Yummy in your tummy...and a quilt

    My friend Laurie is going to be a grandma for the first time so I made this for her new Little Man. If  you look close, in the front seat of the car is the Cat in the Hat. 

The chocolate factory geared up this week. 

I made 220 peppermint patties, with one more batch of about 100 to go.  It sounds like a lot but there's a line forming out the front door, so I need to make more and more every year!  That's ok, I love it when something is a hit.   Oh, and a tip:  when working with 24 cups of powdered sugar don't wear black.



 And, I tried a new recipe.  I found it on Pinterest.  There are about a zillion recipes for toffee on Pinterest and I don't know why I picked this one, anytime someone says their recipe is "signature" or "handed down from grandma" or "been in the family for generations" or "came with auntie on the Mayflower"  I will look twice and taste as I read.  This one didn't require a candy thermometer.

I will share.  Honestly, it's so very, very easy.   Really, so easy.   Really.  Easy.

Toffee by Monica at The Yummy Life

1 cup unblanched whole almonds - skin on
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1  12 oz. package milk chocolate chips (use Ghiradelli or other very good brand...it melts better)
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Toast almonds by spreading them in a single layer on a plate and microwaving on high for 2-3 minutes.

Line a foil baking sheet (small sheet pan..like 9x13. ) and arrange almonds in a single layer on foil. This doesn't make a huge amount. I put the almonds on the sheet pan in a "together" kind of look. The toffee just covers this, it won't cover the whole bottom of the sheet pan. Not need to butter the foil, the toffee won't stick to the foil.

Cook over medium high heat and stirring constantly with a clean, dry wooden spoon the butter and sugar, vanilla and salt.  When butter has melted cook and stir constantly for 7-10 minutes (it took mine 8 minutes) till the candy is the color of the brown skin of the almonds, and it will start smoking slightly.
AT THIS POINT, when it starts smoking, stop stirring, DO NOT SCRAPE THE PAN and IMMEDIATELY just pour the toffee over the almonds. No scraping, just pour.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot toffee and wait a minute, they'll melt.  I used the back of a spoon to spread the chocolate over the top of the toffee.   Sprinkle the pecans on the wet chocolate and press in a bit.

It takes a long time to cool....like hours.  When cooled I pressed the point of a knife into it in areas to break off pieces, then stored in an airtight container.

Make two batches.  This one won't last long.