Buttercrunch Recipes

OLD-TIME BUTTER CRUNCH CANDY

Steps:

• Line a 13x9-in. pan with foil; set aside. Using part of the butter, grease the sides of a large heavy saucepan. Add remaining butter to saucepan; melt over low heat. Add sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook and stir over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 300° (hard-crack stage). , Remove from the heat and stir in almonds. Quickly pour into the prepared pan, spreading to cover bottom of pan. Cool completely. Carefully invert pan to remove candy in 1 piece; remove foil. , Melt half of the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl; spread over top of candy. Let cool. Turn candy over and repeat with remaining chocolate; cool. Break into 2-in. pieces. Store in an airtight container.

BUTTER TOFFEE RECIPE (BUTTERCRUNCH)

Steps:

• Grease a 9x13" baking sheet with butter.
• Melt the butter in a 2 quart saucepan over low heat. In a separate bowl, combine the corn syrup and water and stir to dissolve fully.
• Turn the heat to medium and add the sugar, stirring constantly until sugar fully dissolves, about 3-5 minutes. Add the corn syrup and water mixture.
• Turn the heat to medium high and continue stirring the mixture constantly until it reaches a temperature of 300 degrees.
• Remove from heat and quickly mix in the chopped almonds. Pour the candy mixture on the greased baking sheet and let it spread out. It should be about 1/4" thick. Pick up the pan and shake gently back and forth to help the mixture more evenly.
• Before it starts to cool too much, sprinkle the top with the chocolate chips and let them melt for 2-3 minutes. Spread the melted chocolate with a knife in an even layer over the buttercrunch. Then sprinkle the top with the ground nuts.
• Then sprinkle the top with the ground nuts, lightly patting them into the chocolate.
• Let the chocolate and butter toffee cool and use a knife to break into pieces. To speed up the cooling, I typically place it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Just be careful not to leave it in there too long or the chocolate will become too hard and separate from the toffee.
• Store in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge. It should be a cool place.

BUTTER CRUNCH

Steps:

• Melt butter and bring to boil. Add warm water and return to boil. Add the 2 pounds of sugar and lecithin, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes homogenous. Add almonds and cook until almonds are roasted. Lower flame and cook to 300 degrees F. Take off heat; add salt and remaining 1/2-ounce granulated sugar until dissolved, stirring constantly. Pour onto greased baking sheet, spread out as thin as practical, score and cut.
• Option: Once cooled, dip in melted chocolate and sprinkle with roasted chopped almonds.

OLD-FASHIONED BUTTER CRUNCH

Steps:

• To make the butter crunch mixture, melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, stir in almonds, and pour out into prepared pan, spreading the mixture with the back of a spoon to fill the pan. Before the butter crunch hardens, but when it is firm enough to handle, turn it out onto a large parchment-covered cutting board and peel away the foil. Allow the butter crunch to cool completely. To finish the butter crunch, wipe the top surface of the candy with a damp paper towel to remove excess butter and allow to dry a few minutes. Have another cutting board or the back of a jelly-roll pan ready to turn the candy over onto. Use a small offset metal icing spatula to spread half the tempered chocolate quickly over the butter crunch. Scatter half the chopped almonds over the chocolate. Cover this finished surface with a piece of parchment paper or foil and place another cutting board or the back of a large jelly-roll pan. Remove top board and paper and quickly spread with remaining tempered chocolate and scatter on remaining almonds (it isn't necessary to wipe the second side because it wasn't against a buttered surface). Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set chocolate. Break the butter crunch into 2-inch pieces. Store candy in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting cover and keep at a cool room temperature for up to a week.

BUTTERCRUNCH TOFFEE

Steps:

• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
• Measure the butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat and swirl the pan to coat the sides with melted butter (this will help prevent the sugar from crystallizing as it cooks). Add the sugar and water and bring up to a boil still over medium high heat while stirring often with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and stir constantly until the mixture reaches 300ºF (150ºC) on a candy thermometer (it will only be a pale amber colour, not caramel-coloured). Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt, then quickly pour the mixture onto the prepared tray (do not spread it around). Let this set until completely cooled, about 2 hours.
• Before coating it with chocolate, gently wipe the top surface of the buttercrunch with a paper towel, to take away any excess oil (this could prevent the chocolate from sticking properly). Have ready a second baking tray lined with parchment paper.
• To temper the chocolate, melt 9 oz (270 g) of the chocolate in a metal bowl placed over a pot of barely simmering water, stirring until it has melted and is within a temperature between 113-122ºF (45-50ºC). If the chocolate gets warmer than this, then you need to let it cool below 113ºF (45ºC) and re-warm. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the remaining 3 oz (90 g) of chocolate and stir to melt, continuing to stir until the chocolate reaches a temperature of 82ºF (28ºC). Return the bowl to the water bath and stir to warm up to between 88-90ºF (31-32ºC) - this doesn't take long. At this point the chocolate is ready for using and will set at room temperature with a nice satin finish.
• Pour half of the chocolate over the buttercruch and spread to cover it evenly and as close to the edges as possible. Sprinkle the chocolate with half of the almonds and a light sprinkling of sea salt. Once set (about 3 minutes), place the second parchment-lined baking tray over the buttercrunch and carefully invert - now the chocolate-coated side should be on the bottom, on the second tray. Peel away the parchment from the buttercrunch and wipe this side with a paper towel. Pour the remaining half of the chocolate over this side and spread evenly, finishing with a sprinkling of the remaining almonds and a little sea salt. Once the chocolate is almost set, pop the tray into the fridge for just 3-4 minutes - this "cures" or sets the chocolate. After this time, remove the chocolate, and it can be cracked into pieces and stored in an airtight container at room temperature (out of direct sunlight).

BUTTERCRUNCH TOFFEE

Steps:

• Line a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan with foil; grease the foil with 1-1/2 teaspoons butter. Sprinkle 1 cup pecans into prepared pan; set aside., In a small heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, water and the remaining butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook without stirring until a candy thermometer reads 290° (soft-crack stage). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and baking soda. Pour into prepared pan (do not scrape sides of saucepan). , Sprinkle with chocolate; spread with a knife when melted. Sprinkle with the remaining pecans. Let stand until set, about 1 hour. Break into pieces.

BUTTER CRUNCH COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, powdered sugar and salt.
• In a small heavy bottom cast iron skillet, melt 1/4 C of butter, and 1/2 C sugar over very low heat, until it is bubbling and thick. Let this mixture cool for about a minute, (no more) and then pour it onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper to cool a few minutes more.
• When it is cool enough,(and still slightly pliable) break off small pieces using a sharp heavy knife, or maybe a clean screwdriver. It will be a lot of work, but you'll get a little muscle, and the reward of knowing that your cookies are going to be so good, you won't mind all of the work!
• Now, in a large mixing bowl, beat the remaining sugars with the remaining butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the egg, and mix again. Add the vanilla and the corn syrup, mixing until it is combined.
• Then, add the flour mixture, a little at a time, until it is completely incorporated. With a wooden spoon, add the cooled candy pieces, distributing them evenly throughout the dough.
• Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes, or freeze it for 15. When it is cold, roll out 1 1/2-inch balls of dough, and be careful, those pieces of toffee will probably be really sharp! Place the balls of dough 2 1/2-inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake for 9-11 minutes, making sure that they don't brown too much. They should be very light on top, and golden on the bottom.
• After two minutes, remove the cookies from the cookie sheet, and continue cooling on a wire cooling rack, about 7-8 more minutes, or until the toffee is set.