Homemade Heath Bars: Butter toffee topped with sliced almonds and milk chocolate makes for a surprisingly simple version of your favorite Heath Bars, just in time for the Easter baskets.
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I’ve already told you guys how Boyfriend is the Ebenezer Scrooge of desserts. Even my Pecan Raisin Pie, which he raves about, only gets at most two bites before he is done.
So you can imagine my surprise when I asked for suggestions of what to make for the blog a couple of weeks ago and his immediate response was, “Heath bars.”
I was so taken aback I replied, “Like…homemade Heath bars?” You know, just to make sure I was understanding him correctly.
“Yeah, sure.”
Well, that was instructive.
Of course, since I am a lifelong chocolate hater (for which I feel the need to apologize every time I make mention of it) I wasn’t even sure what a Heath Bar was. Thank goodness for the Google machine, which told me that it is really nothing more than toffee covered with almonds and milk chocolate.
Ok, easy enough.
That night I pulled out the trusty candy thermometer and an entire pound of butter – yes, you read that correctly, a pound of butter – and set to making candy.
If you’ve never made candy before, it truly isn’t as scary as it seems. You’ll need a good candy thermometer (I tend to be leery of recipes that only tell you to go on time or the color of your candy – too much room for error, if you ask me) and some patience. Pick a day that you’re blessed with a decent attention span.
Your candy will take a while to get up to temperature, but it will only take a few minutes to go from perfect to overdone, so no walking away and doing something else, ya hear? Things also move fairly quickly once you get started, so have your ingredients measured and ready to go before you get started.
#Protip
Oh, and I should mention: If you aren’t a fan of almonds or milk chocolate, feel free to use your favorite nut or a nice dark chocolate. Mix it up! That’s the great thing about making things at home, remember?
Toffee adapted from The Pioneer Woman’s “Lia’s Butter Toffee” recipe
Homemade Heath Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups 1 pound unsalted butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 2-3 cups chopped milk chocolate
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Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Measure out vanilla and almonds; set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven, bring butter, sugar, water, and salt to a boil, stirring constantly. Once butter and sugar are melted, insert your candy thermometer, making sure it is covered by the mixture but not touching the bottom of the pot. Cook, continuing to stir, until mixture reaches 298 degrees (hard crack stage). Remove from heat and quickly stir in vanilla, then pour mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Smooth out with a spatula, sprinkle on almonds, then set aside to cool for at least an hour.
- Once toffee has cooled, place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second increments, stirring after each. Heat until just melted, then pour over cooled toffee and spread even with a spatula. Allow to harden, then break into pieces and serve.
About Stephie
Stephie is the creator of Stephie Cooks, a food blog that focuses on creating memories around the food we share, with family recipes at the site’s heart. Stephie lives in Central Illinois with her husband, daughter, and a menagerie of cats and dogs. When she’s not in the kitchen or at her computer writing, you can usually find her curled up with a book or working on one of her many grandma-esque hobbies. Learn more >
I love Heath Bars, so I love this recipes! What a great idea…thanks for sharing!
Love these simple ingredients. Looks delicious. Thanks for sharing at Foodie Fridays. Hope to see you again tomorrow.
Blessings,
Shari
Stopping by form #foodiefriday and this is my mothers favorite candy. I am going to have to make these for her as a Christmas gift for the goodie baskets we do.
Thank you so much for attending week 3 of #PureBlogLove and linking your fantastic blog post. I love the simplicity of these heath bars. They sound fantastic!
I can’t wait to see what you have in store for our party next week Thursday 8 PM EST- Sundays at midnight . Have a great day!
Nicole
http://picnicnz.blogspot.co.nz/
When I first read the title of this post I thought it said “Health Bars” and then I looked at the picture and thought that they couldn’t possibly be healthy, but maybe, and then I read the pound of butter part and I finally realized they were called Heath bars, haha! Healthy or not, they still look delicious and I want them now!
Well, if you want to pass them off as health bars…I won’t tell anyone 😉
I have no idea what a Heath bar is either (I love chocolate but they don’t exist here… my first thought was, “HEALTH bar? How is THAT a health bar? Oh wait, no L”) but these bars look delicious. I feel a sudden urge to dance around my living room. Do you, uh, home deliver?
I haven’t made homemade toffee yet but i sooo need to! I love how buttery and amazing it is! and girl. YOU’D NEVER HEARD OF HEATH BARS??! I love you anyway but ahhhh! I’m glad Alex was smart enough to suggest you make these!
So many applause emojis for Alex and these Heath bars right now.
I can’t wait to try it.
Did you know DID YOU KNOW Heath bars are my favorite candy next to a straight up dark-as-sin chocolate bar?? Once upon a time, I was a chocolate hater too, so I do understand your dislike of it, and I love you even more for making a chocolate-y treat in spite of your despisal. High fives. High fives for Heath bars!
One pound of butter?! Sign me up! 🙂