Browse around the web for five minutes or more and you’ll undoubtedly run across at least a dozen “last-minute gift guides,” all touting effortless tokens for the people you forgot you should care about. Heartwarming stuff to consider right before Christmas, isn’t it? Since Chanukah has been long over for weeks now, it’s strange to watch it all unfold from the sidelines, without getting swept up in the madness as I usually do each year.

Of course, I do still have one suggestion here at the eleventh hour, but I’ll level with you: This post is more for my benefit, but you might just enjoy the results, too. Why sit on this fabulous candy recipe for another full calendar cycle, holding it back through the austere days of the New Year while everyone suffers a collective sugar hangover? While your sweet tooth is still in gear, set aside a few extra minutes for this simple yet transcendent treat. I had merely wanted to play around with the gold-tinted crystals of Zulka sugar that the company had been kind enough to send my way, but the toffee that came of my kitchen capers was anything but ordinary.

My dad, a man who knows his way around all things candy and an avowed sugar-supporter if I ever did meet one, claimed that this was some of the best toffee he ever had. No small compliment coming from such a knowledgeable source! So, if you find even one inch of space remaining on your cookie plate, in your candy baskets, or simply in your stomach, take that last-minute before the holidays all blow over to make yourself a batch. If one crisp, golden, nutty morsel of toffee is the last sugary taste on your lips for the rest of 2013, it would leave you with a sweet memory of the season indeed.

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Yield: Makes 16 Servings

Golden Macadamia Toffee

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Caramelized to a snappy, golden finish, coarse sugar takes on great complexity with a bare minimum of added ingredients. Toasted macadamias at a nutty crunch, and that's all you need for a truly addictive sweet treat.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Toasted, Lightly Chopped Macadamia Nuts
• 2/3 Cup Vegan White Chocolate Chips
• 1 Cup Vegan Butter
• 1 Cup Turbinado Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Grade B Maple Syrup
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions

1. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, lightly grease, and sprinkle the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips as evenly over the bottom as possible. Set aside.
2. Combine the vegan butter, sugar, maple syrup, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan and set over moderate heat. Stir just to moisten all of the sugar, and then keep your spatula out of the mixture until the very end. Instead, swirl the pan gently to mix the contents, which will help prevent premature crystal formation.
3. Allow the butter to melt and sugar to dissolve before clipping a thermometer to the side of the pan. You’ll want to bring the sugar to a steady boil, until it turns a deep amber brown color and reaches 300 degrees, which is also known as the “hard crack stage” of candy making.
4. Turn off the heat, carefully stir in the vanilla as it may sputter angrily, and immediately pour the mixture into your prepared pan. Try to pour it evenly over the goodies within, because the more you spread it around with your spatula, the more you’ll smear the melting white chocolate. Don’t worry if it doesn’t reach all the way to the edges of the pan.
5. Let cool completely before snapping into more manageable pieces. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Notes

You can swap the white chocolate for dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips, or do a combination of your favorites.

Recommended Products

Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. I have experience with all of these companies and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something through my links.

• 
  Now Foods, Real Food, Raw Macadamia Nuts, Unsalted, 8 oz (227 g)
• 
  White Baking Mini Chips
• 
  Wholesome, Natural Raw Cane, Turbinado Sugar, 1.5 lbs (24 oz.) - 680 g

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 254Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 74mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 1g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.