1 stick salted butter
1 stick margarine--no substitutions, please
1 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. light Karo syrup
3 Tbsp. water
1 large (1/2 lb.) Hershey's milk chocolate bar (Or....1/2 of a pound plus bar from Trader Joe's)
1 package sliced almonds (Or...1 cup finely chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds)
Directions:
Prepare your marble slab by spreading chopped nuts evenly across the bottom.
Chop the chocolate. Place half the chopped chocolate over the nuts. Reserve the rest for later.
For toffee:
Use a heavy-duty pot (2-3 quart) with a tight fitting lid.
Place the butter, margarine, sugar, corn syrup, and water in the pot. Bring to a rolling boil and put the lid on. Don't touch or remove the lid. Let the toffee cook undisturbed for 3 minutes.
Remove the lid carefully to avoid dropping any moisture back into the pot.
Without stirring, cook the toffee until it becomes dark amber in color. It may take as few as 5 minutes, or as many as 20. This is not the time to answer the phone or check your e-mail.
Swirl the pan occasionally, if needed, to prevent any one area from becoming too dark before the rest.
Once the desired color is reached, promptly take the pan off the heat. Pour the cooked toffee evenly over the chocolate/nuts layers.
Sprinkle the remaining chocolate over the surface of the hot toffee. Let it sit for a few minutes until it's melted.
Carefully spread the melted chocolate with a spatula and sprinkle with remaining nuts.
