20 October 2011

Toffee Bark (12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies)


Last week was my daughters' school carnival. You know, the kind with bounce houses, food, a bake sale, and games where the kids win trinkets that are sold by the unit. Because I do not know how to say no, I volunteered to work and was assigned the lollipop booth. This is the booth where, for one ticket, you can choose a lollipop and if there is a dot on the bottom, you win a prize.

I learned quickly that the lollipop booth is like Walmart on Black Friday.

I also discovered that you can tell a lot about a child's future in watching how they play the game. I now know which boys to steer my daughter away from because they will likely become gambling addicts.

Some kids just wanted a sucker, and paid their ticket to get one. If they won, great. If not, so be it.  Most would try a few times to get a red dot and walk away happy for the three suckers and set of clapper hands that will never be played with again after the night is over.

And then there were the others. The ones that won the first time and then tried again. And won. And continued over and over, playing so many times I wondered if their parents realized that they no longer needed to buy Halloween trick-or-treat candy. I swear, the look in their eyes was not that different from a housewife winning big at the Wheel of Fortune slot machine Vegas. Not that I'd know or anything.

Speaking of addictions, I'm about to start another one for you. Do you like English Toffee? Because then this bark is the treat for you.


I love making bark at the holidays. It's not hard to make, it tastes great, and a little goes a long way. This Toffee Bark definitely fits the bill. It's awesome. And if you're not careful, you'll be at Sugar Anonymous.


This is week four of the 12 weeks of Christmas cookies. Um, yikes. That means Christmas is way less than 12 weeks away. I better get ready for my Walmart Black Friday shopping...


Toffee Bars
Recipe adapted slightly from Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Magazine

Ingredients:
45 saltine crackers (salted)
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (12-ounce) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup toffee bits (Heath Bits ‘O Brickle)

Directions:
1.       Preheat oven to 400°. Line a large cookie sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange saltines in a single layer in prepared pan.
2.       Add butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring often, until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and boil for 3 minutes (do NOT stir during this time). Immediately pour over crackers. Bake for 5-7 minutes.
3.       Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and wait 2 minutes, until they become melty. Spread the chocolate even across the bars. Sprinkle with toffee chips and let cool completely. (It helps if you do this in the refrigerator.) Break into pieces.

Yield: about 6 cups






This recipe may be linked with:
MondayMingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of DessertsTuesday2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box), Talent Show Tuesday (Chef in Training). WednesdayCast Party WednesdayMade It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  ThursdaySweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy). FridaySweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home). SaturdaySweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos). SundayA Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters), Fall Crawl (The Artsy Girl Connection), Fall Craft Challenge (One Artsy Mama)

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24 Comments:

At October 20, 2011 at 7:15 AM , Anonymous Becca @ Crumbs and Chaos said...

To.Die.For. I've never made this before, but it's going on my must-make-list for this year!

 
At October 20, 2011 at 7:35 AM , Blogger Tracy said...

Haha I worked one of those carnival things and so sooo many kids like that (at a church, no less)! Your toffee looks fabulous though, yum!

 
At October 20, 2011 at 7:53 AM , Blogger Kristin said...

This looks great! My favorite Haagen Daz flavor used to be sticky toffee pudding and then they stopped making it. I love all things toffee :)

 
At October 20, 2011 at 11:33 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

I love bark but never thought to use saltiness! Very cool indeed

 
At October 20, 2011 at 12:02 PM , Blogger Kristen said...

This is one of my secret indulgences. I love how those saltines become something amazing when combined with the other ingredients in this recipe.

 
At October 20, 2011 at 12:57 PM , Blogger Desi said...

I've seen different variations of this recipe all over the blogosphere and MUST make it! I love the sweet and salty combo. I bet this is delicious!!!

http://steaknpotatoeskindagurl.blogspot.com/2011/10/caramel-apple-marshmallow-dip-improv.html

 
At October 20, 2011 at 1:12 PM , Blogger Shannon said...

I love love love toffee!! I've never tried this version with the saltines, but I bet it's wonderful due to the salty/sweet combo. I think I'm going to put this on my Christmas Baking List!!

 
At October 20, 2011 at 3:16 PM , Anonymous BreAna {Sugar and Spice and All Things Iced} said...

Yum!! I first had these at my in-laws a couple years ago. I couldn't believe it when she told me how she made them. Now I am dying to make some myself. Yours look absolutely delicious!!

 
At October 20, 2011 at 5:47 PM , Anonymous Jessica said...

This look amazing! I love love loveeee toffee, I HAVE to try this.

 
At October 20, 2011 at 6:07 PM , Anonymous Stefanie said...

Good thing there's not a sweets anonymous, otherwise I might be forced to go... hehe. This is great looking bark! And I love making bark for the holidays, but typically stick to traditional chocolate. Great to see something different!

 
At October 20, 2011 at 6:24 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

@Becca @ Crumbs and Chaos
Oh, you have to make it. So. Good. :)

@Tracy
Kids sure are crazy anywhere I guess. :) Thank you for your comment!

@Kristin
Oh, me too. It's dangerous to have in my house. :)

 
At October 20, 2011 at 6:28 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

@Karen - Trilogy Edibles
The saltines add something awesome to the recipe. You can use Matzo too. :)

@Shannon
They add an amazing crunch too. If you make it, let me know what you think! :)

@BreAna
Thanks! They are super easy to make and so pretty to look at. Let me know if you try it. :)

@Jessica
You and me both! Toffee is amazing. Thanks for your comment! :)

@Stefanie
This is a great variation. Bark is awesome. :) Thanks for your comment!

 
At October 20, 2011 at 6:33 PM , Blogger The Poet Herself said...

I'm pretty sure I've seen this referred to as "crack" before. :) I haven't had it yet because I have no will power. ;)

 
At October 20, 2011 at 7:30 PM , Anonymous Courtney @ Misadventures in Cooking said...

I adore toffee and this looks amazing! I will plan to be back to join your blog hop next week. Thanks for stopping by!

 
At October 20, 2011 at 7:48 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

@Courtney @ Misadventures in Cooking
Thank you! :) I look forward to seeing you next week.

 
At October 20, 2011 at 11:26 PM , Blogger Trisha said...

How cool is this ... I made a slightly different variant of this as well. This is right on top of my "favorites" list at the moment!

 
At October 21, 2011 at 5:33 AM , Blogger Amy Anderson said...

I linked up but then realized this might be a closed Blog Hop just for those participating in the Christmas cookies thing. Feel free to remove my Apple Carmelitas if that's the case.

Your toffee bark looks delish! We make something similar but without the toffee. Gonna have to add it next time!

Amy @ A Little Nosh

 
At October 21, 2011 at 5:42 AM , Anonymous carolinaheartstrings said...

I love salt and sweet so this is the perfect thing. Delicious. Come over and see us. We have a really great sweet potato Nutella recipe this week.

 
At October 21, 2011 at 6:37 AM , Blogger Angie - Big Bears Wife said...

that would be a perfect little gift!

 
At October 21, 2011 at 6:39 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

@Trisha
I love all the variations this recipe lends itself too. They are all so good. :) Thanks for your comment!

 
At October 21, 2011 at 11:03 AM , Blogger Jennifer {Mother Thyme} said...

I just love this recipe! Looks fantastic. Perfect to break up and make for holiday gift giving. That of course I don't eat the entire batch beforehand! :)

 
At October 22, 2011 at 2:45 PM , Blogger Kim McCallie said...

I'm enjoying all of the recipes on the 12 Weeks of Christmas series. This toffee looks incredible. Thanks for sharing on Sweet Indulgences Sunday.

 
At October 24, 2011 at 6:51 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

@Jennifer @ Mother Thyme
That's for sure! It's why I have to eat a piece and give the rest away. :)

@Kim McCallie
Me too, they are all so yummy! Thanks for hosting. :)

 
At November 28, 2011 at 12:24 PM , Anonymous xlpharmacy said...

This is so good. Make sure you boil it for 10 minutes or more until golden. Also, just sprinkle chocolate chips over, they will melt, then spread. I made this for Mother's Day gifts.

 

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