Microwave Almond Toffee

I know the holidays are over, but I never really got in the Christmas spirit this past year and I'm just now getting a sweet tooth for those yummy holiday treats.  So yes, despite my husbands moans and groans, I made almond toffee tonight (he's moaning and groaning because #1: he's out of town so he can't enjoy it!  #2: he gained weight over the holidays while I actually lost - neener neener). 

I'm not a candy maker so I went in search of a microwave recipe to see if I could pull it off.  I found this recipe at cooks.com, but I made some nifty improvements thanks to Demarle!  I did use a 2 quart glass bowl, but I've seen recipes in the Demarle cookbook where they microwave the butter and sugar directly in a Large Round Mold.  I have to admit, I was a little scared to try it right in my mold, so I stuck with the glass bowl this time.  Let me know if you try it directly in your mold!  There was no 8" square dish with buttered foil for me!  I just poured the recipe right into my mold, added the chocolate chips and covered it with my Silpat to let the chips melt.  After "quick-setting" it in my freezer (that was the plan, but I forgot about it for a couple hours), it popped right out of the mold in a lovely flower shape (minus what I had already eaten).  I could break it apart if only it wasn't frozen solid.  Oops.

So thank you Demarle at Home - I'm now making things like molten chocolate cakes and almond toffee.  That's great for my goal of becoming more like Martha, but not so good for my families' waistlines.