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My Nana’s Almond Roca Recipe is the perfect holiday treat. A delicious buttercrunch toffee topped with melted chocolate, this will become a family holiday favorite year after year.
My aunt painstakingly recreated my Nana’s famous recipe for almond roca after her passing with the help of the world’s vaguest recipe card found in my grandma’s kitchen.
Much like Aunt Barbara’s old-fashioned fudge and my mom’s Nordy bars, homemade almond roca is a holiday tradition that we enjoy once a year. And I’m excited to share it with you and your family!
Helpful Almond Roca Recipe Supply List
*If you don’t have a candy thermometer, read the recipe carefully for visual cues to know when your toffee crunch is done.
Blanched almonds are best for making buttercrunch, but I do often use the presliced almonds that have a little skin still on them from Costco without any trouble. If you want to blanch your own almonds (it takes forrrrrever), follow this recipe.
Common Almond Roca Issues
The most common issue when making the buttercrunch is allowing the ingredients to change temperature too rapidly. I cook mine on a constant medium to medium-low (depending on your stove) temp to maintain a steady temp.
If you adjust the temperature of the toffee suddenly, it may “break” and the butter could separate. Steady heating the whole time is the way to go!
And yes, it does take a long time of stirring (almost 15 minutes if done correctly) to make the buttercrunch. Your arms are going to get freakin’ jacked. Find a good podcast, get excited, and invest in tank tops.
Speaking of even heating, you’ll need a quality heavy-bottomed saucepan to prevent the buttercrunch from burning. Stick with a larger saucepan (12ish cups) that you can still lift to pour. I use this saucepan.
Another common mistake is making the roca on a hot or rainy day. For best results, make your almond roca on a cool dry day. Additional humidity in the air can and likely will impact the quality of your toffee. Science!
If you use low-quality unsalted butter, your roca is going to have some issues. The buttercrunch may become grainy and lack flavor.
And finally, my last piece of advice is to NOT try to double this recipe. It’s so tempting (all the stirring!), but just like when you’re making jam, doubling this recipe = trainwreck. All aboard the Hot Mess Express!
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- There are no substitutes for the corn syrup in this recipe. For your almond buttercrunch to turn out, you must use corn syrup.
- This is one of those recipes where it is worth shelling out the extra cash for the best butter that fits your budget. Never use margarine.
- I recommend the best chocolate chips that fit your budget. If you use low-quality chocolate, you’ll find it will easily separate from the buttercrunch when cooled.
- Pay attention to the cooking times noted in the recipe card. This is an easy recipe, but it does require patience and if you rush the steps, your almond roca is going to have problems.
- Once fully cooled, break the toffee into pieces and store at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 4 weeks.
Homemade Almond Roca Recipe
Equipment
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 pound almonds {blanched and sliced – divided} ~2 1/2 cups
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup corn syrup {no substitutes}
- 1/2 pound salted butter (2 sticks)
- 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a 12×17 rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Place it on top of hot pads where it can rest undisturbed for 3-5 hours. The baking sheet will get very hot when the toffee is poured onto it.
- Pulse 1/4 cup of slivered almonds in a food processor or finely chop by hand. Set aside.
- Bring 1/4 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.1/4 cup water, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup corn syrup
- Add the butter, stirring gently. When it has melted, add the almonds.1/2 pound salted butter, 1 pound almonds {blanched and sliced – divided}
- Stir constantly until the toffee/buttercrunch has browned and it smells like caramel (~15 minutes. Be patient, it's a SLOW process.). The mixture will be very thick but keep stirring! If you're using a candy thermometer, it will be ready at 295˚F (hardcrack stage).
- Remove the pan from heat and using a wooden spoon, very quickly pour the toffee/buttercrunch onto the baking sheet lined with parchment, and spread it around as evenly as possible. Work quickly because it becomes hard to spread as it cools.
- Sprinkle the toffee/buttercrunch evenly with the chocolate chips, and allow them to get melty. Pro tip: If your kitchen is cold, lightly tent a piece of foil over the baking sheet to assist the melting process of the chocolate chips.12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Once the chocolate chips are shiny, use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread the chocolate evenly over the toffee.
- Immediately sprinkle evenly with the 1/4 cup of reserved finely chopped almonds.
- Place the tray in a cool place in your house and allow to cool completely. It can take up to 5 hours to cool completely. It has cooled when the chocolate on top is no longer shiny.
- Break into pieces and store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4 weeks.
Notes
- There are no substitutes for the corn syrup in this recipe. In order to for your almond buttercrunch to turn out, you must use corn syrup.
- Important: for best results, make your homemade almond roca on a cool dry day. Additional humidity in the air can and likely will impact the quality of your toffee.
- To avoid the toffee separating, keep the temperature constant and avoid cooking the buttercrunch too quickly.
- If you don’t have a candy thermometer, the toffee will be ready when it is a creamy beige color and it will smell like caramel. You’ll be able to move a wooden spoon through it and the toffee will stay separated for a few seconds. See photos in the post above for a visual of what the finished toffee should look like.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was such a huge hit this year with our holiday treat giving! I will be ordering a candy thermometer as I think I let the mixture go just a second too long but it was still so well received that I shared the recipe site at least five times. Thanks for your awesome instructions as this helps my confidence when trying brand new recipes. Another recipe win!
I think in that case, it’s all about marketing and you tell people it’s “browned butter toffee”. 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it! My Nana would be so pleased to know people are loving her almond roca.
I dont know if i can’t read or what! Haha, but where are the directions to make the buttercrunch? In step 7 it says sprinkle the buttercrunch with the chocolate chips, but i how do i make the buttercrunch LOL. Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience.
McKayla, the buttercrunch/toffee is what you’ve been making in steps 1-6. Hope that helps. 🙂
Hi there! I was super pumped to try this recipe out for possible stocking stuffers. However, for some reason, it did not turn out. I was stirring and stirring waiting for the candy thermometer to show 295 degrees, and before it got to that temperature, the almond roca started to dry out and turn into like a brown sugar consistency. I did replace the corn syrup with equal parts maple syrup. Do you think this is maybe why? I would love to give this another go and make this work.
Yes, you have to use corn syrup in this recipe for it to work. Sadly, there are no substitutes that will provide the same results.
Thank you for responding! I will try this recipe again. I’m looking forward to it! 🙂
You’re welcome! I actually made a batch last night and posted it step by step on my Instagram stories. You may want to hop on and check them out just for reference. Stories are only good for 24 hours, so they’ll start disappearing around 5:30 pm PT today (12/8/22).
My family also does roca every year, recipe is slightly different, it comes together essentially the same way. We found out through happenstance a couple years ago that if you use a non-stick pot (I have a Calphalon that is… 4qts) you don’t have to stir. At all. After 30+ years of wicked arm work outs, this was a welcome find. I know some folks are anti non stick, which is totally legit, but if you’re not, it’s a good way to save your arms.
Ohhhh, amazing find! I don’t have a non-stick pan but I’m sure someone does and will find this tip so helpful.
Meanwhile, I’ll just keep bulking up with my Thor arms. 🙂
Unsalted butter in the dog’s wotsits!
Agreed!
chocolate… yum. butter… yum.
So good!
for some reason the ingredients just crack me up, I had no idea that is what is in these! And they are so good
I’m super lazy and am wondering how essential it is to blanch the almonds. Is it just for looks? *crosses fingers hopefully*
You can buy blanched almonds! It is to make the finished product more clean and pleasing. Almonds with skin on have some bitterness. Plus the skins will start to come off during all the stirring and will be floating around in the toffee. If it doesn’t bother you, go for the skin-on.
Perfect! We bought a huge thing of almonds years ago and I’m looking forward to using them up. Thanks!
It’s a Christmas miracle! Not only did the Rocca turn out beautifully, but both kids napped during the crucial boiling and spreading times. Thank you for sharing this family recipe!
Isn’t it amazing when the kids actually nap when we need them to? Praise the Christmas miracle. So glad you were able to make it and I hope you loved it.
Thank you for sharing this SWEET family tradition!
MY pleasure sweets!
WHY would you tempt me with this delicious looking treat!?! I am so trying this for Christmas baking. Thanks for sharing.
Sooooooorry…
Not sorry! 🙂