Recipe:
Special
Equipment
3
large (13" x 18") rimmed baking sheets
Large
(12" or so) well-seasoned cast-iron skillet
Candy
thermometer
Spider
skimmer (see page 20) and 10" tweezers, or a regular dinner fork
(see Notes)
Nonpowdered
latex or vinyl gloves (optional)
INGREDIENTS
For
the buttercrunch center
1
pound (4 sticks/450 g) high-quality unsalted butter, cubed, plus
about 1 teaspoon for greasing a baking sheet
2
cups (385 g) granulated sugar
½
teaspoon (2 g) kosher salt
For
the coating
About
2½ cups (10 ounces/300 g) chopped walnuts (see Chopping Notes for
Nuts, page 207)
1½
teaspoons (5 g) kosher salt
About
4 cups (26 ounces/740 g) chopped milk chocolate, or 4 cups (26
ounces/740 g) chopped milk chocolate and ⅔ cup (150 g) mild
vegetable oil (see Notes)
To
make the buttercrunch center:
1
Generously butter one of the baking sheets, making sure to get into
the corners. Set it aside on a heatproof surface.
2
Place the 1 pound butter, the sugar, and the salt in the cast-iron
skillet and melt over high heat, stirring once or twice with a whisk
to combine.
3
Once the butter is completely melted, reduce the heat to medium-high
and cook, stirring frequently with the whisk, until the mixture has
thickened slightly and turned a tan color, 15 to 20 minutes.
4
Insert the candy thermometer, holding it with one hand to keep an eye
on the temperature. Continue to cook over medium-high heat, stirring
constantly with the whisk, until the mixture has reached 305°F/152°C
(hard crack stage), 10 to 12 minutes.
5
Wearing oven mitts (the skillet will be extremely hot), immediately
remove the skillet from the heat and pour the hot mixture onto the
prepared baking sheet. Allow it to cool until it is slightly set but
still soft, about 5 minutes.
6
Using a sharp chef’s knife or bench scraper, score the buttercrunch
into 1-inch squares, marking the scores several times as it cools
(the score marks will want to close up when the mixture is still
hot).
7
Allow the buttercrunch to cool completely, about 1 hour. (Meanwhile,
you can toast the walnuts; see step 8.) When the buttercrunch is
completely cooled and set, break it into pieces along the score lines
and place the pieces in a medium-size bowl.
To
coat the buttercrunch:
8
While
the buttercrunch is cooling, toast the walnuts: Preheat your oven to
250°F/120°C. Spread the walnuts in an even layer on a large baking
sheet and toast them, stirring occasionally, until they’re golden
brown and fragrant and the skins are starting to flake, about 20
minutes. Allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet, 20 to 30
minutes. Then place the walnuts in a medium-size bowl, sprinkle the
salt over them, and toss well to combine.
9
Melt the 4 cups chocolate as directed on page 24, or use the 4 cups
chocolate and ⅔
cup oil to make Cheater’s Chocolate Coating following the
instructions on page 32. Place the melted chocolate or chocolate
coating in a medium-size bowl.
10
Wash and dry
the first large baking sheet and line it with wax or parchment paper.
Set up your dipping station, from left to right (or right to left, if
you’re a lefty), as follows: bowl with “naked” buttercrunch
pieces; bowl with melted chocolate or chocolate coating; skimmer and
tweezers, or fork; bowl of toasted, salted walnuts; lined baking
sheet. If you want to use gloves, put them on now (the walnuts will
make a sticky, messy layer on your hands).
11
Dip the buttercrunch: Working with a few pieces at a time, drop the
naked buttercrunch into the bowl of chocolate and submerge the pieces
with the skimmer. Use the skimmer to scoop and lift the candy out of
the chocolate, tapping the skimmer handle on the rim of the bowl to
drain off the excess chocolate. (Alternatively, if using a fork, drop
the pieces in the chocolate and push them under with the fork.)
12
Remove the dipped buttercrunch pieces one by one with the tweezers or
fork, and place them, without touching each other, in the bowl of
walnuts. Gently sprinkle the walnuts over the dipped buttercrunch
pieces to cover them completely. Carefully remove the pieces from the
bowl of walnuts, and lay them on the lined baking sheet. Repeat this
procedure until all the pieces are dipped and coated.
13
Let the buttercrunch set completely, about 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Store
the buttercrunch, layered with wax paper, in an airtight container at
cool room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the fridge for up to 1
month. (We dare you to try and hold on to it for that long.)
NOTES:
If you don’t have a spider skimmer or 10-inch tweezers, you can
fake it with a regular dinner fork, but it’ll take you about three
times as long and the candies won’t look quite as nice.
We
specify milk chocolate in this recipe, but you can use whatever
chocolate you like. Rhonda mixes a roughly 2:1 ratio of milk to dark
chocolate, to cut back on the sweetness a bit. If you have the
chocolate and the inclination, go for it.
