Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (4 oz) butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp light corn syrup
- 1 cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
- 3 oz (about 1/2 cup) milk chocolate
Preparation:
1. Prepare an 8x8 pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place the butter in a medium-small saucepan over medium heat and gently melt it. Once melted, add the sugar, salt, and corn syrup, and stir until the sugar is melted. Insert a candy thermometer.
3. Cook the candy, stirring frequently, until the temperature is 240 degrees F (115 C). Once at the proper temperature, add the hazelnuts. At this point the fat might separate out from the rest of the candy. If you see a thin layer of liquid sitting on top of the candy, don't worry. Keep stirring, and as you stir and the candy heats up, it should eventually incorporate back into the toffee.
4. Continue to cook and stir the candy until it reaches 280 degrees F (137 C). You can actually cook it a bit longer if you like truly dark, caramelized toffee--up to 300 F if you'd like.
5. Once at the proper temperature, remove the pan from the heat and pour the toffee into the prepared pan. Allow the toffee to set at room temperature until completely cooled (about 30 minutes.)
6. Melt the milk chocolate, and drizzle the top of the candy with the melted chocolate. If desired, you can first spread melted chocolate on the bottom of the toffee, then drizzle excess on the top. You could also dip individual toffee pieces in chocolate to coat them completely.
7. Refrigerate the toffee to set the milk chocolate, for about 15 minutes. Once set, break or cut the toffee into small pieces to serve. Hazelnut Toffee can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
