Sunshine Off a Log

It's a new year! It's mid-January! Have you already fallen off your resolutions wagon? Well, you're in good company. Do you know someone who's still on the wagon and making you look bad? Well, grab a jelly roll pan, because this is the perfect transition to the slippery slope where we're all on even ground, indulging in some salty, gooey, chocolate treats. Life is better with a little decadence, isn't it?

This stuff is addictive. "Oh-just-one-more-piece" addictive. It's like lickin' sunshine off a log--I never fill up, no matter how much I eat. I usually stand over a batch, eating the edges I've trimmed off, insisting that "It looks prettier this way." Of course it really does, but the preview the edges give are more thrilling than the aesthetics of a plate of candy pieces.

It's dangerously easy to make. See that flaky crust on the bottom?

SALTINE CRACKERS, my friends. (You don't have to tell anyone that though. You should let it slip only if people think you're too highfalutin with your homemade.) That caramel in the middle is just butter, brown sugar, and the miracle of sweetened condensed milk. Melt some chocolate chips on top, and then toss on some chopped nuts.

Happy 2013! May your year be as blissful as tasting the decadent edges.

Salty Toffee
Adapted from Holiday Baking
2.5 sticks of unsalted butter (1.75 cups)
35 saltine crackers (almost a sleeve)
1 cup (230 grams) dark brown sugar
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
12 ounces (about 2 cups) bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup hazelnuts, chopped (cashews, peanuts, and probably almonds, pecans, and walnuts are all lovely too)

Preheat the oven to 400. Line a 10 by 15 jelly roll pan with parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the pan a bit. Put half a stick of butter in the pan and place the pan in the oven to melt the butter while the oven is heating up. When it's melted, take the pan out of the oven and smear the butter around to grease the parchment paper. Arrange the crackers on the pan on top of the melted butter--it doesn't have to be perfect.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining two sticks of butter with the brown sugar, stirring very frequently. Have your sweetened condensed milk and a whisk nearby. (Open the can and have a small spatula handy too.)

Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil for about two minutes--the mixture needs to become a thick syrup. 248 degrees is perfect.

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the milk, mixing until the caramel is completely blended. Pour the caramel evenly over the crackers. Well, you don't have to use ALL of it. It turns out that this caramel is good on cake, ice cream, cookies, spoons...so I usually save about half a cup to stash in the fridge for a sugar emergency.

 Bake for 5-8 minutes, until the caramel is bubbly all over.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the caramel, and let it sit for five minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. 

After the chips are mostly melted, spread the chocolate with a spatula to cover the caramel. 

Sprinkle the nuts evenly over the chocolate. I usually use a metal measuring cup to gently press the nuts into the chocolate so that they set up more sturdily. 

Put the entire pan into the freezer for at least 30 minutes. The waiting is difficult, but worth it. After half an hour, remove the pan from the freezer and lift the toffee out of the pan using the parchment paper. Place the toffee on a cutting board and use a large knife to cut into pieces. The larger the pieces, the less debris (nut pieces, cracker crumbs, and chocolate shavings) you'll have--but this debris is very tasty on ice cream, so consider that when cutting. Store in an airtight container in the fridge, with wax paper between the layers.