Wednesday 21 December 2011

Chocolate Almond Roca Recipe


Every Christmas I make almond roca, a tradition I've inherited from my Canadian cousins. It’s like a massive Daim bar only nicer. One year Sarah made me a batch and George, who doesn't really have a sweet tooth, exclaimed "Να τρώει η μάνα και του παιδιού να μη δίνει - to have a mother eat and not give her child", which is Greek for "bloody hell, this tastes nice". If something is so tasty a Greek mother isn't trying to make you eat a family sized portion of it, it's a recipe worth sharing:

200g flaked almonds
250g butter
250g caster sugar
3 tablespoons of water
200g chocolate
  • Toast the flaked almonds lightly and set them to one side.
  • Spread a length of tin foil along a bench ready for when you pour the boiled toffee onto it
  • Heat the water, sugar and butter over a medium high heat for ten minutes, stirring continuously.
  • Once the mixture has turned a little transparent and the colour of milk chocolate,  mix in the almonds and spread it out on the foil with a palette knife. Work quickly because the toffee is still cooking. You need to catch the mixture just before it starts smoking and turns a dark brown.
Not yet. Not yet. Now!


  • I can’t stress this enough – be very careful not to stick your mitt into the toffee, it’s at about 160 degrees C and hurts like hell if it burns you, as I learned to my cost last Christmas.
  • The almond roca will set in a few minutes. Pat off any excess butter with kitchen roll and smooth on some melted chocolate.
  • Once the chocolate has set, break it roughly into pieces.
  • Pop it into some cellophane bags, tie with ribbon and distribute it to friends and family, cleverly disguising the fact you’ve not actually done any Christmas shopping.





4 comments:

  1. Fantastic! i am so going to try this.

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  2. I love rocas and have never thought to make my own. Thanks for the recipe and step by step photos!

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  3. Helen, there is some on its way to you via Morecambe : )

    My aunt has been in touch to say it's actually her recipe, my cousins just appropriated it. Also, you can put the chocolate drops straight onto the hot roca and its searing heat will melt them for you. Obviously you can't dab off any excess butter if you do this, but what's wrong with a bit of extra butter?

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  4. Thank you for another fantastic article. Where else may anyone get that kind of info in such an ideal method of writing? I’ve a presentation next week, and I’m at the search for such info. delicious and super healthy lamb curry

    ReplyDelete