Almond Roca
intro
Buttery, crisp toffee coated in smooth milk chocolate and toasted almonds, this iconic American candy is rich, nutty, and perfect for holiday gifting.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep pan and toast almonds
First, line a 23x33cm (9x13 inch) baking pan with parchment paper, leaving 5cm (2 inch) overhang on two long sides for easy removal later. Heat a dry heavy skillet over medium-low heat, add 150g raw whole almonds, and toast for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly golden. Let almonds cool completely for 10 minutes, then finely chop and divide into two equal 75g portions.
Melt toffee base ingredients
In a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan, combine 226g unsalted butter, 200g granulated sugar, 60ml light corn syrup, 30ml water, and 1g (1/4 tsp) fine sea salt. Set over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof silicone spatula, until butter fully melts and sugar completely dissolves, about 5-7 minutes. Stop stirring as soon as the mixture reaches a steady rolling boil.
Cook toffee to hard crack
Clip a candy thermometer to the inner side of the saucepan, ensuring the tip is submerged in toffee but not touching the hot pan bottom. Continue cooking the boiling toffee over medium heat, without stirring, for 8-10 minutes, until the thermometer reads exactly 149°C (300°F, the hard-crack stage). The toffee will deepen to a rich, even amber color as it cooks; immediately remove the pan from heat once it hits the target temperature to avoid burning.
Pour and set initial toffee
Carefully stir 5ml (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract and one 75g portion of chopped toasted almonds into the hot toffee—note the mixture will bubble vigorously when the cool vanilla is added. Immediately pour the entire toffee mixture into the prepared parchment-lined pan, using an offset spatula to spread it into a thin, even layer across the pan bottom. Let the toffee rest at room temperature for 10 minutes to firm slightly before adding chocolate.
Melt milk chocolate coating
While the toffee rests, set up a double boiler: place 200g chopped milk chocolate in a dry heatproof glass bowl set over a small saucepan of barely simmering water, ensuring the bowl bottom does not touch the water. Stir the chocolate constantly over low indirect heat for 3-4 minutes, until fully smooth, glossy, and completely free of lumps. Remove the bowl of melted chocolate from the heat.
Add chocolate and nut topping
Pour the melted milk chocolate evenly over the slightly firm toffee layer, using a clean offset spatula to spread it into a smooth, uniform layer covering the entire toffee surface. Immediately sprinkle the remaining 75g of finely chopped toasted almonds evenly over the wet chocolate, pressing very gently with the spatula to help the almonds adhere. Let the roca set at cool room temperature (18-20°C / 65-68°F) for 40-45 minutes, until the chocolate is fully firm and no longer tacky to the touch.
Break and store roca
Once fully set, lift the entire block of almond roca out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang, and transfer it to a large wooden cutting board. Use a sharp heavy chef’s knife or clean hands to break the roca into irregular 3-5cm (1-2 inch) pieces. Store finished roca in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Tips
2.If you do not have a candy thermometer, test for hard-crack stage by dropping a tiny pea-sized dot of hot toffee into a bowl of ice water: it should form hard, brittle threads that snap easily when bent, rather than being soft or chewy.
3.Do not make almond roca on very humid (over 50% humidity) days, as excess moisture in the air can prevent the toffee from setting properly and make the chocolate coating sticky or soft.
OMG this almond roca is SO good! I made it for our neighborhood block party last weekend and people were begging me for the recipe before they even finished their first piece. The buttery crunch is exactly what I remember from my childhood trips to the candy shop. 10/10 will be making this every holiday season from now on!
Took me a second to get the candy thermometer temp right, but wow this turned out amazing. I added a tiny extra sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top right before it set and it was a total game changer. Brought a tin into the office and it was gone in 10 minutes flat.
My kids loved it! Wait, has anyone tried making this without the almonds? My youngest has a tree nut allergy so I was thinking of swapping in crushed pretzels instead but I don’t want to mess up the texture.
This was my first time making any kind of homemade candy and I was super nervous it would turn out grainy, but the step-by-step instructions made it so easy. Cook time was right on 65 minutes for me too, no surprises. Already bought extra butter to make a second batch this weekend.
Made this for my book club potluck and everyone thought I bought it from a fancy candy store! The only thing I’ll do differently next time is make a double batch because the single batch was gone before half the group got a second piece. So buttery, so crunchy, zero complaints.
Wait, is it normal for the chocolate layer to look a little splotchy when it sets? I followed the directions exactly but the top doesn’t look as smooth as the photo. It tastes incredible, just doesn’t look as pretty as I wanted for my friend’s birthday gift.
Game changer alert! I’ve been paying $12 a tin for store-bought almond roca every Christmas for years and this homemade version is 100x better. I even added a little espresso powder to the chocolate layer and it tastes like the fancy coffee shop candy I splurge on sometimes.
Made this as a little thank you gift for my kid’s teachers and they all sent me notes saying it was the best homemade treat they’d gotten all year. Wrapped it up in cute little cellophane bags with ribbon and it looked so professional, even though I’m definitely not an experienced baker.
Okay so I messed up the first batch because I walked away for 2 minutes to answer the door and the toffee burned, oops. Second batch I stayed glued to the stove and it was perfect. Pro tip: don’t take your eyes off the sugar once it starts caramelizing! Worth the effort though.
I was worried this would be too hard for medium difficulty? Wait no, it was totally manageable even for someone who burns toast half the time (aka me). The toffee came out rich and buttery, the almond crunch is perfectly distributed, and the chocolate top is *chef’s kiss*. SO good.
Made this for our family dinner last Sunday and my dad, who is literally the pickiest eater on the planet, ate three pieces and asked me to leave the whole tin at his house when I left. High praise coming from him, trust me. Will be a regular on our holiday dessert table from now on.
I make treats for our whole office every Friday and this almond roca was the biggest hit I’ve brought in all year. People were coming back for thirds and asking when I’d make it again. The only downside is now everyone expects fancy homemade candy from me every week, oops.
Quick question: can I use salted butter instead of unsalted for this? I already have a bunch of salted butter in the fridge and don’t want to run to the store just for unsalted if I don’t have to.
I brought this to my friend’s Halloween party over the weekend and people were going back for more even when there was a whole table of other desserts. The crunch is perfect, it doesn’t stick to your teeth like some cheap toffee does, and the almond flavor comes through so well. 10/10.
Meal prepped a bunch of this to have as little sweet treats throughout the week and I’ve already eaten half the batch in two days. Oops. It’s just too good, I can’t stop reaching for a piece every time I walk past the kitchen counter. Definitely don’t make this if you don’t have willpower around candy, haha.
I’ve been making almond roca for 50 years and this recipe is almost exactly the one my mom passed down to me! The only difference is I toast the almonds first before adding them to the toffee, it brings out such a nuttier, deeper flavor. This recipe is a total keeper, don’t change a thing.
Help! I followed the directions exactly but my toffee came out super soft and chewy instead of crisp? I think my candy thermometer might be off because the temp said it hit 300F but it never got that dark amber color. Any tips for fixing this next time?
Made this on a rainy Saturday afternoon with my 7 year old and we had the best time. She loved sprinkling the almonds and chocolate chips on top, and was so proud when it set and we got to crack it into pieces. It’s such a fun recipe to make with kids, just make sure an adult handles the hot sugar part obviously!
I was a little skeptical a medium difficulty candy recipe would turn out for me, but wow. This is better than any almond roca I’ve bought from a candy shop, and it cost way less to make at home. I added a little extra dark chocolate on top because I’m a chocoholic and it was perfect. Will be making this for every holiday and gifting tins to all my neighbors this year.