Graham Cracker Toffee
Graham Cracker Toffee, not just for kids!

Toffee is a holiday favorite for many. But oh! it can be so fussy.

Pull out the candy thermometer to achieve the right temperature and consistency – and don’t let it burn!

And even if you successfully make it through the cooking stage, the mixture can still be hard to work with.

Never again!

GRAHAM CRACKER TOFFEE starts with every-day graham crackers that are barely recognizable once miraculously transformed into a crisp, sugary-buttery-caramel base. Then top with chocolate and nuts (or how about chopped peppermint?) and the result is suggestive of a perfectly fresh handmade Heath bar.

These are easy and taste great too. At a dinner party awhile back, I watched several people (not kids, grown-ups!) casually reach toward the plate for an extra piece, hoping no one would notice.

Be forewarned: these are addictive!

ALANNA's TIPS Make sure your baking sheet fits into your freezer. Otherwise be prepared to transfer the crackers to something else for freezing. I had high hopes for a festive look from mixed white and dark chocolate. But it just doesn’t work. To toast, arrange the nutmeats in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350F until golden and aromatic, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully near the end for the nuts can burn quickly.
Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food writer Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Is candy a homemade favorite? Share a recipe via e-mail.

GRAHAM CRACKER TOFFEE

Makes 5½ dozen pieces
Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Baking, resting, freezing: 60 minutes
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 12 chocolate or plain graham crackers (half a 14-ounce box)
  • 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips (9 ounces)
  • 1 cup toasted pecans or walnuts (or other nuts), chopped

Preheat oven to 375F.

Melt the butter, brown sugar and salt in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Cook until smooth, about five minutes, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, line a 15x10 rimmed baking sheet with foil, leaving a slight overhang. Arrange the crackers in a single layer on the sheet, breaking to fit as necessary. Pour the butter mixture over the crackers, spreading evenly and completely covering the crackers. Bake for 10 minutes.

Scatter chips evenly over top, return to oven until chocolate softens, 2 – 3 minutes. With a spatula, spread melted chocolate evenly over the crackers. Sprinkle nuts evenly over top the chocolate.

Cool for 30 minutes, then transfer to freezer for 15 minutes. Remove foil, then break crackers into pieces about 1½ inches square.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per 1½” square: 69 Cal (59% from Fat); 5g Tot Fat; 7g Carb; 0g Fiber; 25mg Sodium; 6mg Cholesterol, Weight Watchers 2 points

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© Copyright 2005 Kitchen Parade

December 16, 2005 printme Page Permalink |email E-Mail this Recipe



Your Comments:

My embarrassing toffee story: while in high school, i was helping a friend make toffee at Christmastime. We were stirring it with a plastic spatula. It seemed to me that the spatula was getting shorter, but I brushed it off as an overactive imagination. Once we poured it into the pan, we noticed some artistic looking white swirls. Sure enough, the spatula WAS getting shorter - it was melting in the molten butter-sugar mixture! Ay yi yi. I'm sure if I could see those friends today, 25 years later, they would still tease me about this... Just think, if we'd been making your version, it never would have happened! :^)
Anonymous Tricia on 9/15/2007
 
I had trouble with the Graham Crcker Toffee. All went well until I put on the chocolate chips. I checked them after one minute, two, three, etc. I finally realized that the chocolate was never going to melt. It went into a consistency of gravel. The batch is a disaster. What can be wrong? Was the oven too hot? I had it on 375.
Blogger stirlsa on 12/16/2007
 
Hi Strlsa, I'm so sorry the toffee didn't work out (though it does taste okay, yes?) and really can't imagine why the chocolate wouldn't just melt in a hot oven though times of course can vary. The only thing that I can think of is that some times inexpensive chocolate chips can be sort of grainy? I don't use anything particularly fancy, just Hershey's Toll House from the grocery, but maybe it's that?
Blogger Alanna on 12/17/2007
 
Hi again Strlsa, I had another thought overnight. You know how water causes heating chocolate to seize up? Is there any chance that even a sprinkle of liquid got on the chocolate? I've had it happen in the pot without knowing it (from my fingers, say) and it does get exactly as you describe, rough and gravelly.
Blogger Alanna on 12/18/2007
 
I love this I make it every year! It is VERY addicting. The only difference is I add toasted coconut. Very yummy!
Blogger Lauren on 2/08/2008
 
 
 
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