After Halloween, remember sorting through the Hershey’s for the nuggets with almond and toffee? Now imagine a scratch-made version with fewer ingredients and more almonds and toffee.
Every year, southwestern restaurant Jonathan’s Cork cranks out 1,200 to 1,500 pounds of their signature Almond Roca, based on a brand-name candy of the same name.
Owner-chef Jonathan Landeen learned the simple recipe from his mother: butter, sugar, chocolate, and almonds. With careful candy-making technique, the butter and sugar transform into an addictive toffee.
Yes, sugar’s a main ingredient, but it’s not too sweet. As a result, it’s easy to enjoy with a glass of bourbon, Scotch, or wine. For a decadent treat, crumble the Roca over scoops of dulce de leche ice cream and warm apple pie.
The sheets of Roca are hand-chipped into bite-sized chunks, while any smaller chunks are saved to sprinkle on desserts in the restaurant.
Production and availability usually begins at Thanksgiving, if the weather has cooled enough, and ends by Valentine’s Day when it sells out.
Customers from Canada fly down for this delight, so don’t miss out on this local favorite.
Jonathan’s Cork Almond Roca Pricing
- Two-pound bag – $36
- One-pound bag – $18
- Half-pound bag – $10
Jonathan’s Cork is located at 6320 E. Tanque Verde Rd. To order some Almond Roca, call (520) 296-1631 or email jcork@jonathanscork.com.
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Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
