Phil and I have had so much fun sharing samples of our toffee at the many events we’ve participated in since launching For the Love of Toffee, LLC 18 months ago. In fact, I believe we hit 80 live event selling days! It’s become such a big part of our life and we love every minute of it!
When sampling our three toffee flavors, discussions inevitably ensue around our booth. Sometimes it’s between family members and friends who are debating which flavors are their favorite. Sometimes it’s about the texture of our toffee and the fact that it doesn’t doesn’t stick to their teeth. And sometimes it’s about our company and how we got started. But no topic is discussed more often than the element of surprise nestled in our Spicy Pecans and Dark Chocolate Toffee.
For those of you who know Phil, you know he’s not going to let you walk by our booth without asking you to try our toffee. And especially the Spicy Pecan and Dark Chocolate. He tells you it has a mild back end heat which takes about 30 seconds to kick in. Spice people jump at the chance to taste it while others are a little hesitant. But Phil encourages everyone to give it a try. And they do. Then we watch their reactions. At about the 30 second mark, we watch eyes light up, and then see the smiles, while many also chuckle saying that we were right on point with that 30 second timeline! We explain that it’s a hint of cayenne offering that spicy surprise. It offers a perfect balance of sweet and spice.
What I have always loved about toffee is that balance of flavor and texture. I created the Spicy Pecan and Dark Chocolate Toffee by combining two different recipes of my own. A few times a year, I would make sweet and spicy pecans which were decadent just on their own. One day, I decided to replace the peanuts with the spiced pecans in my toffee recipe…And here we are!
I’ve got several new toffee flavors in mind and plan to experiment in the kitchen with the hopes of launching them one by one over the next few years. We look forward to sharing them with you!
Here’s a sweet and spicy twist to your favorite brownie recipe…Enjoy!
Made With Love,
Lisa
Spicy Pecan and Dark Chocolate Toffee Brownies
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (recommend Dutch process)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsps vanilla
1 cup flour
½ tsp salt
2 cups (9 oz.) Spicy Pecan and Dark Chocolate Toffee, crushed into small pieces
Dash of cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 “ square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, mix in the cocoa powder until combined. Then add the sugar and mix together. Add vanilla and eggs, one a a time and continue mixing until all the eggs are incorporated. Then add the flour and salt and stir together until all the flour is combined. Do not over mix the batter. Fold in the crushed toffee and sprinkle in a dash of cayenne pepper (about 2 shakes). Transfer toffee brownie batter into the baking dish and smooth the batter evenly across the surface. Bake for about 40-45 minutes. At the 40 minute mark, start checking to see if it is done. All ovens bake differently so it is better to start checking on the earlier side and add minutes if necessary. If you insert a cake tester or toothpick into the batter it should have a fudge brownie consistency but not be too wet.
Let cool for about 15 minutes and cut into squares.
OR…you can take a piping hot piece of brownie and add a big scoop of vanilla ice cream plus whipped cream for a to-die for Spicy Pecan and Dark Chocolate Brownie Sundae…YUM!!
