Coconut Toffee

Now that Nascar season is over, the hubs and I are at a loss for what to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Usually we end up on Food Network - I like to cook, the hubs likes to eat; it's a win, win. One of the shows we really like is "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," which is basically a bunch of Food Network stars describing the best things they've ever eaten. For the holidays, they had them do a twist on it and share "The Best Thing I Ever Made" - but it was all holiday related. The hubs and I were watching and he saw Aarti Sequeira make "Coconut Toffee" and he was in love. I knew I had to attempt it.

Now this toffee isn't toffee in the way that we think of it. It is more of a sweet coconut candy, but hey - I didn't name it.

I found the recipe on foodnetwork.com and got to work.

Here's what you need:

• Baking spray
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut (also called finely grated)
• Pinch ground cardamom
• Drop pink food coloring, optional

Note: Ground Cardamom is expensive. Like $10 for a small bottle. But you could actually taste it, and I think it would be noticeable without it. I don't think that I've ever used another recipe that called for cardamom.

Spray an 8x8 square baking pan with the cooking spray and set it aside. 

Next combine the sugar and water in a sauce pan and heat over medium heat. This mixture is going to go through some textural stages and you're going to want to keep stirring it so the sugar doesn't crystallize along the sides of the pan. 

Cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball consistency or 235 degrees F on a candy thermometer. 

Unless you're magic, you're going to actually need the candy thermometer. On my first attempt, I thought I could just eye ball it - what resulted was a jelly mess that wouldn't set up. I went and got a $4 candy thermometer and the result was pink crystal perfection. Once it has reached 235 degrees, mix in the coconut, cardamom, and a drop of pink food coloring. Stir and pour into the baking pan, pressing firmly into the corners. If you've done it correctly, this mixture will immediately start to thicken.

If it sits there like a soupy pile (like my first attempt) then you didn't heat it to a high enough temp. Let your toffee harden (this takes a few hours), then cut into delicate little pieces and enjoy!

Overall, this recipe was simple, but attention to detail was necessary (the candy thermometer)! It was also really fun because watching the sugar and water solution go through different stages was like performing a science experiment. Also, the finished product looked just like the finished product on Food Network. Plus, the hubs approves. :)

<3 M