Bars

This simple holiday favourite has been a part of my baking since the late 80’s. The best part of Christmas was when your co-workers brought in their best treats during December. When I worked at Dylex, a lady named Halina brought in her delicious Toffee Bars that had everyone swooning. Remember, I didn’t grow up with holiday baking so I asked her for the recipe. Over the years, it has evolved into what it is today. Her original recipe used graham crackers but during the 90’s I tried a version called Skor Bark that used Saltine Crackers and chopped Skor Chocolate Bars on top. I love the salty and sweet combination. Lately I’ve seen similar recipes online called Christmas Crack. I guess if I’m not using Skor Bark, this name is generic enough to let me be more creative with my toppings. Now I throw on top whatever I can find, chopped Kit Kat, Oreos, pretzels, nuts, and even crushed Candy Cane. Of course, you can make it without nuts and it will be delicious! It is so good that it’s hard to keep until Christmas.

Almond Toffee Bark (also called Christmas Crack)

Ingredients

1-1/2 cup butter
1-1/2 cup brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pkg. (100 g sliced almonds or coarsely chopped almonds*, toasted)
Approx. 35 - 45 Saltine crackers with salted tops
1 pkg. (300 g semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate wafers)
½ cup - 1 cup Skor toffee bits *
*Be creative - mix in other chopped chocolate bars (Coffee Crisp, Oreos, Kit Kat, Crunchie or use crushed candy cane; I also throw in broken pretzels for added saltiness.)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Prepare your cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil so that the bars don’t stick.
Line the pan with Saltine crackers, breaking some to fit.
Melt butter with brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until thick and foamy. Do not let it burn.
Pour over the crackers, making sure you cover the whole pan.
Sprinkle sliced almonds on top.
Bake for approximately 10 minutes until the edges bubble up.
Turn off the oven and take the pan out to sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
Return to the oven for about 5 minutes until the chocolate looks shiny and starts to soften. Sometimes it’s hot enough you can skip this step. Then take a spreading knife to smooth the chocolate all over.
Sprinkle more almonds (or chopped nuts) on top and Skor toffee bits. Press slightly.
Let the bar pan cool. When cooled, wrap the pan in plastic and put it into your freezer for an hour.
When the bars are frozen, using a knife along the edges, you can lift the whole bar out and break it into pieces using 2 pcs of wax paper or plastic gloves. The trick is it has to be frozen but if you don’t have the room in your freezer, then the fridge will do.