Every year right before Christmas (well – for the past two years that I can remember) the Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel posts the results of their holiday cookie contest. The top recipes are listed in a couple-page spread along with pictures of the winning treats. My grandma always sends me these recipes. I can usually scam a recipe or two from the cookie contest winners to add to my regular holiday cookie making repertoire.
I haven’t been much into Christmas this year – for the first time in … well … my entire life. By December 23 I hadn’t made one Christmas cookie. (Usually I pump all Christmas cookies out the day after Thanksgiving – this year I had to work.) But having received the publication of the annual holiday cookie contest winners, I was seized with a small amount of holiday cheer and zeroed in on what appeared to be the easiest recipe to make, toffee.
ingredients.
- 1 lb butter
- 2 c. packed brown sugar
- 2 c. chopped pecans
- salt
- 12 oz chocolate chips
directions.
- Butter a cookie sheet with sides and sprinkle 1 cup of the pecans in pan. Season with salt.
- In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, cook butter and brown sugar to 300 degrees (using a candy thermometer), stirring constantly (this will take quite some time).
- Pour into pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Let melt for a few minutes then spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining pecans on top and sprinkle with salt. Let harden and then break into pieces.
I’m not a huge toffee fan so I’m not quite sure why I settled on these treats to make (other than what I previously mentioned – the recipe seemed really easy). Having never made toffee before, I wasn’t even sure what goes in it. When I saw ingredients that looked suspiciously like caramel, I decided to take the plunge. And I’m glad I did! This is the best toffee I’ve ever had, which means a lot coming from a toffee hater.
Recipe rating:
Food Snob 