Chocolate Caramel Cracker Toffee
Growing up, every year at the holidays a family friend would drop off a bag of the most delicious gooey, salty, chocolatey homemade toffee, which we’d all promptly fight over. So you can imagine the joy I felt upon discovering a recipe on Smitten Kitchen that lets me make my own batch of this amazing dessert all year round! Easy to make – and even easier to eat – it makes a great holiday gift, but I’d suggest making a double batch if you plan on sharing.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- ~54 saltine-style crackers
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*
- Line a 13″x18″ rimmed baking sheet with foil, and then a sheet of parchment paper (you can use just parchment or just foil, but cleanup will be easier with both).
- Lay out saltine crackers in rows to completely cover the bottom of the sheet pan.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar, and whisk together over medium heat until it starts to boil. Continue whisking as it bubbles for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat.
- Add vanilla extract and a pinch of salt to your caramel sauce, and stir to combine, then pour over the saltines, using a spatula to quickly spread the caramel until they are completely covered.
- Bake the caramel-covered crackers for 13-15 minutes, keeping an eye out to ensure they don’t burn.
- Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand for 5 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate to completely cover the crackers.
- Sprinkle with sliced almonds, then put in the fridge or freezer to cool.
- Once cool, break up into pieces and try not to eat the whole pan at once!
Notes
I’ve seen variations made with Ritz crackers, or you can use matzo as in the original Smitten Kitchen recipe, but my personal preference is for saltines. You can also top with other types of nuts, or leave them off entirely.