(Fool's) Toffee

Having my own kitchen this year meant I had to determine what Christmas baking/cooking traditions I want to carry on with our family. One calorie-laden staple is something called "Fool's Toffee". Whether this means it's easy enough for a fool to make, or has ingredients that fool one into thinking it's a difficult recipe, I do not know, but prefer the latter. ;)

What you'll need:
1 jelly roll pan covered in tin foil (shiny side up), sprayed with Pam
1 package Saltine crackers
1 cup packed brown sugar
1.5 - 2 sticks butter*
12-16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

What to do:
1. Prepare jelly roll pan by covering it with foil and spraying it generously with Pam.
2. Remove the saltines from their package and lay on the pan in rows, side by side, with edges touching, until the pan is entirely covered.
3. Preheat your over to 350*
4. In a medium sized sauce pot, cook butter and brown sugar until it begins to bubble. Boil and stir continuously for 4 minutes. *Make sure to stir constantly or else it will burn!
5. Carefully pour the boiled frothy-looking butter and brown sugar mixture over the saltine crackers, evenly covering every cracker. A high-temperature proof spatula will help spread the mixture nicely.
6. Place jelly roll pan in the oven for 5 minutes (at 350*).
7. After 5 minutes, remove the pan - the mixture should have baked/soaked into the crackers and look bubbly. In some cases you may need to rearrange the crackers if they moved too much (or if you are a type A, need-nice-lines person like me). :)
8. Evenly sprinkle chocolate chips over the crackers and place back in the oven for 1 minutes.
9. Remove pan from the oven and with a spatula, spread the now soft and melted chocolate chips over the entire cracker surface.
10. Before the chocolate can completely cool, sprinkle chocolate surface with chopped walnuts (or your choice of nut).
11. Once the jelly roll pan cools down enough to handle, place it in the freezer for a few minutes to help the chocolate harden.
12. Remove pan from the freezer, pull your hardened toffee away from the foil and break it into pieces.

*Tip: If you want crunchier toffee, only use 1 to 1.5 sticks of butter. If softer toffee is your preference, make this recipe with 2 sticks of butter. I've made this recipe both ways and (alas), like the 2 stick of butter better b/c it holds together nicely and isn't as crumbly.