Crunchy Toffee

Crunchy toffee is a sort of candy-cookie hybrid.  The butter and sugar syrup permeates a graham cracker base before the candy making process is complete, resulting in a very crunchy toffee that is light enough not to stick in your teeth (much).  This toffee is quickly and easily prepared, yet never fails to impress.  The time spent for the resultant quantity and quality makes this the most valuable recipe in my Christmas files.   A batch makes enough for several holiday gifts for friends or co-workers.

Step 1: Supplies

Hardware

• Aluminum foil
• Jelly Roll pan (large cookie sheet will work but it must have a raised edges)
• Sturdy medium saucepan

Foodstuffs

• Half a box of graham crackers (about 12-15 large crackers)
• 1/2 lb butter (2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts

Step 2: Preparing the Pan

Preheat your oven to 350.

Line your pan with aluminum foil.  Make sure the foil goes up over the side of the pan.  Lightly but thoroughly grease the foil.

Line the pan with graham crackers.  You can break them up or leave them whole. Fill all gaps with pieces of graham cracker.  You don't need to squeeze them in too tightly.  Graham crackers can be cut to size by scoring them with a butter knife and then snapping them apart.

From my picture, you'll see that my graham crackers are broken-up into quarters.  This is not necessary but I prefer it because it allows me to break the finished product into evenly sized pieces.  However, these can be broken up into random pieces.

Step 3: Cooking

Add the butter to a medium saucepan and melt the butter over medium heat.  Once it is melted, add the sugars, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.  Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat and allow to gently simmer for four minutes.

Pour this syrup over the graham crackers.  Use a spoon or high-temp spatula to spread the syrup over the crackers.

Bake for 10 minutes.  It will bubble and the graham crackers might develop floating corners or edges while it bakes but don't worry about it until it's out of the oven.

Step 4: Finishing

When the toffee comes out of the oven use a utensil or high-temp spatula to push down any graham crackers that have floating edges or corners.

Sprinkle with chocolate chips.  Wait about 2 minutes for the chips to melt, then spread the melted chocolate out in an even layer.

Next, sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over the still-melted chocolate.  Allow to sit until completely cool and chocolate has solidified.

Once it is cool, peel off the foil and break into pieces.

Comments

[spikeseller]

This has turned out to be my favorite quick to make dessert! Great recipe. Great instruction and pics. My wife has celiac disease which requires a gluten free recipe. I line a jelly roll pan with heavy foil that I fold a wall into to divide the two sides of the pan. Line one row of glutino' GF table crackers and 2-1/2 rows of regular graham crackers. This allows me to make a GF and non-GF dessert in the same pan without the two sides mixing. Excellent!! In a blind taste test my kids could not tell the difference between the taste of the two toffees. If the GF crackers were not less than 1/2 of the quantity, for about 3 time the price of the graham crackers I would make the whole pan GF. Thank-you for sharing a great recipe:)

[cklreed]

Delicious thanks for sharing!

[Quercus austrina]

The wife and I made this and it is, hands down, the best we have ever tried. Tastes just like a Heath Bar - back when they were made in England. We didn't have a jelly roll pan, only a cookie sheet, so we had to make a double batch. Needless to say, with 2 teens, that batch lasted about 2 days, only with us trying to hide a portion of it. That didn't work out to well. LOL. Great recipe, great job on the 'ible.

Qa

[moshpit6785]

kay im thinking of making this.. would i be able to use.. the cereal golden grahams instead of graham crackers?

[starshipminivan]

They won't lay flat so it will be a lot different with some of the cereal not getting saturated with sugar syrup. Also, the graham crackers absorb the sugar syrup pretty well and I don't know if the cereal will. I suppose you could crush it to make an even layer but I haven't tried it like this.

I know it sounds weird but some people make this with saltine crackers. It's supposed to be good either way.

[moshpit6785]

thanks :) i made em tonight anyways got the graham crackers instead. didnt want to screw up one of my fave desserts. and yes ive used saltene crackers before. ive even used breton crakers. but thanks anyways. plus thanks for actually having the recipe! :)

[starshipminivan]

I'm thinking of making a candy cane version. It would use all white sugar, white chocolate chips and crushed peppermint candy. For the candy tops, I prefer Bob's Sweet Stripe Soft Mint Candy for this task. It's more like a giant after dinner mint and turns makes for fluffy candy bits rather than shrapnel like hard candy.

[Ridhwaan]

Drool...
Those are awesome.

[patricianorma]

looks fantastic! must try!

[eyang]

delicious.........