This weekend I was talking with my mom...She was asking me if I had cooked anything good lately..."duh...of course Mom!" I told her I had made some really good pretzel toffee. She just sort of shrugged, but I knew what she was thinking...that this was some difficult recipe...involving a candy thermometer and 30 minutes of constant stirring. "No mom...It's really easy...It's my friend Linda's recipe...only 4 ingredients and super simple"...And no lie...my mom says "that's my kind of cooking". I couldn't help but laugh. Just in case you didn't know that's the name of Linda's cookbook and blog, My Kind of Cooking.
This is the second time I've made this toffee in two weeks. It really is so simple and dangerous. The first time I made it...I ate half the pan by myself. There is just something about the sweet and salty combination that is so addictive.
Pretzel Toffee
recipe adapted from My Kind of Cooking
about 2 cups mini pretzel twists
1 cup butter, 2 sticks
1 cup light brown sugar
2 & 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a 15x10 inch baking pan with aluminum foil. In a single layer arrange the pretzels in the bottom of the pan. In a large saucepan melt the butter and add the brown sugar. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not over cook the sugar. Carefully pour the sugar and butter over the pretzels. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Let stand 5 minutes. Then spread the chocolate smooth. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Then pull the aluminum foil away from the toffee. Break it into pieces...and enjoy.
This year we will be eating with family for Easter dinner...So we will not be doing any cooking, actually I have never cooked Easter dinner. I hate to show up empty handed, so this year I'm making a couple batches of toffee to carry. I think it will be much more popular than the chocolate bunnies and marshmallow peeps. I'm thinking it will become a new Easter tradition.
My family has a lot of Easter traditions. If we are at my moms...and we put out our Easter baskets...the Easter Bunny still comes!!! I guess you never get too old. As for food, my mom always cooks ham, baked beans, potato salad, and a coconut cake shaped like a bunny...like I said you never get too old...and then there is the egg tree.
As a kid, I can remember me and my brother blowing eggs for our egg tree. It's a tradition that still lives on...Our egg tree...all handmade by us....
ain't it pretty?
It's a mix of eggs from different birds...This one is a partridge egg.
My favorite are these little quail eggs.
What are some of your family's Easter traditions?
My grandmother had an egg tree too. I remember her and my mother blowing eggs and they would decorate the eggs with brick-brack and decoupage little pictures and glitter the whole thing. I didn't have room to store the egg tree otherwise I would of loved to have it. I do still have a Christmas ornament that she made from a hollowed out egg.
ReplyDeleteIf we go to my aunt's I don't have to cook either. If it's at my house I have never don't ham because I never really liked it.
The pretzel toffee I have to make I just love the salty sweet combination. I've made the broken up pretzel pieces and chocolate bark, but this one is two steps better with the butter and brown sugar toffee! So if I'm not cooking this is perfect to bring along!
That tree is really neat!
ReplyDeleteOur Easter tradition is brunch with family. Brunch usually includes something that all the kids work together to make. This year it's cake pops that look like bunnies. Of course, there is an egg hunt for the kids.
Your Easter traditions sound wonderful. My monthly Sunday dinner falls on Easter this year, we will have an egg hunt and the big kids will be included! Now about that pretzel toffee, I have made that and sent my (eternal) thanks to Linda! Oh yes it is the best.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, love the tradition of the egg tree. I grew up with it, but oddly did not carry on. Your tree is lovely!!! And as for the pretzel toffee...I can see where the sugar and salt would be additive. Might be a nice change from jelly beans!!!
ReplyDeleteThat pretzel toffee is making my mouth water! Diane
ReplyDeleteTraditions? I think ham was one of ours too. A ham is just too much to prepare for my now family of two. We did have Easter baskets when I was growing up. I loved chocolate bunnies and jellybeans. Never cared for peeps.
ReplyDeleteSweet and salty - my two favorites!
ReplyDeleteI love to blow eggs to dye so they last so much longer!
Beautiful egg tree! The toffees look to die for.
ReplyDeleteBo, I am so happy you like the recipe, and thank you for posting it! Your mom sounds like My Kind of Gal! When my husband read this post, he said "If he thinks that pretzel stuff is good, he should try my Stan-wich". He may be delusional!
ReplyDeleteMy mom still gives us Easter baskets too! One year when my sister was 18, mom decided we were all too old for baskets, so the Easter Bunny didn't come. My sister was so upset she cried! That was the last time the Easter Bunny skipped our house.
wow great toffee and love the easter tree how cool have a lovely time with your family hugs Rebecca
ReplyDeleteLyndsey,
ReplyDeleteWe have a few Christmas ornaments made out of eggs too.
Stephen,
You guys just need to get a dog to help out with leftovers.
Linda,
I'm gonna pass on the "Stan-wich"!
The toffee looks so amazing! I love salty and sweet combinations. Your egg tree is so fantastic... I need to make one.
ReplyDeleteBo thank you for the anniversary wishes. I will have to show this to my mom, she makes pretzels, and melts rolos on top and adds pecans. I think she will like this one just as much. Have a great day.
ReplyDelete-Gina-
This looks like awesome toffee! My family has the same reaction when I try to recommend them recipes. It has to be very simple, otherwise it's a no go.
ReplyDeleteLooks great, I too would eat most of it. My easter tradition is just a basket and an egg hunt for my little girl
ReplyDeleteShut UP! You know I have to try this on the 20th when my company comes.... Sweet and Salty is so my thang!.. bet they'll go down easily with a martini two! ... or..too, I mean TOO, not two..... Okay I really did mean two....
ReplyDeleteThat looks super good. It is similar to a brittle that my sister makes out of matzo for Passover.
ReplyDeleteI love your tree, it's so pretty! And that toffee is my kind of cooking too - easy and it looks and sounds fabulous. Sweet and salty is always a great combo.
ReplyDeleteDear Bo, That pretzel toffee does sound easy and delish! What a pleasure your mom is carrying on the Easter traditions for you. I agree with her you are never too old to enjoy the very traditions that molded who you are. Beautiful Easter trees. BTW ~ Don't let the phyllo dough intimidate you there are so many delicious things to use it for. Blessings, Catherine
ReplyDeleteYum, the perfect blend of sweet and salty.
ReplyDeleteThat Easter tree is gorgeous! I have yet to grow out of dying eggs for Easter, and I've made it a new tradition for myself to bake carrot cake. :)
Hi Bo,
ReplyDeleteThe pretzel toffee sounds great! And easy. I'm going to try this one, everyone in my house loves pretzel, so this will be great. Thanks for sharing!
Christine
YUM! we're going to start an easter hunt this year. (although its just me and my hubby)
ReplyDeleteSo I saw pretzel toffee and zoomed right in. Yes, the sweet and salty knock me over. I love the idea of mixing new traditions with old. A stunning egg tree with a non-bunny chocolate tree. Yes, it works. And you don't need to see all those earless bunnies the next day.
ReplyDeleteCould see why it's gonna be a new Easter tradition, looks really delicious! and I love your egg tree, just so cute!
ReplyDeletepretzel toffee sounds so good. i love chocolate covered pretzels, this just takes it to a new level. the egg tree is precious.
ReplyDeleteoh man that toffee sounds so good!!! My Easter tradition was always to hide over 1000 easter eggs with my older cousins and then have a huge family dinner and then kids from all over my Aunts small town would come over and search for eggs for prizes!!! Now, since I live far from home, my husband and I dye easter eggs and I make dinner!
ReplyDeleteThat egg tree is so cool! What a great tradition and I bet the toffee will be one also. It sure sounds better than Easter candy and is on my to do list.
ReplyDeleteThat toffee sounds really amazing. But then again, I'll eat anything with pretzels and chocolate! Just found your blog and am having fun poking around. Good stuff :)
ReplyDeleteI'm Armenian on my Mom's side, so I always assumed this was a weird Armenian tradition until last year when I ran across someone else who does it...you pass around the Easter eggs at some point during dinner, everyone chooses one, then you challenge each other by hitting the eggs head to head and seeing whose is the sole survivor. The person left without a cracked egg is said to have good luck for the year. :)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I just got distracted thinking about how my maternal grandfather would ALWAYS win the Easter egg challenge and forgot to mention how absolutely beautiful your tree is. Love it!!! :)
ReplyDeleteNow this is one tradition that I would love to adopt into my own family - What a delicious looking treat! Thanks for sharing, Bo. I hope you have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI think that tree is wonderful. I'm with you about the sweet/salty thing. I'd eat half of these things myself. I'm saving the recipe and will be giving this a try. Thanks for sending it along.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your well deserved award!
ReplyDeleteI love your egg tree.
Pretzel toffee sounds sooo good! I would absolutely love to try and make this.
ReplyDeleteAnd your Easter tree is very pretty! I love all the colors!
Cheers & happy blessings,
Tammy
Christine,
ReplyDeleteThanks!
You beat me to the word 'dangerous' to describe your pretzel toffee. I definitely shouldn't be left alone with anything as decadent as that. I would put the hurt on that innocent little treat.
ReplyDeleteThis egg tree is so pretty! And this pretzel toffee does look dangerous! It's definitely a tradition I could get in on :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband's family puts together an Easter basket scavenger hunt for my kids each year. They always look forward to it!
ReplyDeleteI love this toffee! What a fun way to use pretzels. :)
I love your egg tree too!
Have a wonderful Easter.
That Egg tree is so pretty. I love the idea. And you are so right, you should never be too old to enjoy the little pleasures of tradition! The toffee pretzels is something I would love to try. They would look good next to my Easter truffles. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what I love more...the toffee or the tree! I love quail eggs too! Really Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThis Pretzel Toffee looks very addictive indeed! I love that beautiful Egg Tree.I have never seen or heard about an Egg Tree before. Its really pretty!
ReplyDeleteI can't say anything about my family Easter Tradition cause I don't have one. Me being a Hindu and all, I could probably tell you about Diwali and Pongal Traditions if you want. ;)
Sweet and salty! I could see myself eating an entire batch myself.
ReplyDeleteLove the recipe. Love the egg tree.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Ok, and no doubt you are from the south if your mom bakes a coconut bunny cake. I think that's a southern tradition for moms, one I now do for my girls:) Have a great Easter!
beautiful. I would not be able to resist the sweet and salty pretzels. Delicious.
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter to you and your family.
Velva
Hey Bo! I just wanted to say I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog! I’ve passed these awards down to you :) http://cajunlicious.com/2011/04/new-awards.html
ReplyDeleteI adore your egg tree! Oh those toffee pretzels would not last long in my house...mainly because of me. Heaven.
ReplyDeleteI love sweet and salty and I love easy. I have seen toffee like this but never with pretzels...wow..yummy! This is my kind of cooking too..lol
ReplyDeleteLove your tree and that has real egg replicas, very neat and pretty too:)
For Easter, we make all the Easter "pizzas" which are all different types of pies with ricotta, some savory and some sweet. Happy Easter:)
I like this easy but no doubt delicious dessert. I have done something similar with saltine crackers but never pretzels. time to change it up!
ReplyDeleteLove your Easter tree and family story. Thank you for sharing. Happy Easter.
I like pretzel..tasty looking this could surely keep the kids on the table..sweets are great to go along with tea...nice
ReplyDeleteOh boy, this pretzel toffee looks really really good! I would love to try it!
ReplyDeleteThe pretzels sound wonderfully dangerous; life is temptation is it not? As far as traditions ours ended when we left lebanon before we'd get live chicks and sugar chocolate eggs to eat and the usual.
ReplyDeleteWish I had a big batch of your yummy toffee.
ReplyDeleteThese sound fantastic!!
ReplyDeleteoh yum..sweet and salty chocolately pretzels? yum
ReplyDeletewe used to go to mass over 3 nights ..and eat lots of eggs and chocolate bunnies
YUMM-O..this is something I could get used to having on Easter.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea! I make the version with Saltines, but I bet pretzels would be just as delicious if not more so!
ReplyDelete