Haute + Heirloom: December 2013

Christmas Pretzel Toffee with Milk Chocolate, Bittersweet Chocolate,
Crunchy Toffee Chips, + Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel

A couple years ago, I made Salted Pretzel Toffee, and it was great. It had the slightest twist on the original classic, but I missed the texture of the crackers. While strolling through the grocery store yesterday, I saw Ritz Pretzel Crackers and my mind was blownnnnnn. And I feel like Christmas Toffee is a tradition in almost every household during the holidays. Everywhere I go, someone is making toffee. So I figured why not make another batch, but with these new crackers. Well, I took this version to a whole new level. It reaches a gratifying level of salty + sweet. The crackers are buttery, flaky, and have the slightest hint of salt. After I layer those into a pan, I boiled dark brown sugar, butter, and two vanilla beans to make my butterscotch sauce that covered the crackers and baked them just for a little bit, to make sure that it all set properly. On top of everything, I used one bag of high quality bittersweet chocolate + one bag of high quality milk chocolate. Once it melted, I spread it into a thin layer and generously topped it with crushed toffee bits and homemade vanilla bean fleur de sel!! This is what (Christmas) dreams are made of, people! It's so addicting that the whole bag will be gone within an hour. So why eat that boring old recipe, when you can have the gourmet edition. Oh and P.S. MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL!! Enjoy :)

look at those toffee crunchy bits :)

For the Christmas Pretzel Toffee:

1 ½ Boxes of Ritz Pretzel Crackers (¾ of the crackers whole, ¼ of the crackers crushed)

4 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

2C Dark Brown Sugar

2 Vanilla Beans, Split & Scraped for Seeds

½t Sea Salt

1 Bag of Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

1 Bag of Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips

1 Bag of Toffee Bits

Homemade Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. For the Toffee: Line a baking sheet with a Silpat and arrange the whole crackers in an even layer, and then sprinkle the remaining crushed crackers into any cracks or holes, so that the whole tray is filled.

3. For the Butterscotch Caramel Sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, dark brown sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and salt together and boil until it turns a caramel color and is smooth in texture (whisking the entire time). This will take about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately pour the caramel over the crackers, covering them evenly.

4. Baking the Toffee: Put the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes or until just bubbly, making sure to watch it very carefully. Remove from the oven and sprinkle both types of chocolate chips over the crackers. The chocolate should start to melt, but if isn’t melting fast enough, you can pop it back in the oven for another minute or two, and that should make it spreadable enough. When the chips have melted, spread them in an even layer over the top with a rubber spatula. Immediately sprinkle the bag of toffee bits and fleur de sel over the melted chocolate and just slightly press the bits into the chocolate, making sure that they will stick to the chocolate once everything has cooled & hardened.

5. Transfer the pan to the freezer for 20-30 minutes or until completely cold. Once cold, break them or cut them up into small squares or pieces and enjoy!