Don't be afraid of toffee! You can make it without a thermometer.
Recipe: English Toffee
2 c. unsalted butter
2 c. white sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. water
1 12-oz. bag chocolate chips
1/2-3/4 c. chopped nuts
In a large, nonstick pot, combine butter, sugar, salt, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Once mixture reaching boiling, turn heat down to medium and set a timer for 30 minutes.
Continue stirring toffee until timer goes off (or mixture reaches hard crack stage/290F+). Set your timer for 30 minutes--that should be just about the right time, if you don't have a candy thermometer. Have a glass or bowl of cold water nearby. Carefully drop a bit of the mixture into the water. With a free hand, fish the candy out of the water. The "soft ball" stage is about 250F. When you take the candy out of the water, it should be firm but pliable.
The "hard crack" stage is what you want, around 290+F. At that point, the candy coming out of the water should be hard, brittle threads.
Pour mixture onto ungreased cookie sheet. Let sit for a couple of minutes.
Sprinkle chocolate chips over hot toffee. Once chips have melted, use a knife or spatula to spread chocolate all over toffee. Sprinkle melted chocolate with nuts.
Once toffee and chocolate have fully cooled, break toffee into smaller pieces.