This Almond Roca recipe is a copycat version of the popular candy! Made with just 4 ingredients, it’s easy, delicious, and no baking required.
Need a fancy yet simple dessert to whip up? Try making Almond Roca.
These are pretty darn perfect and I’m not sure best to describe this magic. Growing up, we enjoyed this during the holiday season but now we enjoy it year round!
What is Almond Roca?
You’ve probably seen Roca candy at ALL the major supermarkets, especially around the holiday season. Almond Roca is a hard toffee with chopped almonds mixed in and on top. It’s often also coated with a thick layer of chocolate.
This ticks all the boxes. A thick and chewy caramel studded with almonds and topped with a layer of creamy chocolate. It’s perfectly sweet, and SO difficult to stop at one. Ready in minutes, you have no excuses not to whip them up.
Ingredients needed
Almond Roca candy is a simple dessert: butter, sugar, and chocolate. The key to the most perfect recipe is using a good quality chocolate bar or chocolate chips that melts well and doesn’t scorch. Here’s what you’ll need to make the candy:
- Butter. Unsalted butter from a block, not a spread.
- Sugar. White or brown sugar works, but coconut sugar works too.
- Chocolate Chips. Good quality chocolate chips, or even a chopped up chocolate bar.
- Chopped Almonds. Raw, unsalted almonds. Roughly chop them, for added texture.
How to make Almond Roca
Almond Rocha is easy to make: the only thing to remember is to use a candy thermometer to know when the toffee has reached a hard crack. Here’s the basic idea of how to make this Almond Roca recipe (or see the recipe below for specifics):
- Prep the pan: In a small loaf pan or non-stick square pan, place parchment paper and spread out half the almonds all over.
- Make the toffee: On low heat, heat the butter and sugar together in a small saucepan. Once warm and melted, regularly stir every 30 seconds, and then when mixture bubbles, place your candy thermometer into the center. Once it reaches 300F (hard crack), remove from the heat.
- Add the chocolate and almond: Pour the toffee mixture into the lined pan, over the chopped almonds. Let it sit for 5 minutes before adding the chocolate chips over the top. Cover the pan with tin foil and let sit for a further 5 minutes, for the toffee to melt the chocolate. Spread using a rubber spatula.
- Let it set: Sprinkle the remaining chopped almonds over the top and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, to firm up. Once firm, break apart into pieces.
What is the difference between Almond Roca and English toffee?
Almond Roca differs from English toffee, as the latter does NOT contain any almonds, and is often a softer texture.
Dietary swaps and substitutions
This homemade candy is very forgiving and works well for various diets out there. Here is what we’ve tested successfully:
- Cut the dairy by replacing the butter with vegan butter and using vegan chocolate chips.
- Make it low carb by using allulose instead of white or brown sugar. Allulose dissolves like sugar and is the ONLY sugar substitute that will work.
- Add mix-ins like chopped pecans, walnuts, or even raisins.
- Give it a festive twist by adding dried cranberries or crushed candy canes.
Storage info
Wondering what is the best way to store Almond Roca? Here are best practices for candy storage:
- Up to two weeks: Store it in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
- 2 weeks or more: Did you know Almond candy keeps well in the refrigerator? Let it sit at room temperature for several minutes before enjoying it.
- 6 months: Freeze Almond Roca in a ziplock bag for up to 6 months.
More candy recipes to try
Frequently Asked Questions
Using a candy thermometer is necessary to ensure the toffee doesn’t burn or scorch.
Do not use salted butter as you can always add salt on top of the finished candy.
Almond Roca (4 Ingredients)
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter unsalted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup chocolate chips any chocolate chips of choice
- 1/2 cup raw almonds Chopped roughly
Instructions
- Line a small square pan or loaf pan with parchment paper and spread out 1/4 cup of the chopped almonds over the bottom. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine your butter and sugar. On low heat, heat up until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Stirring regularly, once the mixture begins to bubble, add your candy thermometer into the center of the mixture. Continue to stir every 30 seconds, until the thermometer reaches 300F (hard crack). Remove from the heat.
- Continue stirring continuously to ensure the butter and sugar do not separate. Pour into the lined pan and let sit for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, top with your chocolate chips evenly over the top. Cover the pan with tin foil and let sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the tin foil. Using a rubber spatula, spread out the chocolate evenly over the toffee. Once spread, top with remaining chopped almonds. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Once set, use a sharp knife and slice into pieces.
Notes
Nutrition
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This looks delicious, but it isn’t vegan. It has butter in it.
Nope, it has a vegan tested option included in the post. Enjoy
What do you substitute for butter to make it vegan?
Hi Donna, I tried out the Flora brand of vegan butter.
Mine was still very liquidy after 5 mins and the choc chips just kinda sunk in.. what did I do wrong?
Not sure, maybe it was the brand you used or you didn’t let the toffee sit long enough.
This was good, but my toffee was softer than expected and didn’t have that nice amber color like yours. I followed the directions exactly.. should I have not taken it off the heat as soon as the candy thermometer read 300?
Hi! Did you let it firm up? 🙂
Can you please tell me how many pieces this makes. Hard to calculate carbs otherwise. Thank you.
Gennie
It depends on how big you break them up 🙂
I realize that, but it doesn’t say “HOW many servings it makes”, a weight amount would be good to have, I am diabetic so it’s important for me to know how much a serving is. Seeing the different sizes is the reason I asked. You just said 1 piece is 16 carbs, but how many pieces it breaks into can be a wide range. So, I still need to have an idea. You have one recipe (non keto) a pile on top of one another and I counted 8 or 9 of those, but still no mention of how many people it serves. Pls help me!
I realize that, but, it doesn’t say “HOW many servings it makes”, a weight amount would be good to have, I am diabetic so it’s important for me to know how much a serving is. Seeing the different sizes is the reason I asked. You just said 1 piece is 16 carbs, but how many pieces it breaks into can be a wide range. So, I still need to have an idea. You have one recipe (non keto) a pile on top of one another and I counted 8 or 9 of those, but still no mention of how many people it serves. Pls help me! NOT A DUPLICATE COMMENT
I thought the notes were supposed to show info about keto sweeteners for this recipe.
Gennie, at the top of the recipe it says 12 servings! 😊👍🏻
Made this using the best ingredients: Kerigold butter, monkfruit and Lilly’s ch chips. It did set up, but had a soft texture. Didn’t harden like almond roca. I”m curious to know how it hardens up without Kyro Syrup? Has anyone made this and had it harden up?
I experimented with Lakanto sweetener/regular butter. However I did not have a candy thermometer…used my best judgement with the cold water test. The texture was probably one step under hard crack, I should have let it cook a bit longer but the flavor was still great. Yum! Not sure if it had anything to do with the Lakanto, it was a bit more fudgy, but like I said it was a tiny bit undercooked. So if you’re wondering about using an alternative sweetener, it will work just make sure you have the thermometer!
Hello, have you attempted to double the recipe? Some recipes just don’t work out when doubled. Thank you.
What sweetner do you recommend for keto?
Allulose 🙂
I’m wondering if the keto sweeteners actually use the same measurements as the sugar since you didn’t list any variations?
Yes, only allulose
Can you use coconut sugar for this? 🤔
Yes 🙂