I am always looking for a good excuse to go up Minnesota’s Northshore Culinary Highway. This fall I stumbled upon the Great! Lakes Candy Kitchen and went back with the TV cameras to film them in action. I have now gone back a third time to stock up on English Toffee before they close up for the season.
It’s a third generation candy kitchen and has the best English Toffee dipped in chocolate around in my humble opinion. Pamela Matson and her son Andy are English Toffee masters. I am also addicted to the dipped orange peel and discovered a new taste sensation recently- crystallized ginger dipped in dark chocolate. Like the orange peel, it’s soft and chewy, not rubbery like most dipped fruit you would find that is commercially processed. When we filmed for WDIO Pamela was very generous with tips and secrets to making great English Toffee. Click here to see Andy making toffee and Pamela dipping the toffee in a giant tempering machine on the web clip from the WDIO website. Or better yet, go get some, but hurry, they close at the end of December until next May. That’s a long time to wait…
- English Toffee Dipped in Dark and Milk Chocolate, Orange and Ginger Dipped in Dark Chocolate
English Toffee from Great! Lakes Candy Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 lb. Butter
2 cups Sugar
1 cup water
1 cup chopped raw almonds
Combine butter, sugar and water  in pot and cook on high heat, stirring with wooden spoon and washing down sides with water .  Using candy thermometer,  cook till 240 degrees then add chopped raw almonds.
Cook till 300 degrees,  stirring constantly.  Take off heat immediately.  Pour onto greased cookie sheet.
When cool,  break into pieces and dip in chocolate if desired.
Enjoy!
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I discovered this lovely shop a couple of years ago. Their candy is excellent and the owners and staff friendly and helpful. Their candy is what I give at Christmas, to rave reviews, from those who receive it.