Chunky Peanut Toffee Bark
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Peanuts layered thick in a parchment-lined pan. Butter, brown sugar, and a splash of almond extract heated slowly to a rich caramel color, just before it ribbons from the spoon. Poured hot over nuts, spread fast. Dark chocolate chips cascaded on top, melting into glossy rivers. Chopped salty roasted peanuts tossed over chocolate for crunch contrast. Cooled at room temp till firm, then refrigerated to snap. Sweet, salty, sticky, and deeply toasty. Takes a bit of watching around simmer but worth the patience. Sub chili flakes for heat, or swap walnuts if peanuts not your thing. Keeps well in fridge; breaks clean crisp on bite.
Prep:
15 min
Cook:
25 min
Total:
Servings:
30 pieces
#candy
#nuts
#chocolate
#toffee
#snack
#dessert
Peanut toffee, every version I’ve tried. Dry burnt sugar or soggy messes. Learned patience pays off here. Butter melted slow with sugar bubbling smooth, aroma like toasted nuts and caramel thickening intensely, not just bubbles. Almond extract swapped for vanilla; warmer, deeper something. Watching it closely; not waiting just for timer but to that ribbon. Pour on peanuts before hardened, stick each layer fast. Melted choc on top, mix of heat and cool—watching those chips soften into glossy slicks, spreading gets messy but rewarding. Toss peanuts over while warm, some crunch stuck between sticky and chocolatey makes it dance with texture. Cooling’s key. Skip fridge early, toffee mush. Latest batch? Crisp breaks, sweet salt, smoky nut, plus bonus heat when swapped chili flakes for kick. Worth fuss. Worth watching. Satisfying every sticky sticky moment.
Ingredients
- 2 cups roasted salted peanuts
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts
About the ingredients
Roasted salted peanuts best for crunch and flavor; unsalted okay but adjust salt elsewhere. Butter controls richness; don’t substitute margarine—it changes texture and flavor too much. Brown sugar adds moisture and depth versus white; slightly packed, not heaped. Almond extract I find adds warmth over vanilla, but vanilla works fine if you don’t have it. Chocolate chips evenly cover but any good melting baking chocolate chunks replaced well. Chopped roasted peanuts garnish gives crunch, skip if nut allergies or swap pecans for twist. If no parchment, grease pan heavily but messier cleanup. Watch sugar carefully, scorch happens easy. If mixture grainy or gritty, return to heat to melt fully before pouring. Stir but don’t over-agitate.
Method
- Line a 9x13 pan with parchment. Spread the 2 cups peanuts evenly over bottom.
- Melt butter, sugar, and almond extract in medium saucepan over medium. Stir until butter dissolves, then let simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Watch closely as mixture darkens toward a caramel shade, bubbling smooth but still slightly separated. This takes about 7-10 minutes.
- When thickened enough to slowly fall from spoon in a ribbon, pour hot caramel over peanuts. Use an offset spatula to spread and coat nuts evenly.
- Immediately cover the hot toffee with chocolate chips. Let sit 3-5 minutes; they’ll soften and melt.
- Spread melted chocolate evenly over toffee layer with offset spatula.
- Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top while chocolate is warm so they stick.
- Leave pan on countertop to cool fully, about 2 hours or until room temp. Then chill in fridge to set hard before breaking into pieces.
Cooking tips
Start slow with melting butter and sugar. Stir to monitor even melt, prevent sugar crystallizing on pan edges. Heat slightly longer than you think for full caramel flavor; watch color shift not timer. Ribbon test—thick stream from spoon falls like heavy syrup; key for set toffee, too thin is soft final. Spread syrup quickly or nuts won’t coat evenly. After chocolate chips go on, give 3-5 minutes for melting—long enough to spread, short enough to keep shine. Offset spatula the best for smooth spreading without scraping off nuts. Don’t skip cooling step at room temp; premature fridge ruins translucency and bite. Breaking cold toffee harder; use knife edge scored lines or gentle twist to crack. Store wrapped cool, lasts well. Use crumbs for topping ice cream or snack packs if leftover.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Start butter and sugar melting low-medium heat. Watch sugar bubble—not too fast or grainy crystals form. Stir gently to blend, avoid rough scraping or you’ll recrystallize. Brown sugar packed but loose slightly; too tight packed throws sugar ratio off. Color change key—slow caramel shade, not dark burnt. Ribbon test: thick stream falling slow from spoon means ready. Timing’s rough; more sights and feel than clock.
- 💡 Chocolate chips on hot toffee sit till soften; 3-5 mins enough. Push with spatula quick while glossy, not cooled or crackles form. Spread fast before chips set uneven. Offset spatula best: wide, thin, spreads without scrubbing nut layer off. If chips crack instead of melt, didn’t wait or heat not retained; kitchen humidity affects melt too. Cooling too fast messes shine, wait room temp before fridge chill.
- 💡 Peanuts salted work best for crunch contrast. Unsalted okay but add a pinch salt separately. Chopped peanuts garnish adds texture. Swap nuts for walnuts or pecans if allergic or just change flavor. Roasting nuts beforehand brings oil scent, crunch. If nuts oily, dab some excess off before layering to avoid greasy slip. Parchment lined pan best for easy removal; no parchment means greasing pan heavy, sticky mess at bottom.
- 💡 Watch sugar mixture carefully. Grainy texture signals crystallization, return to heat gentle stir till smooth. Too fast boil creates uneven sugar breakdown. Stirring stops near end, just enough to keep texture even. If mixture looks separated—oil separate from sugar—heat low and mix patiently, will blend before thickening. Thickness means proximity to final stage, slow fall in ribbon form from spoon shows set point. Overcook makes too hard, burnt taste.
- 💡 Cooling step vital. Let pan sit room temp fully 2 hours till solid but pliable, then fridge quick snap. Skip fridge early leads to weepy, soft toffee losing bite. When breaking, cold toffee snaps crisply but harder to cut; best score lines faint with knife edge before crack. Store wrapped cool; leftover crumbs good topping snack or dessert accents. If toffee soft next day, likely skipped full cool time or stored warm.
Common questions
How to know when caramel is done?
Watch color shift, caramel shade not dark brown. Bubbling slows. Ribbon test thick and slow fall from spoon key. Timer less helpful. Touch hot pan edge gently to gauge warmth.
Can I replace peanuts?
Yes, walnuts or pecans for twist, same roast and chop prep. Salt level affects final, so adjust salt if nuts unsalted. Nut oiliness varies, might alter texture—drier nuts absorb sugar mix differently.
What if sugar crystallizes?
Return pan to heat, stir gently until smooth. Avoid fast stirring to prevent recrystallizing again. Lower heat helps keep mixture uniform. Sometimes re-melting saved batch.
How to store leftovers?
Wrap tightly to avoid moisture. Room temp okay few days if dry; fridge better for longer crisp snap. Avoid freezer—moisture makes toffee soft or sticky. Crumbs good ice cream topping or snack sprinkle.
