ByDavid
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This Chocolate Almond Toffee is an easy treat to make…just try not to eat it all at once!
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So I was lying in bed the other night playing around on my phone a little bit before falling asleep. I usually check the sports news, and then I wander over and look at the weather forecast. Occasionally I’ll peek at my email, but I usually just leave that for the daytime hours. Somewhere in my wanderings, I fell into a rabbit hole. (Isn’t it so easy to fall into rabbit holes on the internet? Then you wake up 20 minutes later and wonder how you ended up reading about the origin of sandwiches.)
This particular rabbit hole was a live streaming video. And I sat there and watched it for at least 15 minutes. So what was this live video, you ask? Well, it’s a street cam in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It’s a street cam of a random intersection in town. This thing apparently went viral back in September, but I must have missed the news back then. Hey, better late than never, right?
This is just a normal intersection in the center of town. Nothing crazy. But the Jackson Hole webcam has a cult following on the internet. An arch made of elk antlers overlooks the intersection, and the arch (or The Arch as it has come to be known on the internet) has taken on a mythology of its own. Apparently, The Arch is pleased by red trucks, so whenever a red truck drives through the intersection, the YouTube chat blows up. Red truck!! RED TRUCK! The Arch is pleased.
At any time, there are usually several hundred people in the YouTube chat watching this intersection in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Why? Good question. But it’s addicting! I found an article where a neuroscientist suggests that we like watching the intersection because it’s a chance to turn our brains off. We are constantly connected to news, social media, etc, and this webcam just gives us a chance to sit and watch something without having to think. Hey, it makes sense to me.
Of course, now that the webcam has a dedicated audience online, folks have started doing things just for the webcam. For instance, there was this Sheriff who ‘dabbed’ to please The Arch…and the internet loved it! You never know what you’ll see in that intersection. 99% of the time it’s just cars and people crossing the road. But you might see a dabbing sheriff. Or I’ve heard reports of a horse coming through the intersection. You just never know. And that’s why you need to watch! (In fact, I just watched a massive snow plow go through the intersection. Kinda cool!)
All of this intersection watching definitely requires snacks, and I found myself sitting in front of the computer watching The Arch while munching on Chocolate Almond Toffee.
Toffee is hands down one of my favorite sweet treats. There used to be a little chocolate shop around the corner that made the best toffee, and I’d splurge (usually during the holidays) and get a little bit. But then the chocolate shop moved. No more toffee for me.
Fortunately, my Mom happens to love Chocolate Almond Toffee as much as I do, and she shared her recipe with me. Warning: this Chocolate Almond Toffee is seriously addicting. And it’s seriously not good for you, too. (But hey, that’s what the holidays are for! We’ll get back to healthy eating in January.) This toffee only requires 4 ingredients. The trick (if you can call it a trick) is to make sure the butter + sugar mixture reaches 300°F. Other than that, this is a piece of cake…err, piece of toffee?…to make!
This toffee would be an excellent holiday gift for neighbors, teachers and friends…if you can keep from eating it all first! Enjoy!
Oh, and red truck!! The Arch is pleased. And an unmarked bus just drove through the intersection. And now the YouTube chat is debating whether it was a CIA bus spying on The Arch. Gotta love the internet!
Chocolate Almond Toffee
This Chocolate Almond Toffee is an easy treat to make...just try not to eat it all at once!
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 382kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1½ cups salted almonds chopped
- 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Line a standard rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
Using a medium saucepan, add butter and place over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until butter has completely melted.
Place candy thermometer in saucepan. Add sugar, increase heat to high and stir. Continue heating, stirring constantly, until temperature reaches 300°F. (Note: This could take 10-15 minutes. Continue stirring to prevent butter/sugar mixture from burning.) (Note2: Use a large saucepan than you think you need. The butter/sugar mixture will expand as it heats!)
Pour butter/sugar mixture into prepared baking sheet; spread mixture evenly with a wooden spoon. Let mixture cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, spread chopped almonds on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 3-4 minutes. Shake pan and then continue toasting for another 1-2 minutes. Set almonds aside. (Note: Watch almonds closely when toasting as they can burn quickly!)
Using a double-boiler or a microwave, melt chocolate chips until fully melted. Pour chocolate over butter/sugar mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle toasted almonds evenly on top of chocolate.
Let toffee cool completely and then cut with knife or break into rustic pieces.
Notes
I like to store this toffee in the refrigerator. It tastes great cold, and it keeps it from melting on your hands!
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