Almond Roca

To be completely honest, this recipe is easy to make, but it takes patience and may take a few tries to get a good feel for where the caramel needs to be to reach hard crack stage. The good news is that even failed attempts will taste like chocolate-coated cocaine, so making several batches is no hardship. And once you get a feel for it, this is a pretty quick and very impressive candy. Great for Christmas parties or gifts (my extended family eats two recipes every Christmas eve, and begs for more).

You can use all brown sugar, all white sugar or any mix of both. Personally, I like 1 cup dark brown, 1 cup white sugar, which I think gives the caramel the best caramelly taste without being overwhelming.



Almond Roca

1 lb butter (4 sticks. I like salted for this, the salt is nice in the caramel. Use LandoLakes brand, other brands have a different butter fat content and may result in the caramel separating, which is no bueno.)
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1 cup regular sugar
1/2 bag Hershey's dark chocolate chips (don't spring for great chocolate on this, Hersheys has a low cocoa butter content so you don't have to temper it before using to keep it from separating with the butter in the caramel)
1 cup almonds (I use sliced, you can use slivered or whole ones that you smash. You can roast the almonds or not beforehand. I don't roast them, I just pour them into the caramel a minute or so early and let the candy do the toasting for me.)


Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

Add the butter and sugar to a heavy-bottomed pan. Turn the heat up to medium, and stir. Once everything is melted, keep stirring. The mixture will gradually turn foamy, then darken. Keep stirring slowly, this is a recipe where you stir all the things. The caramel will go through a doughy stage, then will relax again. When it starts relaxing, start taking its temperature. Use a candy thermometer, and when the mixture reaches 290F, add 1/2 cup of the almonds. Stir those in while keeping a keen eye on the thermometer. When it reaches 300F, remove from heat and QUICKLY (because the caramel will set) pour it onto the cookie sheet. If you have a large cookie sheet, it may not touch the edges, this is okay. Use a spatula to spread it a bit until it's about 1/2 - 3/4cm thick. You don't want it too thin.

Wait a few minutes or so for it to set. You can touch it gently with a fingertip to see if it's set yet. Once the caramel is fairly firm (you can make a fingerprint, but your finger doesn't sink in), sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Wait another minute or two for those to soften, then use your spatula to spread the chocolate over the entire top of the caramel. Sprinkle the other 1/2 cup almonds over the top, and *gingerly* try to make sure the almonds are spread out and all touching the chocolate at least a little, otherwise they'll fall off later.

Put the cookie sheet in the fridge for an hour or so to let everything set.

Break the roca into uneven pieces approx 1 - 1 1/2 in square-ish. It should come off the cookie sheet easily when set, and you can snap it with your fingers or use a knife to crack it.

Mom's Favorite Apple Cake

Title says it all. This cake is WONDERFUL for breakfast, because it's only mildly sweet. I would compare the taste most closely to banana or zucchini bread.



Mom's Favorite Apple Cake

4 large apples (granny smith is traditional, I usually use Fuji)

2 cups sugar, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 lb butter (2 sticks, and use butter, not margarine. I go for unsalted to keep the sodium down, but salted works also)

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grate the apples into a large bowl and add the sugar. Stir, then wait 10 minutes (you can mix the dry ingredients and beat the eggs while you're waiting).

Mix the flour, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in a separate bowl, stir thoroughly to make sure the baking soda is evenly distributed. Add the nuts and stir.

Add the butter to the apple mix, stir it in, and add the egg. Stir all liquids together, then add dry to liquids and stir some more until all flour is incorporated. The batter should be fairly wet. 

Pour into a bundt pan prepped with non-stick spray (my bundt pan is 12-15 cups and works well, a 10-12 cup bundt would also work) and bake for 75 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

Rest for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then invert and tap to remove from the pan. Let cool the rest of the way, cut, and serve.

Servings: at least 16