Last Minute Holiday Recipe – Toffee in a Hurry

I can say with confidence that I am a pretty good cook. I try to have home-cooked meals ready for our family on most nights of the week, (don’t be fooled, I take shortcuts along the way) and thus far I have had few complaints. Said confidence, however, does not apply to baking or otherwise preparing confectionary delights. My husband usually takes the lead on the holidays and impresses us all with his Rolo pretzel delights or made-from-scratch sugar cookies. This year, Pinterest pressured me into stepping up my game with a super simple toffee recipe. I had most ingredients on hand, and whipped up a full batch in about 20 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup  pretzels, broken up or chopped (your choice on what kind)
• 1 cup butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• ¼ cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Measure and prepare all ingredients. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the pretzels in a single layer on the foil.

   

2. Add sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt to a large (2 qt or larger) sauce pan and melt over medium heat, stirring throughout.
3. When ingredients are completely melted, continuously stir and gradually increase heat to medium-high. Continuously stir for 10-15 minutes until the mixture is golden brown. As soon as it reaches that color, quickly pour over the pretzels in your pan.
4. Allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then sprinkle with chocolate chips. Allow to sit for another couple of minutes so the chocolate chips will melt, then spread over the toffee with a spatula. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and put the pan in the refrigerator to cool completely.
5. After it has completely cooled, break apart the toffee. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

You could also use 1 cup of chopped almonds instead of pretzels, and dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.

What’s your favorite last-minute treat recipe?