Coffee Toffee

Place silicone mat, parchment paper, or buttered foil on a cookie sheet.

In a medium saucepan with a candy thermometer attached (or I use a chef’s thermometer), melt butter, sugars, molasses, salt and espresso powder together over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the temperature reaches 250 degrees, at which point you should begin to stir constantly until it reaches 298 t0 300 F. Add a splash of vanilla and immediately pour into the prepared baking sheet. Spread thinly with a spatula. You can sprinkle chocolate chips over the toffee and let them soften, but I prefer to let the toffee cool and melt chocolate chips with Crisco in the microwave in 30-second spurts, stirring between intervals until completely melted. Then I pour the chocolate over the toffee, spreading evenly.

Sprinkle finely chopped nuts over the top, patting down so that nuts will adhere.

Break into irregular pieces and store in an airtight container.

Tip: Like many candies, toffee is best made on a non-rainy day.