Buttercrunch Chocolate

Addictive or what?! I just love this combination of buttery, crunch, dark chocolate and the tartness of the cranberries in this lovely recipe.  Perfect with a nice cup of coffee.

I opted for the mixture of nuts and cranberries, but you could also add mixed fruits too, or whatever you feel will add yumminess.

I just lined a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and it seemed to have done the job just nicely.

Now for how simple this is to make.  A candy thermometer will be handy for this one!

100g of toasted flaked almonds

100g of other mixed nuts (toasted and chopped)

60g dried canberries (optional)

4 tbspns water

225g butter

1 tspn salt

500g granulated sugar

90g brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3 tspns vanilla extract

280g chopped dark chocolate

1.  Spread half the quantity of the nuts (including the flaked almonds) onto a greaseproof lined baking sheet.

2.  In a large pan, add both sugars, butter, salt and water and let it come to a rolling boil until caramel in colour.  Try not to stir the mixture.  This will take around 10-12 minutes or 275F on a thermometer.

3. Once caramelised, quickly add the vanilla extract and baking powder.  Be careful as it does have a tendency to start bubbling. Pour straight onto the baking sheet over the nuts.

4.  Whilst the mixture is still hot, add the chopped chocolate and the remaining nuts and cranberries on top.

5.  Allow to cool completely and chop into pieces as desired!