A
s we’ve already learned in the post about toffee, buttercrunch is a candy very similar to toffee. Similar I say, not the same! However, lots of people, while talking about a hard, crunchy candy made of sugar and butter use both of those terms interchangeably.
Now, butercrunch and toffee do have one thing in common and that is – the temperature of cooking! It has to be 145°C (293°F) precisely, so make sure that you have a good candy thermometer at hand! No improvisation on this one! When making any type of candy, it is very important to follow the recipe to the letter, and to cook the candy to the exact temperature. If the temperature isn’t high enough, the candy will be softer than it should be. On the other hand, if you overcook the candy, it will be too hard. Even worse – if you let the temperature rise out of control – you will burn the sugar! So, be careful and follow the instructions! To master all the tricks of cooking sugar to a specific stage, take a look at my post about cooking sugar syrup.
Let’s clarify the naming issue. Toffe is made of butter and sugar. Unlike toffee, buttercrunch (apart from butter and sugar) is always coated with chocolate and topped with various nuts. So, buttercrunch is actually toffee covered with chocolate and topped with nuts! However, lots of people call toffee buttercrunch and vice versa. The most popular is almond or pecan buttercrunch, but you can use hazelnuts, walnuts, macadamia nuts or cashews.
Now about my recipe. Read the recipe thoroughly before you start making your buttercrunch, and prepare everything in advance. I like to temper my chocolate before coating the buttercrunch, and if you want to do it too, take a look at my post about tempering. If you are going to temper the chocolate, make sure that the buttercrunch is completely cold before you spread the chocolate. If you for some reason don’t want to temper your chocolate, you don’t have to! Just sprinkle chopped chocolate over the buttercrunch while it is still hot. The heat will melt the chocolate – you can spread it with offset spatula and top with nuts immediately.
How to Make Buttercrunch
- Have all your ingredients measured and equipment ready.
- Cook butter, sugar, water and salt in a saucepan.
- When the mixture boils, add glucose syrup or corn syrup.
- Continue cooking until the mixture reaches 145°C (293°F).
- Remove the pan from the stove, and add vanilla or other flavorings.
- Pour the mixture onto a silicone mat or parchment paper. Spread it quickly with offset spatula.
- Leave it to cool down completely.
- Gently wipe the surface with a paper towel to remove any excess fat.
- Coat one side of the buttercrunch with chocolate and top it with nuts immediately.
- When the chocolate sets, turn the buttercrunch, and repeat the process.
- When your buttercrunch cools down completely, cut it into desired sized pieces and store in well sealed container.
Salted Almond Buttercrunch Recipe
by:Tereza Alabanda,The Pastry Maestra
PRINT PDF (EN) ISPIŠI PDF (HR)Prep. time : 30 minutes
Cook time : 15 minutes
Ready in 45 minutes
Level : Advanced
Ingredients:- Butter 250g (8.8oz)
- Sugar 250g (8.8 oz)
- Water 60g (2.1oz)
- Salt 1g (a pinch)
- Glucose syrup 15g (1Tbsp)
- Vanilla powder to taste
- Dark chocolate 350g (12.3oz)
- Toasted almonds, salted 250g (8.8oz)
- Prepare one large saucepan, a baking tray lined with parchment paper or silicone mat, a candy thermometer, and a couple of offset spatulas.
- If you didn’t buy toasted and salted almonds, toast them in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 1o minutes, and top them with 1Tsp of salt.
- Put melted butter, sugar, salt, and water into a saucepan, and stir to combine.
- Cook until the mixture boils, and add glucose syrup.
- Insert the probe of the candy thermometer into the pan and cook until the mixture reaches 145°C (293°F).
- Pour it immediately onto a prepared baking pan and quickly spread with offset spatula. Leave it to cool down.
- Gently dab the surface with a paper towel to remove any excess fat.
- Coat one side of the buttercrunch with tempered chocolate and top it immediately with salted almonds.
- When the chocolate sets, turn the buttercrunch over, and repeat the process.
- When your buttercrunch cools completely, cut it into desired sized pieces and store in well sealed container.
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