Boss's Day Toffee
About 1-1/2 pounds
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup pecans, finely chopped, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1.Coat a 10" x 15" rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2.In a soup pot, combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil 3 to 4 minutes, until mixture reaches the hard crack stage (see Note), stirring constantly.
3.Remove mixture from heat and stir in 1/2 cup pecans and the vanilla; quickly spread over baking sheet. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over mixture and allow to melt; use a knife to spread melted chocolate over toffee, covering it completely.
4.Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup pecans over melted chocolate then chill at least 1 hour, or until chocolate is firm. Break into bite-sized pieces and serve, or store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
NOTE: To test for the hard crack stage, drop a bit of the mixture from a teaspoon into a glass of cold water. If it forms a ball that hardens in the water, then it has reached the hard crack stage. If not, continue to cook mixture a bit longer then test it again.
