I love candy. Anyone who knows me for even like 15 minutes knows that I have a sugar addiction. I particularly like chocolate…and cookies…and ice cream….OK, I pretty much love it all. Some of my fondest childhood memories are with my Dad baking cookies and pies. I am certain I got my sweet tooth from him and he took full responsibility for that by making sure I knew how to create confections by age 10. Thank you, Dad.

Every year for the holidays I go a little nuts making sugary goodies for my family and friends. Not to brag (too much) but my peanut butter chocolate candies are basically legendary in my circle. They are pretty labor intensive and time consuming though. Every year I’m reminded (while covered in sugar and chocolate) why I only make them once a year.

I do have some rather easy recipes up my sleeve for the holidays, though. Today I’d like to share one of my new-found favorites – English Toffee. This recipe is super easy and is basically only two steps. It does requires a candy thermometer, though. But you can find one pretty inexpensively at any box store or grocery store in the kitchen gadget aisle. I highly recommend that you own one. It will come in handy time and time again.

English Toffee

My husband and I also call this “crack candy” because we simply cannot stop eating it. It’s a love/hate relationship.

Supplies :

Candy Thermometer

Heavy Saucepan

Whisk or other stirring utensil(s) and a scraper

Cookie Sheet

Double Boiler (You can create a make-shift one by putting a smaller saucepan into a larger one. )

Ingredients :

1 Cup Butter (Don’t even THINK about replacing this! Use the real deal.)

1/2 Cup White Sugar

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Water

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup (or more) Chocolate Chips (I like to use a mix of super dark 60% cocoa chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips)

1 Cup Coarsely Chopped Pecans (or any other nuts you may want to use. I also added holiday colored sprinkles to this batch)

Directions:

Step 1

Grease a cookie sheet with butter

In your saucepan, combine butter, sugar, water, and salt.

Cook over medium heat, stirring until butter is melted, and sugar and salt have dissolved Cook to hard-crack stage (300°F) stirring constantly and watching carefully (sugar burns easily!). Once your candy thermometer reads 300°F, take mixture off of heat and immediately pour into greased cookie sheet. Cool until hard (feel free to put it in the fridge to expedite the cooling process). Step 2 While your toffee is cooling, melt chocolate over hot, but not boiling water in your double boiler.

Spread melted chocolate over cooled, set toffee.

Sprinkle with nuts and any other decorations you want, lightly pressing them into chocolate.

Let stand for an hour or two (or about 30 minutes in the fridge) until chocolate has cooled and set

Break into bite-size pieces. That’s it! You’re done! Nice job! However now you have a very difficult decision to make – do you give it to family and friends as a nice holiday treat, or do you keep it all for yourself? You might want to make a double batch just in case you can’t make up your mind. I know that’s what I had to do. So what are your favorite holiday treats? Do you have any sweet Christmas traditions/recipes you MUST do every year? I’d love to hear about them! I hope you all have a wonderful, warm, love filled holiday season! Remember to take time for yourself, hug lots of people and eat plenty of good food. Namaste!