Almond Roca

Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with foil, and generously butter the bottom of the pan. Add a 1/2 cup of the chopped almonds onto the buttered pan, evenly distributing the almonds across the entire bottom of the pan. Set aside. Break the chocolate up into small pieces. Set aside.

In a medium sized pot, add the butter, and melt the butter completely over medium heat on the stovetop. Add the brown sugar to the butter and stir. Continue to cook the butter and sugar mixture on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Insert a candy thermometer into the mixture. Continue stirring mixture, watching the temperature closely. Once mixture reaches 300-degrees (Fahrenheit), remove immediately from the stovetop and pour evenly over the almonds in the prepared pan.

Use a buttered rubber scraper to evenly spread the sugar mixture into the pan. Quickly add the chocolate pieces to the top of the hot mixture, evenly spreading the chocolate over the top of the mixture. Let the chocolate sit for a minute to start melting, and then gently spread the chocolate as it melts, to evenly coat the top of the roca. You have to work fast as the roca sets quickly and you want the chocolate to adhere to the roca. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of almonds evenly on top.

Let roca cool on the counter. Once cool, set in the refrigerator to cool completely. After roca has completely cooled, use your hands to gently break the roca into desired sized pieces.