remaining nuts.
- Wait several minutes, then gently, using the back of a spatula, press down on the chocolate-nut layer to spread the chocolate around evenly.
- While the candy is still slightly warm, use a spatula to loosen it from the baking sheet. When cool, break it into uneven chunks.
- Store cooled candy tightly wrapped; it'll stay fresh for a couple of weeks at room temperature. Freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 53g
- Servings Per Batch 24
Amount Per Serving:
- Calories 269
- Calories from Fat
- Total Fat 19g
- Saturated Fat
- Trans Fat
- Cholesterol
- Sodium 2mg
- Total Carbohydrate 5g
- Dietary Fiber 2g
- Sugars 22g
- Protein 2g
* The nutrition information provided for this recipe is determined by the ESHA Genesis R&D software program. Substituting any ingredients may change the posted nutrition information.
Tips from our bakers
- Adding baking soda to the hot sugar syrup forms microscopic bubbles, which serve to enhance the candy's light, crunchy texture.
- For buttercrunch that's more toffee, less chocolate and nuts, use just half of the latter ingredients. Place 1 1/3 cups (8 ounces, 227g) chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips in the bottom of the pan (or on a baking sheet); top with the hot syrup; then spread with 1 cup (4 ounces, 113g) diced toasted nuts, carefully pushing them into the hot syrup so they adhere.
- See our blog for more handy tips.
