Do you want to be the favorite guest at all the holiday parties you attend this year, AND assure that your name stays on the party list for years to come? BRING. FOOD. Not just any ol’ food mind you, but my very favorite treat to make at Christmas.
Now I know that recipes are among the LEAST favorite types of posts I do, according to my recent reader poll. But what you don’t know about me is that I have in my possession some pretty amazing recipes! I come from a long line of great cooks and this recipe is a family favorite.
So I’m not going to apologize for sharing a recipe today, but I will try to appease those who prefer home-decor-only types of posts.
I’ll save the special treat for the end and start with some pictures of our den all decked out in woodland decor for Christmas.
If you saw my Christmas Home Tour last week, you saw that the Christmas decor in other areas of my house was all done in soft colors, and glitter, and French Country goodness. Not so our den.
This is the room where we spend most of our evenings in winter. If we aren’t entertaining friends you’ll likely find us cozy in our PJ’s, warming ourselves by the fire while reading, watching movies, or simply being entertained by our dogs.
As an aside, on a psychological scale of anywhere from “normal” to “out there,” our dog obsession might – possibly – score nearer the high end. My youngest daughter once had a boyfriend who voiced his amazement at how much time we spent just watching our dogs. When I asked him how he and his family interacted with their dog he said, “We keep him locked in his pen in the garage most of the time.”
Needless to say, this boy didn’t continue to be the boy-friend for long.
You can find a tutorial for this Baby It’s Cold Outside Chalkboard Hearth Bucket HERE
All snuggled into our den at night we enjoy warming our old bones over some steaming hot cocoa or tea (Mr. OTN is actually more of a diet Pepsi person but I learned long ago that you can’t change a man until he’s ready), along with something sweet and crunchy and buttery delicious.
That’s where the recipe that I want to share with you comes in. The MOST Delicious Homemade Almond Roca! Click To Tweet This recipe originally came from an old family friend, and since lifelong friends are like family I’ve taken the liberty of claiming it as our own. Thank you Helen P.
You can find a tutorial for making a rosette wreath HERE.
My mom used to make Almond Roca from this recipe every year and now my sisters and I continue the tradition. It simply wouldn’t be Christmas without it. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do.
The BEST Homemade Almond Roca
Notes
I like to wrap up pieces of Almond Roca in colored cellophane & a festive ribbon for spur-of-the-moment gift giving.
Ingredients
- 14 ounces - plus or minus - of grated Hershey bar. (+ or - because the size of Hershey bars change from year to year).
- 2 cups finely chopped almonds
- 1 pound good quality butter (we always used Darigold)
- 2 cups sugar
- Note: A CANDY THERMOMETER is a MUST HAVE
Instructions
- Grate Hershey bar(s) with a food grater or process in a food processor, and divide in half.
- Chop nuts and divide in half.
- Line a large rimmed pan with foil (I use my broiler pan).
- Sprinkle one-half the chopped nuts evenly across the bottom of the pan.
- Sprinkle one-half the grated Hershey's bar over top of the nuts.
- In a heavy pan cook butter and sugar over high heat, stirring constantly until it reaches 310 degrees on the candy thermometer. This does take some time and it will darken a bit as you're stirring but keep going and don't quit. The proper temperature is IMPORTANT!
- Pour wide ribbons of the mixture over the nuts and chocolate and use a spatula to fill in any spots that remain uncovered.
- Sprinkle the remaining chocolate and then the nuts over the hot mixture.
- Cover with wax paper and press down hard to make the chocolate and nuts stick.
- Harden in the refrigerator (or a cold garage floor will do)
- THIS is the FUN part: When it has cooled completely lift it out in the foil and drop it on a hard surface to break the candy into pieces.
Note: My Woodland Den is really pictures from last year (photos I never shared) because, as I said in my previous post, we aren’t decorating for Christmas this year. We do however have some interesting things happening behind the scenes here in our grand girl, The Southern Colonial. I’ll share with you as just soon as I can 😉
Sasha and CharliGirl in their Christmas finery
Look at these babies? Can you see now, why we are so enamored of our dogs? By the way, if you want to read 19 Signs You are a Crazy Dog Person, I found an very informative and amusing article HERE.
Thank you for coming by to visit me today. I’m truly thankful for those of you who share in my little piece of Blogland.
Christmas Blessings,
As always, if you liked this post, don’t forget to PIN me!
I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
SundaysAtHome, TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays
Monday:
IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired, InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStory, What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends, InspireMeMonday, GodSizedDreams
Tuesday:
TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CedarHillFarmhouse, TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles, Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story
Wednesday:
SavvySouthernStyle, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage, ThreeWordWednesday, WriterWednesday
Thursday:
ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner, Thought Provoking Thursday, SincerelyPaulas, ThoughtfulThursday, Tune-inThursday
Friday:
FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday, ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration, Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus FreshMarketFriday
Saturday:
FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents, SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet
How pretty! Love the woodland Santas!
Thanks sweet Jen!
Patti, I love all of your beautiful decor. It’s such a fun time of year to put your heart into your home and you have done a beautiful job. Have a very Merry Christmas and a great day!
xoxo Jo
Thank you sweet Anne. I do love Christmas!
Oh it is therapy each time I visit your site!!! Your eye for decorating is both soothing and inspiring Patti. Merry Christmas!
That is incredibly nice of you to say Crystal. Thank you! Hugs <3
I love your style – it’s fun and fanciful. I’m glad we’re friends. Send roca. AND THOSE DOGGIES.
Thank you for the compliment Susan. I’m glad we’re friends too. As for the Roca, Christmas is closer and closer and I’m not sure I’ll get to make a single batch this year. I will make you a batch though. Soon 🙂
It’s easier to find the Christmas spirit when I visit you, Patti! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your beautiful decorations and your enthusiasm with us. I need it! Have a blessed Christmas with your family.
Thank you for this dear Lisa. We all need the encouragement we receive from each other’s words. Blessings friend.