Chocolate Pecan Saltine Toffee

I had a busy day that started with two hours out in the yard. I went outside at 7am to beat the heat but was dripping wet by the time I finished bagging the last of the grass clippings. After showering and then spending hours running all over town, I was craving salt and chocolate.

There weren't a lot of options in my snack drawer. Then, I saw a single sleeve of saltines. That made me to remember a recipe I first did as a Girl Scout. Since those halcyon days, I have changed the method a little because, frankly, pouring the boiling sugar and butter into the pan and then transferring it to oven to bake always seemed to me to be a recipe for disaster.

Chocolate Pecan Saltine Toffee

1 sleeve saltine crackers

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons corn syrup

10 oz pkg bittersweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

In a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper, lay out saltine crackers, salt side down, in a single layer. Set aside.

In a medium-size sauce saucepan, combine butter, sugar and corn syrup. Place over medium heat until butter melts, stirring continuously. Increase to high heat and cook until mixture registers 325°F on a candy thermometer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and carefully pour mixture over saltines, spreading evenly.

Let sit a few minutes (until the sugar stops bubbling) and then sprinkle bittersweet chocolate chips over toffee. Once chocolate melts, spread in an even layer over toffee. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top. Let cool slightly. Freeze until chocolate sets. Once the chocolate is set, break into pieces.