Holiday Sweets, Part 1: Cashew Bark

One of my friends asked me about my blog recently, hoping to check it out and try some new recipes.  When I gave her the web address, I immediately felt guilty because I haven't updated since April. APRIL!  It's DECEMBER now!  I promise I've been trying new recipes and cooking (and taking pictures, too), but being a doctoral student sometimes means that "fun" writing gets put on the back burner.

I have this massive backlog of recipes that I need to post, but because it's still the holiday season, I think some baked goodies are in order.  I've made a lot of different sweets over the last few weeks, but my new favorite is the Cashew Bark.

The Cashew Bark has a lot of different names: cashew crack, cashew crackle, chocolate toffee, cashew chocolate toffee...but they're all basically the same.  So, I hope you enjoy my new favorite holiday sweet!

Ingredients
40-60 saltine crackers (you can also use 4-5 matzo)
3/4 cup salted butter
1.5 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (12 oz)
1 cup roughly crushed/chopped cashews (Full disclosure: I felt like I wanted it nuttier, so I wound up using about a cup and a half; also, it's just easier if you start off with the halves and pieces instead of the whole cashews)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cover the bottom of a large baking sheet with a layer of crackers (or matzo).  Set to the side.

3. For the toffee mixture, combine butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a gentle boil for no longer than 2 minutes.  Stir constantly.  The mixture should be thick and syrupy.

4. Once thickened, pour toffee mixture over crackers immediately; the mixture will begin to get hard pretty quickly.  Spread evenly.  (Note: I used a rubber spatula to help spread)

5. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.

6. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.  Then, sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the toffee mixture.

7. Place baking sheet back in the oven at 350 degrees for one minute.

8. After one minute in the oven, remove the baking sheet.  Use a rubber spatula to spread the softened chocolate evenly across the toffee mixture.

9. Allow to cool for about 3 minutes before sprinkling the roughly chopped cashews on top.

10. Place in the refrigerator for about 2 hours (or until the chocolate is set).  Use a spatula to break the bark into pieces.

Variations: I like cashews, but you can substitute any kind of nut: walnuts, peanuts, macadamia.  You can also add any other kinds of toppings, like crushed peppermint, or candy cane, or even sprinkles.