12ouncessemi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
½cupchopped walnutsoptional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Line a jelly roll pan or rimmed baking sheet with foil. Top the foil with a layer of parchment paper. Spread the saltine crackers out evenly over the baking sheet to form an even layer, salt-side up.
Combine the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture comes to a boil, allow it to cook for just 30 seconds, while whisking constantly. The mixture should be a deep golden color. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla extract.
Drizzle the caramel mixture evenly over the crackers, spreading to cover if needed. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven OFF.
Sprinkle the chocolate evenly over the crackers. Return the pan to the warm oven for about 1 minute, or until the chocolate is soft and glistening. It will not take more than a minute or two.
Remove the pan from the oven, and use an offset spatula to spread the melted chocolate evenly over the crackers. If desired, sprinkle with nuts (or candy, etc) over the chocolate while still warm.
Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and then transfer the tray to the refrigerator to chill completely. This will take about 1 hour.
Once the chocolate has hardened, cut or break it into bite-size bars. Store the toffee candy in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Chocolate: Feel free to use milk or dark chocolate in place of the semi-sweet chocolate. If not using chocolate chips, be sure to finely chop the chocolate before adding it to the candy. Nuts: Use chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans OR omit the nuts.Note on Salt: If using unsalted saltines, you will want to use salted butter or stir in ¼ to ½ teaspoon of kosher salt to your caramel mixture when you add the vanilla extract. You need a bit of salt to balance out the sweetness in this recipe. Recipe Modifications:
Peppermint: Swap out the chopped nuts for crushed-up candy canes, for a minty spin on this classic treat.
Rocky Road: Sprinkle chopped pecans and diced mini marshmallows over the melted chocolate.
M&M: Sprinkle mini M&Ms over the melted chocolate. During the holidays, I love to use festive colors to make it extra special. Red and green for Christmas or pastel colors for Easter.
Almond Joy: Add chopped almonds and shredded coconut to the layer of melted chocolate.
Pretzels: For an additional salty bite, sprinkle pieces of broken-up pretzels over the chocolate after it has been spread over the saltine crackers.
Use Graham Crackers: Instead of using saltine crackers, you can use graham crackers to line your sheet pan. This will result in a much sweeter version of this treat.
Peanut Butter Cup: Drizzle warm peanut butter over the layer of melted chocolate (before it sets up) and then sprinkle with mini peanut butter cups.
Nutrition is based on 1/24th of the recipe without adding nuts.