Easy microwave almond toffee

This recipe comes from my favorite Irish band, Colcannon, out of Colorado.

Recipe: Almond Toffee
Here's one more quick recipe, back by popular demand. Note: a few folks who tried this last year found that they had to shorten the timing a bit from what's listed here. (I think most modern microwaves may have a lot more "horsepower" than the old one we use.) It's all about getting the sugar to caramelize to the right extent so you get that crunchy but not burned toffee-ness.

I make many, many batches of this every year at Christmas with the intention of giving it as gifts, but a good portion of it never leaves the house...

You do it all in the microwave, and it’s dead easy. Here’s how it goes:

12 tbsp butter (that’s a stick and a half; use regular salted butter, not unsalted)
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 cup coarsely chopped raw almonds
a third to a half cup of chocolate chips (I like the dark chocolate)

Line a pan of approximately 8x8 inches with foil (you need this ready ahead of time)
Put the sugar and butter in a biggish microwaveable bowl.
Microwave on high for 3 minutes, then whisk it until it’s blended.
Back in the microwave it goes, this time for 4 minutes.
Now stir in the almonds and pop it back in the micro.
Cook it about 2-4 minutes more. This is where the timing gets a little tricky. In my oven, which is not super powerful, it takes about three more minutes- you may have to experiment.
Using a spatula, pour it into the foil lined pan.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips over it. When they’ve melted, spread the chocolate evenly with a spatula. You might want to save a few chopped almonds to sprinkle on the top.
Now the hard part: let it cool

That’s it. The only tricky bit is getting the timing so that the texture comes out right. But even if you’re a little off on that it will still taste great.
Enjoy!