Golden Toffee Nuggets
Dipping toffee pieces halfway in chocolate is way tidier and easier than fully coating them--and the result is more striking, visually. (We recommend melting chopped good-quality chocolate bars for dipping--chips have additives that affect their consistency.) For undeniable holiday wow, brush on some edible gold luster dust. It's a splurge, but applying it thinly with a paintbrush helps avoid waste.
Ingredients
Directions
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Line a 9x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Butter foil and sprinkle nuts evenly in prepared pan; set aside.
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Butter sides of a heavy 2-quart saucepan. In saucepan, melt 1 cup butter over medium heat. Add sugar, the water and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Clip a candy thermometer to the pan. Reduce heat and continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate, checking and stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until temperature reaches 290° (soft-crack stage).* Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Let cool until hardened. (Candy can be placed in the refrigerator.)
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Place chocolate and shortening in the top of a double boiler. Heat, stirring occasionally, over simmering water until melted. Use foil to lift toffee from pan. Break candy into 1-inch pieces. Dip pieces halfway in chocolate, scraping bottoms on side of bowl to remove excess. Place on baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Chill until set. Brush with luster dust.
*
If you don't have a double boiler, place a medium heat-proof bowl over a medium to large saucepan that is filled with about 1 inch of water. Bottom of bowl should not touch the water.