Easy, Homemade Toffee

I absolutely love this recipe.  Yes, it took me two tries the first time I made it to get it right, but now that I have, I swear, it's so easy.  You really just have to look for the right caramel color as you whisk, and the peanut butter trick is the best - more on that below!

Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- sprinkles, sliced almonds, or Maldon (flaked) salt for topping

Directions:
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.  Do not use aluminum foil (it will cause a reaction in the toffee, and it will burn).
2. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt over medium-low heat.
3. Whisk until the butter has melted and the mixture is the color of peanut butter.  My peanut butter trick is to take a jar of peanut butter out of the cabinet, flip it upside down, and compare the caramel and peanut butter as I whisk.  This whisking will take 10-15 minutes.
4. Immediately spread the hot caramel mixture evenly across the wax paper.
5. Melt chocolate and drizzle over the caramel.  Top with nuts, sea salt, or spinkles, if you wish!
6. Allow to cool in the refrigerator for an hour before breaking into pieces.

This stuff is deadly, and I could seriously eat a whole tray.  Our favorite topping is the sea salt - the sweet + salty flavor is amazing.  This stuff will last for about a week (if you don't eat it before then).  On the first day you make it, it will be extremely hard, so I suggest making it a day in advance to soften up just a little bit (don't worry - it'll still be plenty crunchy).