Toffee has never been easier or more delicious! You don’t even need a candy thermometer for this easy and dangerously delicious graham cracker toffee.
Are you holiday cookie’d out? Done with all your Christmas baking already? Delivered all your goodies and planning to spend the rest of the month napping? If so, take a nap for me!
However, if you are still looking for THE holiday goodie that is going to knock your socks off and might even bring someone to tears with its deliciousness, behold this super easy peanut butter + chocolate graham cracker toffee.
If you are shaking your head at “graham cracker” and “toffee” in the same sentence, hear me out. Using saltine or graham crackers as a base for mock toffee is not a new concept. It takes literally minutes to make. No candy thermometer. No hovering over a pot on the stove hoping your sugar and butter behave appropriately.
And you should be warned that the resulting combination of salty sweet crunchy chewy is dangerously addictive. I have another graham cracker toffee recipe buried in the archives, but the other day I somehow became obsessed with peanut butter-fying already delicious graham cracker toffee.
I don’t know why and how these things happen, they just do. And I usually can’t sleep until I’ve figured out how to make such things as adding peanut butter to toffee work.
The end result of my glorious time experimenting was the most amazing and incredible easy peanut butter chocolate graham cracker toffee ever. You guys, this stuff is out of this world delicious – and different enough (without being weird) to totally set you apart in the holiday baking arena this year.
Let me show you just how simple it is to make this toffee!
Get out those graham crackers! Or saltines, you can use those, too. But I prefer using graham crackers both for texture and taste. Also, if you want to get creative, checkerboarding chocolate and regular graham crackers is kind of fun. You’ll need about 15-16 rectangular graham crackers. If you aren’t using a combination of cracker flavors, there’s no need to break the crackers into squares.
Whip up the quick stovetop caramel mixture (literally as easy as whisking together sugar and butter and letting it simmer for 5 minutes) and pour it over the top of the crackers. Don’t panic if the caramel mixture separates a little or if there’s pockets of foamy butter on top. It’ll all work out.
You’ll want to channel your inner speedy caramel spreading goddess here because you need that caramel in an even layer over the graham crackers ASAP. I use a small offset spatula {aff. link} for almost anything that needs spreading around here. And this toffee definitely has multiple spreading elements.
Once the caramel is in an even layer, pop that tray in the oven for about 10 minutes.
It might look a little scary coming out of the oven, but don’t worry, we are definitely going to pretty it up a little.
Without delay (you can rest later with a tray of this toffee to keep you company), dollop about a cup of peanut butter across the top of the warm toffee. Let it sit for a minute or two and then spread it into a creamy layer across the toffee.
I use everyday creamy Skippy-style peanut butter here, but you can experiment using crunchy, natural, or another type of nut butter.
Now it’s time for the chocolate! Best part. And yes, I’m ok playing favorites.
Sprinkle about two cups of chocolate chips over the peanut butter and pop the pan back in the warm oven for just a minute or two. Enough time to get the chocolate chips super melty and soft. And…you guessed it! Spread, spread, spread.
Now, as you spread the chocolate chips across the peanut butter, it might take on some swirl action because that peanut butter underneath is also warm and a little runny. That’s ok! This recipe definitely should be categorized in the Not Rocket Science folder. Just spread and call it good.
While the chocolate is still soft, sprinkle the top with toasted nuts (optional, but the crunch is delish).
You’ll want to let the toffee cool completely and then pop in the refrigerator for an hour or so to really set up before breaking into pieces.
Because we’ve gone that extra mile to add peanut butter to this amazing graham cracker toffee, it’s going to be a bit softer when you snap it into pieces, but there’s still a healthy amount of toffee crunch underneath all that peanut butter and chocolate.
Seriously, you guys, this stuff is so good. It’s certainly not gourmet or fancy. It’s a little rough around the edges with a slightly messy flair. But I’d just as rather have a stack of this easy peanut butter chocolate graham cracker toffee staring me in the face than almost anything else right now.
It totally proves that you don’t have to go to a lot of work over a fussy dessert or candy recipe to end up with something that could change the world. Ok, maybe not the world, but definitely your feelings about peanut butter and graham crackers and toffee. Hope you love it!
One Year Ago: Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls with Perfect Icing {Step-by-Step Tutorial}
Two Years Ago: Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
Three Years Ago: Streusel-Topped Cranberry White Chocolate Bread
Four Years Ago: Puff Pastry Baked Brie Bites
Five Years Ago: Toffee Crumble Caramel Apple Pie
Yield:
a lot of toffee
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
15 minutes
Additional Time:
2 hours
Total Time:
2 hours 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 15-16 rectangular graham crackers (regular, chocolate or a combination)
- 1 cup (16 tablespoons, 8 ounces) butter
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (see note)
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups chocolate chips (see note)
- 1 cup chopped, toasted nuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a half sheet pan (about 11X17-inches) with foil. Arrange a single layer of graham crackers in the pan without overlapping, breaking pieces to fit if needed.
- In a medium saucepan, add the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Cook over medium-low heat until the butter is melted. Whisking gently, increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the vanilla. Pour the mixture across the graham crackers, and working quickly, use an offset spatula or other rubber spatula to spread the caramel evenly over the graham crackers.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven (turn the oven off; you’ll use the warm oven in the next step). Dollop peanut butter in spoonfuls over the toffee. Let the peanut butter sit there until melty and spreadable (a couple minutes) and then spread into an even layer across the toffee.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Return the pan to the warm oven for a few minutes to let the chocolate chips melt. Once melted, spread the chocolate chips over the peanut butter. It’s ok if the peanut butter and chocolate end up swirling together.
- Top with chopped nuts. Let the toffee cool completely and then refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Break into pieces to serve or package in bags or containers for gift giving. The toffee is best stored in a cool spot – not necessarily the refrigerator, but the peanut butter/chocolate layer stays more firm if kept cool.
Notes
I have only ever used classic Skippy or Jif-style creamy peanut butter for this recipe. I haven’t experimented with natural peanut butter, crunchy peanut butter or other types of nut butters, but you definitely can!
The chocolate chips are really adaptable – I’m a semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chip kind of girl, but you could use milk chocolate chips or even try white chocolate chips or a combination for a pretty swirled look.
Here’s a quick tutorial on how to toast nuts in the microwave!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
