Have you been baking your little heart out this holiday season? I love seeing cookie and baked good recipes all over (what can I say, sweets make me happy!) and I’ve bookmarked dozens of them over the past month or so. This past Sunday was the first time this month that I’ve actually baked. A tragedy really but hey, better late than never. I learned how to make toffee too and dare I say… it was life changing!
Now that I know how easy it is, there will be lots and lots of toffee in my future. And the future of my family and friends. Prepare yourself peeps. If you know me, there will be toffee coming your way at some point in your life. 
Nothing to complain about, that’s for sure.
So the toffee making process was born from the desire to make the chocolate almond saltine toffee recipe from Food & Wine. I’ve had saltine bark before (a.k.a crack) but this was my first time making my own. Toffee is basically butter (lots of it), sugar (yup, lots of it too), and corn syrup boiled together until it reaches 300* (a candy thermometer is very key here!!). Once these 3 simple ingredients turn into a golden brown syrupy goodness, you poor it into a container (in this case, over saltine crackers actually) and then cool it. After 15 minutes in the freezer, you have a sweet crunchy candy. Man, it’s good!
Fun fact: Our wedding favors were sweet sloops which are little sailboat shaped toffee candies dipped in i2 kinds of chocolate and pecan crumbs. Awesomeness in a pretty package. So are these:
Salty saltines + sweet crunchy toffee + creamy dreamy chocolate + nuts = happiness all around. Life changing.
The back side 
Dig in!!
This little tin has someone’s name on it… 
Have you ever made toffee? Other things that got me as giddy (“life changing” was also possibly mentioned in relevant posts): making marshmallows, making challah bread, making pretzel sandwich buns, Italian bread, and making ricotta. I think it’s something about demystifying some of my favorite foods, as well as the pride that comes from turning a handful of ingredients into a completely different form of deliciousness. Yup, that’s it.
PS – Other baked goods created during this baking extravaganza (thanks, Tiffany, for hosting!)…
… and peanut butter blossoms
What have you been baking lately?
I baked lots of sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies on Friday night. I’m looking forward to baking more cookies for Christmas!
yup, that stuff is dangerous
looks like a fun party with all those delicious goodies!!
I only seem to make toffee during the holiday season, but I’m not sure why I don’t do it more often, because it’s so good! And sweet sloops have always been a favorite of my family’s.
I’ve been baking like crazy and loving every minute of it!
I love toffee and have always wanted to make it. Really need to get make that happen soon!
I love those toffee saltines. I like it with matzo too
I’m going to try it with matzo next!
I love Saltine bark! I used to make it with all sorts of stuff thrown on top… mini M&Ms, nuts, pretzels. So good!
Salty and sweet is where it’s at! Love the use of saltines here.
I’ve never made toffee, but your chocolate-almond-toffee saltines look fabulous! Can’t beat the sweet-salty combination!
My friends’ mom used to make chocolate toffee saltines, and I forgot all about them actually! I used to love them. Yours look delicious. Beautiful photos. I too, love the salty and sweet combination. Can’t be beat.
We’ve done the matzo route during Passover, was a huge hit at the Seder
Ahhh Sweet Sloops. I think those are exclusively a MA thing as I haven’t had them anywhere else.
They are from Mass but looks like they sell them all over. http://www.harborsweets.com/store-locations.asp
I even saw them at Whole Foods the other day and possibly squealed. Yup
Wow. I had no idea they were all over. I was under the impression they only sold them at their store in Salem (which was where my ex’s mom would always buy them for us from). Though sadly, no stores in Illinois. May have to make my own copy cat version. I do love the crunchy crisp toffee + chocolate. Mmmmm….
Yeah, now that I know how to make toffee… there will definitely be copy cat versions in my future too. That stuff ain’t cheap
Yum, looks like perfect toffee and very addicting!
Ive been making that toffee too!
Oooh…that toffee looks GOOD. My friend used to make this every year during Hanukah. And yes, it really is like crack. (That said, I’ve never actually tried crack…so what do I know?)
Mmm, toffee sounds AMAZING. I love toffee. I think I will definitely be trying to make some soon! =)
I’d love to hear how it goes for you!