Chocolate Toffee Bark

This delicious treat is also known across the internet as "chocolate crack". I had a friend visiting from out of town this weekend and I wanted to pull together something pretty quick and delicious to share with her and this is what I chose. 

This is one of those recipes that is in SO MANY different places on the internet that it's impossible to know where it started out. This is my version of the classic recipe.

Chocolate Toffee Bark

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• one package chocolate chips
• one box of graham crackers
• 1/2 cup toasted chopped nuts

Line a large cookie sheet with foil and parchment. This makes cleaning up so much easier. Fill the sheet with graham crackers (or saltine/soda crackers) to cover the whole bottom.

Mix the butter and sugar together over medium heat until the butter melts and starts to bubble. The mixture won't really combine and come together until it starts to boil. Once it comes to a boil mix constantly for about five minutes and pour over the crackers.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 5 to 8 minutes until bubbly and heated through.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top and let sit for a few minutes until the chocolate melts. You'll see the color change from chalky to shiny. When the chocolate's melted, spread across the top of the toffee.

Sprinkle with whatever toppings you'd like. I used chopped nuts and sea salt. I read a version of the recipe today that used crushed candy canes. Totally up to you.

Let the toffee cool a bit and then put it in the fridge until solid, about an hour. Break it up into smaller pieces and you're ready to go. I usually keep this in a large cookie tin in the fridge to keep the chocolate and toffee solid. The upside is that this stuff is delicious. The downside is that this stuff is so delicious that I can't stop eating it when it's in the house. As soon as the weekend was over I was forced to take the leftovers to work and keep them there so I wouldn't finish off the batch by myself. This is a great, easy treat to take to any holiday gathering.

Have you ever made a batch of chocolate "crack"?

Ice Cream Sandwiches

My Friday night was spent hanging out with some great friends enjoying time with their new baby, testing out new deck furniture, and barbecuing our first hot dogs of the season. I was tasked with bringing the hot dogs and buns, a salty snack, and limes and mint (from my own balcony garden!) for some delicious mojitos. Peggy (hi Pegs!) was in charge of salads and something sweet to finish off our first summer meal. And what she came up with was genius...homemade (or home assembled) ice cream sandwiches. 

I thought a hot and sunny day like today was the perfect time to share this treat with all of you. The decision to document our dessert was an impromptu one, so please excuse the pictures. Trying to sort out the settings on an unfamiliar camera resulted in less than stellar photography. 

You might as well start with the good stuff

Chocolate chip pecan cookies from Metro

That is a perfect looking scoop

Mmm...

Put on the top and squish

Peggy thought it looked like a tongue : )

Cookie dough ice cream + chewy chocolate chip pecan cookies = an easy and delicious treat. I would not hesitate to eat these, or some variation thereof, again. Thanks again Peggy. You choice was an excellent one. Maybe for the next BBQ we'll have to try a different combo.

Do you have a go-to assemble at home dessert you like to serve when you're short on time or it's too hot to make something from scratch? 

Butter Tart Squares

Butter tarts are a bit of a Canadian classic. Sort of like the Nanaimo bar, they are considered to be a quintessential Canadian dessert. According to Wikipedia they originate from Quebec in the 1600s. Who knew? I've never been too clear on what sets the butter tart apart from pecan pie. All I know is that I love me a good butter tart. Pastry or shortbread crust, gooey sugar filling, and, sometimes, pecans/raisins/chocolate chips/dried cranberries mixed in with the filling.

Gooey deliciousness

While I was in Australia for a semester abroad during university, I made these squares for my roommates on numerous occasions. It was my way of sharing some Canadian culture with my new Aussie mates. They were a huge hit. Appropriately, the recipe is from Canadian Living magazine.

Pastry has never been my forte. My few attempts have been fantastic failures. That's why I like this particular recipe so much. Instead of the traditional tart form, the butter tart filling is baked on top of a shortbread crust in a 9x9 pan. The result is a delicious square. The edges are nice and chewy and caramelized and the middle stays gooey.

Today's attempt at the recipe involved a couple of improvisations. I don't own a pastry blender so, while trying to cut the butter into the flour for the crust with two butter knives, I saw my whisk out of the corner of my eye and thought it might be more efficient. Low and behold, it worked perfectly! I also realized I had no brown sugar in the house. This is sort of a crucial ingredient. Luckily I learned a substitution awhile ago...one cup of white sugar + one tablespoon of molasses = one cup of brown sugar.

When in doubt, use a whisk

Molasses + sugar = success

Double batch - pecans and pecans & cranberries

The squares turned out really well. I doubled the recipe but used two slightly different sized pans so the pecan and cranberry squares came out a bit softer than the plain pecan ones. The softer texture is what I prefer. My own fault for trying to cook dinner while they were in the oven : )

My fellow Canadians - are there any recipes that you consider to be truly Canadian? Everyone else - same question for you. Are there any recipes you really connect to your native land?