I don’t feel like waxing poetic today, so I’ll come right out with it. These are amazing. They are simple and quick to throw together with no need for a bowl or mixer, no beaters to clean (or lick). I was looking for a sweet treat to bring to book club, and these was perfect.
Granted, perhaps they were not the perfect item to sit in the sun for five hours on a warm day, but then again, neither am I. Arriving home red-faced and with one sunburned arm (cute, right?), I was comforted to find last summer’s bottle of aloe vera still stashed in the refrigerator door. But for the company, and the lazy day, and the lemonade, it was certainly worth it.
And these were indeed the perfect treat to send packing with my husband to the office on a Sunday afternoon. Who works on a Sunday, you ask? A man who is trying to square away the final details of his first feature film. I like to think these sweet and salty and rich treats saw him through. (In fact, there’s internet proof they did.)
Salted Toffee-Chocolate Graham Cracker Squares
from Everyday Food
makes 24
13 graham crackers
1 8-ounce bag toffee bits*
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3/4 cup (4 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place graham crackers in a single layer on sheet, edges touching. Sprinkle toffee bits and almonds over graham crackers. Sprinkle toffee bits and almonds over graham crackers.
In a small saucepan, bring sugar and butter to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is syrupy, about 2 minutes. Immediately pour over graham crackers. Bake until sugar topping is bubbling, 12 minutes.
Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate and salt over graham crackers. With a sharp knife, cut into 2-inch squares. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.
*Note: I searched high and low but couldn’t find the elusive “toffee bits.” I couldn’t even find some Skor bars to chop up. With no other options and with the advice of the bodega cashier, I subbed 3 chopped Butterfingers.
