Sea Salt Chocolate Cashew Toffee

I met Kathy aka The Experimental Gourmand when I was vending at New Amsterdam Market. Kathy is passionate about eating, creating and writing about food and local food businesses. You can find her recipes at her blog http://theexperimentalgourmand.blogspot.com
Since Valentine's day is coming up, Kathy was experimenting toffee recipe using Nuts+Nuts cashews and it turned out so yummy. Thank you Kathy!

Prep time: allow 1.5 to 2 hours total with cooling and setting time

Ingredients:

8 oz. salted butter

1 1/3 c. sugar (white or cane)

1 Tbsp. corn syrup

3 Tbsp. water

1 1/3 c. unsalted Nuts+Nuts cashews, cut into halves or quarters

2 pinches sea salt

1 3 oz. bar dark chocolate

1 3 oz. bar milk chocolate

Assembly:

Prepare a baking sheet (you can also use a 13"x9"x2" inch pan) by greasing it liberally with butter. Have the first five ingredients measured out and close at hand, along with a candy thermometer. Clear the children out of the kitchen.

In large saucepan, melt butter. Add sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook on low heat. Bring up to a boil and watch carefully as it changes color. When the mixture reaches the hard-crack stage, about 300 degrees Fahrenheit, turn off the heat and quickly add the cashew nuts, stirring with a wooden spoon to incorporate. Immediately pour entire mixture onto baking sheet and shake to distribute candy evenly. Rub 1 pinch of sea salt between your fingers and sprinkle over candy while still warm. Let cool until hardened.

Remove candy from baking sheet and place on waxed or parchment paper and break into pieces of an inch or two in size. Melt chocolate in double-boiler. Dip one side of the toffee into the chocolate, leaving part of the top of the candy uncovered so that you have part chocolate-part toffee showing. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Rub 1 pinch of sea salt between your fingers and sprinkle over candy while still warm. The sea salt will give an extra zing to the candy. Allow to harden; you can use the freezer to speed up the process. Once the chocolate is firm, have a test piece for yourself!