Hazelnut Toffee Squares

July 10, 2013 by Leanne Vogel May 17, 2017

Homemade (dairy-free) caramel made of honey and nut butter and tossed with toasted hazelnuts, cinnamon and vanilla.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup pure honey
• 1 cup roasted almond butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or the flesh from 2 vanilla beans
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup toasted hazelnuts (skin removed), chopped

Instructions

1. To toast and skin the hazelnuts: Spread the nuts in a single layer on a a baking sheet. Bake at 325F until they give off an aroma, and their skins are brown and split, about 10 minutes. Check the nuts every few minutes and shake them so that they toast evenly and do not burn. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool to room temperature. Place them between two clean kitchen towels and begin to rub the towels together. The skins will come off with the friction, leaving clean and toasted nuts. Don’t worry if there’s a bit of extra skin on the nuts. Chop them roughly and set aside.
2. Now, to make the toffee! Line a 8×8 square pan with parchment paper across both sides for easy lifting and set aside.
3. Place honey in a medium saucepan and cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until it reaches a simmer. The honey should begin to foam. This is okay! Just don’t stop stirring. Continue to stir for another 6-8 minutes. The longer you allow this mixture to cook, the more brittle your toffee. If you want it chewy, stop at the 5 minute mark. If you want it brittle-like (as I did) cook for a full 8 minutes.
4. Add almond butter and extract. Turn the heat to the lowest setting. Continue stirring until it begins to thicken, about 1 minute.
5. Add the nuts. Mix until combined. Then, quickly drop into the prepared pan, smooth out with the back of a spoon – do all of this as quickly as possible before it sets! Place in the fridge for an hour or so to firm up.
6. Using the corners of the parchment, lift the toffee out of the pan and cut into 16 squares. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or freezer for up to a month.

Nutrition Information Per Serving