Exams are upon us, holiday parties are looming and we could all use a pick me up. What could be better than a delicious salty and sweet treat – especially when it only takes minutes to make. The best part about this recipe is that it makes a huge batch, perfect for sharing.

Toffee might seem daunting, but the truth is this recipe is so simple that anyone with an oven could easily whip this sweet treat up. Then again, it looks and tastes so impressive you could easily convince your friends that you spent hours slaving away on their dessert!

Toffee is also the perfect addition to a potluck, or a large batch can be split up into gift bags and given as presents for the holidays. That is, if you can resist eating it all yourself!

Serving: About two dozen squares

Ingredients:

1 sleeve of salted soda crackers
1 cup of brown or light brown sugar
1 cup of butter or margarine
½ cup of peanut butter
3 cups of chocolate chips
Optional extra toppings for decoration

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Start by lining a cookie sheet with parchment paper. You might need two if your oven is small like mine. I used one metal and one glass to see which would turn out better. Both were very tasty, but the metal cookie sheet was much easier to work with!
   
2. Lay crackers along the bottom of cookie sheet. Ensure that there are small spaces between each cracker for the yummy caramel and peanut butter to seep into. Salted crackers will work best, but if you only have unsalted on hand, just sprinkle a little table salt on top.
3. Heat butter and sugar on the stove at medium heat until both ingredients form a smooth consistency and mixture comes to a boil. Allow mixture to boil over medium heat without stirring for three minutes – this will require some will power!
   
   
4. After allowing liquid to boil for three minutes, very carefully pour evenly over crackers. Place cookie sheet in oven for five minutes.
   
   
5. While the crackers and caramel are in the oven, heat peanut butter in the microwave for about a minute until it has melted. After five minutes, remove the cookie sheets from the oven and pour the melted peanut butter overtop. You may need to use a spatula or the back of a tablespoon to distribute the peanut butter evenly. Generously sprinkle with chocolate and return to the oven for one minute.
   
   
6. When removing cookie sheets from oven, chocolate chips should still seem to have kept their shape. A spoon or spatula will easily spread the chocolate into an even layer. While the chocolate is soft, add any toppings you might want to make these treats even tastier and more festive. Red and green sprinkles or M&M’S will work well.
7. Leave in freezer for at least an hour or the refrigerate overnight.
   
8. Use a sharp knife to carefully break into pieces. It is very difficult to make even squares, so embrace the unusual shapes you’re bound to get!

This recipe is not at all challenging, and absolutely delicious – the first batch I made was easily eaten up within twenty-four hours!

This is the perfect break for studying and makes so much that it can serve as study snacks for the rest of exams, or a very welcome addition to any potluck. You’re sure to amaze your friends, but won’t need to sacrifice valuable studying time.

Have some fun with this recipe and change up the toppings to be more decorative or elaborate, or leave it with a classic layer of chocolate! These toffee bites are great on their own, or broken up into ice cream or another frozen dessert.

Plus it makes a very inexpensive and thoughtful gift for anyone with a sweet tooth on your nice list!

This recipe is adapted from sallysbakingaddiction.com