Laurel's English Toffee

3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped (or any other nut you enjoy)
1 cup butter (no substituting marg.)
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp water
1/8 tsp salt (do not omit!)
1 tsp pure vanilla
2 bars (8 oz) Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking bars *

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Toast chopped nuts on a baking in the oven for 6-8 minutes or until fragrant.
With heavy duty aluminum foil, form a 10" square shell with 1" high sides. Place foil shell on a baking sheet and set aside.
In a heavy saucepan, cook the butter, sugar, water and salt over medium heat until the temperature reaches 305 degrees (hard-crack stage) stirring occasionally (watch closely after it reaches 290 because the temp will increase rapidly.) When the mixture becomes a dark golden brown, immediately remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Pour the mixture into the foil shell. Cool at room temperature for 45 minutes, or until hard.
Melt chocolate. Spread melted chocolate over the cooled toffee and sprinkle with the nuts pressing lightly to set them into the chocolate.
Let set at room temp 1 hour or until the chocolate is set.
Break toffee into pieces.

Store covered at room temp for up to 1 month. Makes 1 1/4 pounds.

*of course, this recipe came from a Ghirardelli wrapper - you can use any delicious very dark baking chocolate you like - I recommend at least 60% high quality cocoa.