Almond Butter Pie With Chocolate Saltine Toffee Crust Recipes

Steps:

• Whisk together the cocoa powder, cornstarch, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in the milk in a slow stream. Whisk in the egg yolks.
• Place the mixture over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until it just begins to boil, 6 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking, until thick, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in the butter and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Fold the chopped candy into the pudding. Whip 3/4 cup of the cream with an electric mixer just until stiff peaks form. Fold a third of the whipped cream into the pudding to lighten it, and then fold in the other two-thirds until no streaks remain. Transfer to the pie crust and freeze until firm but not frozen solid, about 3 hours.
• Whip the remaining 1/2 cup cream just until soft peaks form. Spread over the pie and garnish decoratively with sliced or chopped candy.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast for about 6 minutes, until golden.
• Line a 12 x 17" rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat or lightly buttered parchment paper. Arange the saltine crackers on the baking sheet in a single layer, patching any holes with cracker bits; slight gaps are okay.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, and corn syrup and cook over low heat until the sugar is melted. Brush the side of the pan with a moistened pastry brush to wash down any sugar crystals. Cook the syrup over moderate heat without stirring until it starts to brown around the edge, about 5 minutes. Insert a candy thermometer into the syrup and simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon, until a honey-colored caramel forms and the temperature reaches 300 degrees, about 6 minutes longer.
• Slowly and carefully pour the caramel over the crackers, being sure to cover most of them evenly. Using an offset spatula, spread the caramel to cover any gaps. Let cool for 3 minutes, then sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly on top. Let stand until the chocolate is melted, about 3 minutes, then spread the chocolate evenly over the toffee. Spread the almonds evenly over the chocolate. Freeze the toffee until set, about 15 minutes.
• Invert the toffee onto a work surface and peel off the mat or paper Invert again, break into large shards and serve.
• The chocolate-almond saltine toffee can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.