This Ain't Your Daddy's Almond Roca - Toffee Crunch Cookies

Spryte did it to me again... Her blog is very dangerous for my weight control, with all of her delicious recipes. Several days ago she made the phenomenal looking Peanut Brittle Bars. I was suddenly gripped with the overwhelming desire to lick my computer screen!! Luckily, I was still rational enough to notice the amount of dust on the monitor, which prevented the impending faceplant into the screen from occurring.

Her recipe reminded me, like her Meyer Lemon Squares did, of something (which I DO have the recipe for, unlike the Lemon Bars I tried to recreate) that my mother use to make when I was "but a youngin". I have been dreaming about them ever since I saw Spryte's post and cannot get them out of my head so I am now forced to make them for myself. (sigh) Bummer Huh?

What I always liked about these, is that they are kind of like eating Almond Roca in cookie form. I tend to make this with the Pecans or Hazelnuts, even though I DO like Almond Roca... A LOT.... (Which will be another post, thanks to Grandma)

Mom's Toffee Crunch Cookies

About 15 graham crackers
1/2 cup chopped Almonds (or Pecans or Hazelnuts)
1 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter plus more for the baking pan
1 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Almond Extract (Omit if you are using pecans, use hazelnut extract for hazelnuts)
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Kosher Salt
1 1/2 cup of Milk or Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips, depending on your taste. You can use chopped high quality chocolate as well. i.e Scharffen Berger 62%

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter a 13x9 baking pan or dish (pan works better)

Roast Almonds or Hazelnuts or Pecans in a shallow skillet.

Mix Butter and Brown Sugar together in a heavy saucepan, bring to a boil then boil for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, cover the bottom of the baking pan with graham crackers.

Sprinkle chopped nuts. (I used Roasted hazelnuts this time)

Remove Brown sugar mixture from heat and add the extracts.

Pour the syrup over the graham crackers and nuts.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes

Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Once they begin to melt, spread evenly across the cookies with a spatula..

Let them cool on a rack.
Break cookie into smaller pieces (they will be very random sized) and store in an airtight container in the fridge because the Chocolate is not actually tempered properly and will melt very easily.

Mangia!!
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