Microwave Toffee

Name: Microwave Toffee
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 1/2 C Pecans – finely chopped; 1/2 C Butter (1 stick); 1 C Sugar; 1 Tsp Salt; 1/4 C water; 1/2 C Semi-sweet chocolate chips; 1/4 C Pecans – finely chopped

December 19, 2013 by Steph Powers 31 Comments

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If you’re looking for a quick last-minute neighbor gift this Christmas season, look no further! Today I’m sharing our family’s favorite microwave toffee recipe with you. This is one of those treats that I have to make every Christmas but don’t get to make any other time of the year. (Not because it’s difficult, but because I end up eating half the batch in one sitting every time I do!) It’s also perfect because it’s made with things most people keep on hand.

Wouldn’t you like to get this in your mailbox?

I know it’s been about a month since my last post. Sorry for leaving you hanging, but it’s been a busy holiday season. We were in Texas with my parents for Thanksgiving and then I came back to work my last week at my tutoring job and had family in town for my college graduation that happened this past Sunday. So many great things all at once, but it left me with not enough time to cook and post here. Don’t worry though, I have a bunch of great recipes in the works for you over the next month or so.

Back to the recipe:

It’s one of my favorites because it’s so simple. You mostly just dump everything into a microwave safe bowl and wave it for 10 minutes. This is the bowl I use for making toffee because it has a handle and a pour spout. I originally bought it *just* for this recipe, but have found a lot more uses for it over the years (pancakes, chocolate, cake batters, and anything else I want to pour easily). Be sure to coat the top two inches with the stick of butter because it will keep everything from bubbling over and making a horrible mess in your microwave (not that I’ve done this or anything…) Dump in the stick of butter, cup of sugar, tsp of salt, and 1/4 cup water and put it in the microwave on high for 8-10 minutes or until it turns a golden brown the color of a paper bag. (DO NOT STIR at any point.)

It will be a little lighter than this in the bowl and darkens quickly as it cools. My high-power oven reached this point at 8 1/2 minutes.

While the mixture microwaves, chop 3/4 cup pecans and spread 1/2 cup out on your cookie sheet and measure out 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. I don’t typically grease the cookie sheet because the butter in the microwave toffee prevents it from sticking. I also do not use wax paper or foil because it sticks like none other and ruins the toffee. (Parchment is okay though if you really want.) I’ve never had trouble with a bare pan though.

When the mixture reaches the browned point, take it out of the microwave and pour it carefully over the chopped pecans on the pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and leave them to melt for a couple minutes.

Melty, chocolaty, goodness. Mmmmmmmm

Using a knife, spread the chocolate evenly across the toffee (it will be hardening by this point, but be careful not to squish the chocolate into it.) Then, sprinkle the remaining chopped pecans over the top and place it in the refrigerator to cool. (Or if you’re in snow season like me and short on fridge space, put it on the back porch in the pile of snow.) It will be done when the chocolate has re-set and the toffee breaks easily.

Once it has set, remove it from the fridge and break it into 2 inch pieces. You can “recycle” the extra pecans from the pan into the next batch if you’re like me and always end up using too many.