I am a late-to-life nerd in some ways because I used to get teased in school for all the geeky things that I enjoyed. So as I got older, at some point or another, I abandoned all my beloved Disney friends, time traveling aliens, spaceships, and fantasy sci-fi to try and fit in. When I finally realized that a.) I would never truly fit in with the “it” crowd and b.) nerds are cool, I let my geek flag fly high and proud.
The fact of the matter is, nerds rule the world…
It’s true. Ask anybody…
Natalie Portman, Ben Stein, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, and Emma Watson are just a few famous nerds in existence.
…the list goes on and on and for thousands of years.
Wil Wheaton was recently asked by a new mom to explain to her newborn daughter why it is awesome to be a nerd…
His response was the stuff of legend…life changing for not only the newborn and her mom, but to every other nerd in the room…
Check it out..
So in honor all all things geekery, I made toffee. But not just any ordinary toffee though…
I made you Salted Chocolate Toffee…
Which then turned into Salted Chocolate Toffee Shortbread Cookies…
And then Salted Chocolate Toffee Milkshakes…
Oh yeah…I went there…and so should you.
Let’s start with the toffee. Shall we?
Combining your sugars, butter, corn syrup, and water, you want to make sure all your sugars dissolve and that it reaches 285 degrees. This is called the soft-crack stage. Soft-crack stage has been reached when the syrup forms firm but is still pliable. It is typically referenced for your toffees, brittles, and even butterscotch.
After you have poured your toffee onto a rimmed cookie sheet, gently sprinkle your chopped chocolate and let the hot toffee melt it until it is spreadable, then sprinkle your sea salt.
If your using your toffee in another recipe like me, wait until it is completely cooled before a coarse chop. Or if it is by itself, just crack it a few times with a knife and dig in.
Recipe by Carrie
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray rimmed baking sheet with flour spray.
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugars, corn syrup, and water.
- Bring the sugar mixture to a boil, constantly stirring to dissolve the sugars.
- Have the baking soda and vanilla extract ready.
- Cover the saucepan with a lid for about a minute to allow any of the sugar mixture to melt down into the pan.
- Remove lid and securely clamp a candy thermometer to the side of the pan, making sure it does not touch the bottom.
- Cook, without stirring, until the sugar mixture reaches 285 degrees(soft crack stage).
- Remove saucepan and add the vanilla and baking soda, stirring to combine.
- Immediately pour the mixture evenly onto the baking sheet.
- Spread the chopped chocolate over the toffee mixture.
- After 2-3 minutes, the chocolate will be softened enough to spread an even layer over the toffee using an offset spatula.
- Sprinkle 2-3 teaspoons of coarse sea salt or fleur de sel over the melted chocolate.
- Place pan in the fridge until chocolate has set.
- Using a sharp knife, cut toffee into desired pieces.
Now let’s talk cookies. I found these way cool cookie cutters at World Market. They have a unique, almost rectangular cut out right in the middle so that you can slip one of these bad boys on a tall glass of milk…or even better, milkshake.
This is the star shape, but they also have hearts and flowers. I couldn’t help but buy all three.
Recipe by Carrie
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 2 cups salted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup salted chocolate toffee, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line baking pan with parchment or silapat.
- In your stand mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla one teaspoon at a time until incorporated.
- Add 1 cup of flour at a time and mix well.
- Fold in salted chocolate toffee.
- Roll into a ball and wrap in saran wrap.
- Place in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Flour your surface, roll out a small ball of dough to about a 1/2 inch, and cut using your favorite cookie cutters.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
And to tie it all together….Salted Chocolate Toffee Milkshake with our cookies as garnish.
We had a few friends over the night that I made these. Not only did we each have our own milkshake and cookies, but we manage to finish them…complete with our spoons scraping the bottom for more.
Recipe by Carrie
Ingredients
- 8 scoops of Breyers Homemade Vanilla icecream
- 3/4 cup salted chocolate toffee, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in blender and blend on high for about a minute.
- Add milk or take away depending on your preference of thickness.
- Top with a Salted Chocolate Toffee Shortbread Cookie and bits of toffee.
