Redneck Toffee

Here’s a sweet treat that’s easier than pie. Nothing fancy schmancy here folks. But tasty? Yes siree bobtail! Some may think this is fodder for rednecks. That might be, and if so, then I guess I might be a redneck. Jeff Foxworthy would be proud.

Nope. I don’t discriminate. All kinds of food are welcome here.

My friend, Ansley, passed along this recipe so I don’t know where it originated but it must’ve been from some real creative cook somewhere with a red neck. Ansley said I just had to try it and pass it along to all of y’all. And so I did.

And I’m so glad she’s my friend.

I’ve heard some call it Christmas Bark but then that would imply that it’s only appropriate for Christmas time and that’s just not right. What if I want to have some in July? So I’m naming it Redneck Toffee. Call it what you may but that works around these parts.

The ingredients? Simple, but oh, so, so…wicked. This is not diet food people. If you’ve had these before, you know what I’m talking about. I made the mistake of beginning to calculate the nutritional value. Don’t do it. Just walk an extra mile or two. Or three. They’re worth it.

Many are surprised to find that saltine crackers are at the root of all the evil. And butter…and sugar…and all things sweet. So if you’re not into all that good stuff, turn away. Turn away now.

Still here? Yea! Let’s continue…

As I said the ingredients are simple. Saltine crackers, butter, brown sugar, toffee bits, chocolate chips and pecans. The toppings can easily be mixed up. Coconut would be wonderful. Or white chocolate chips – yum. And any other nut could be substituted or you could leave off the nuts altogether. This is a flexible recipe, so if you need to change up amounts of ingredients go ahead. Sin is sin.

And the prep? It couldn’t be easier. It goes something like this…

Preheat oven to 350° and in a small sauce pan melt 2 sticks of butter, add 1 cup of brown sugar and stir well to combine. The sin commences.

Cover a baking sheet(s) with a single layer of saltines, edges touching. I used two 13×18″ (approx.) baking sheets coated with cooking spray or you could use parchment paper as well as a silicone baking mat. It took about 2 1/2 sleeves of saltines to cover the 2 baking sheets.

Slowly pour the melted butter and brown sugar sinfulness over the crackers, stopping occasionally to gently spread with a pastry brush.

When every cracker is coated, sprinkle the toffee bits over all the crackers. Warm in pre-heated oven until toffee bits begin to melt slightly (4-7 minutes depending on your oven). Watch carefully to avoid burning.

Remove baking sheets from oven and spread chocolate chips and pecans covering all areas. Add more or less to your liking. I placed mine back in the still warm oven but it was OFF to melt chocolate chips slightly.

After chocolate chips are melted, remove again from oven and let cool. When baking sheets are cooled, you can cover the treats with foil, parchment or wax paper and put in the fridge for about 5 minutes to harden up a bit.

Use a spatula or knife to gently cut apart along the edges of the individual crackers.

Enjoy! Forgiveness and exercise is for all.