Saltine Toffee

Disclaimer: This saltine toffee is highly addictive.

This saltine toffee is one of the most amazingly strange holiday treats ever known to man. I kid you not. Who would have ever thought that you could make toffee with saltines. Right? Let me just say that once you make this, you won't go back to making toffee any other way. It couldn't be simpler (no candy thermometer needed!) and it takes only 20 minutes to make from start to finish. And depending on your oven size and number of pans you have, you can make two batches at a time!

Okay, so let's get to it. Here is what you will need to make this incredible and addictive toffee - saltines (of course), brown sugar, butter and chocolate chips. As for the saltines, don't use the fat free ones or unsalted ones. I tried that and it just didn't taste right. Go for the regular 'ol saltines in the cracker isle. I also highly recommend using non-stick foil. I know I've mentioned it before, but it's seriously the best thing ever. You can find it right next to the regular aluminum foil. If you don't use this or don't want to buy it, make sure to spray your foil with nonstick spray. Otherwise, you'll never get the toffee off. Maybe you will, but it may have little bits of foil on it and no one wants to eat foil. At least I don't.

Once you have all your ingredients ready to go, line your cookie sheet with foil. Make sure the foil goes up the edges just a little as the toffee mixture will bubble up the sides a bit. Once the pan is all ready to go, line up saltines side by side until the entire pan is covered. If you need to break up some of the saltines to fit in the areas that don't have any. Broken up pieces are just fine. It doesn't have to be pretty, just cover up the foil. Then, add the butter and brown sugar to a pan on the stove. Heat until all melted and bubbly. Pour the mixture over the saltines to coat them all. You may need to use a spatula to spread it out a bit, but it does not need to be perfect. Then comes the part where it gets all its toffee goodness - place the pan in the oven for 10 minutes. Once the time is up for the oven, pull the pan out and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let those sit for about five minutes and then spread it all out to coat. At this point, you can leave the toffee as is or add whatever toppings you like. I like to add crushed saltines on top, but you can add toffee chunks, sprinkles, any kind of chopped nuts, or candies such as mini m&m's. 

After you've added whatever toppings you like, let the pan cool for 30 minutes and then place in the fridge to harden up for at least an hour. I like to leave mine overnight, but sometimes it's hard to wait that long. I told you this stuff was addictive. Once it's all set and hardened up, remove the foil from the toffee and break up in to chunks. At this point you can just shovel it in to your mouth or place it in tins or bags to give away as a wonderful gift anytime of the year. It's so easy to make and something that is now part of my annual holiday treat making extravaganza. In fact, I am almost certain I've made over 10 pounds of this stuff already this season! What are you waiting for - get in there and make this saltine toffee today!

So toffee-y, so delicious!

Saltine Toffee (my wonderful coworker, Jan)

30-45 saltine crackers (or however many you need to fill your cookie sheet)

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter 

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups chocolate chips

Toppings, as desired (toffee bits, crushed saltines, candies, nuts, etc)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet (or 9x13 pan) with foil. If you are not using non-stick foil, spray your foil with cooking spray. Place the saltine crackers in a single later on the foil and if needed, break some of the crackers to fit the areas where a whole cracker will not fit. Little pieces of cracker are okay, but try not to overlap too much.

Once the pan is ready to go, melt the butter and brown sugar in a pan on the stove over medium heat. Once everything is melted, boil the mixture for 1-2 minutes and then pour evenly over the saltine crackers. You may need to spread it over the crackers to get it totally coated. Then, place in the oven for 10 minutes, until hot a bubbly. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Allow the chocolate chips to soften up for about five minutes and then spread in to an even layer. Add toppings at this point, if using.

Let the pan cool for about 30 minutes and then place in the fridge for at least an hour or until set. Once toffee is set, remove foil, break up in to pieces and enjoy!

This toffee will last for about two weeks at room temperature or int he fridge for several weeks. But, it will probably be gone before before you can say saltine toffee!