Email to Cat      

Saltine Toffee

Source of Recipe

From "The Southern Sympathy Cookbook" by Perre Coleman Magness


Recipe Introduction

"This is an oldie but a goodie—a stalwart community cookbook recipe and a classic food gift. And there is a reason for that. It is sweet and salty and crunchy and easy to make, and incredibly comforting. I'm not reinventing the wheel here, just bumping up the classic with a little vanilla and a sprinkle of salt. But I wanted to share this because I get requests for a batch of it from friends all the time, and it was a special treat much appreciated in the last months of a friend's mother's life."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ About 50 saltine crackers
â—¦ 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 cup dark brown sugar
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ 12 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces
â—¦ 1 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
â—¦ Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon (optional)


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a 12-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick foil or parchment paper. Lay the crackers out in one layer as close together as possible, filling the baking sheet.

Melt the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. When the butter is melted, raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, and keep at a boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the 3 minutes are up, give it a good stir and pour evenly over the crackers on the baking sheet. Spread the caramel around with a spatula if needed, but don't worry if the surface isn't covered completely—you just don't want it pooling in one place.

Bake the crackers for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top in an even layer. Let sit for 5 minutes, then use a flexible, preferably offset spatula to spread the chocolate in an even layer over the crackers. If you'd like to, sprinkle the pecans and/or the sea salt evenly over the top of the toffee. Leave to cool, then place in the refrigerator for about an hour for the chocolate to set. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container for 5 days.

Makes about 100 pieces