This time she came to me with a recipe she called "Christmas Crack." I figured she was talking about a chocolate peppermint bark, where you melt down some white and dark chocolate and swirl it together, spread candy cane pieces over the top, and voila! Bark!
Peppermint Bark
Instead what she was talking about was the ever so delicious chocolate, toffee, cracker combination. This tasty treat is the perfect combination of salty and sweet, it tastes very similar to a chocolate covered pretzel. I guess the recipe Rachael found, the OP only makes around Christmas time, ergo its name, but I feel it's the perfect anytime treat. Even my picky eater roommate gives his approval to this recipe!
This snack makes me very nostalgic because my mom and I used to make it for parties and school events. I'd lay out the crackers while she worked on the stove. The recipe is surprisingly simple, you only need FOUR ingredients, and the kids will love to help!
After we made our first batch (we made two because it gets eaten extremely fast), Rachael and I just started calling it "Crack" for it's delicious addictive-ness and for the method in which you crack the sheet of chocolate into pieces.
Yummy, delicious, addicting Crack.
Gees, I talk too much. Why didn't you stop me!?
Here's what you need:
Yes, that's a Hello Kitty toaster!
- 40 Saltines (You may also use matzo, club crackers, or another cracker of your choice)
- 1 cup (8oz) unsalted butter (no margarine)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (we found that the mini chips worked best)
Start off by lining a baking sheet with aluminum foil and then greasing the pan with a non-stick spray.
Line the baking pan with saltines. Make sure they are as flat as possible and all parts of the pan are covered You may need to break the crackers in half to fill in gaps.
Melt the butter in a sauce pan, add the sugar and bring to a boil.
Waiting for a boil.
Once it's boiling, lower the heat and simmer for about 4-6 minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved and mixture begins to thicken.
EDIT:: We made a third batch today (Jan 18) and used margarine instead of butter. The taste was very similar but the main differences in the toffee was the margarine made it much crunchier and sticky (like pull out your fillings). It was still delicious, but we preferred the butter. It also took a longer time for the sugar mixture to thicken. I kept turning up the heat to help expedite it. If you choose to use margarine instead, keep an eye on the mixture while boiling. Pour a spoonful of toffee back into the pot to test the consistency. If it runs easily, it needs to be cooked more. If it starts to slow down a bit, like a liquid caramel texture, you got it right!
EDIT:: We made a third batch today (Jan 18) and used margarine instead of butter. The taste was very similar but the main differences in the toffee was the margarine made it much crunchier and sticky (like pull out your fillings). It was still delicious, but we preferred the butter. It also took a longer time for the sugar mixture to thicken. I kept turning up the heat to help expedite it. If you choose to use margarine instead, keep an eye on the mixture while boiling. Pour a spoonful of toffee back into the pot to test the consistency. If it runs easily, it needs to be cooked more. If it starts to slow down a bit, like a liquid caramel texture, you got it right!
Thick and bubbly.
Pour contents of saucepan onto crackers and quickly spread the toffee around and cover all parts of the crackers. This is important because the Crack is just not the same without a bit of cracker, chocolate, and toffee in each bite!
Pouring the mixture.
Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes until it begins to bubble. Be careful and watch it so as not to burn the edges.
In the oven.
Pouring the chips.
Once the chips begin to melt, use a spatula or the back of a spoon to evenly spread the chocolate across the crackers.
Spreading the chocolate until smooth.
Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and the wait begins.
Once the chocolate has hardened, take it out, break it into pieces using a mallet or just bending it by hand. We used gloves because the chocolate tends to melt under the warmth of your hands.
Once the chocolate has hardened, take it out, break it into pieces using a mallet or just bending it by hand. We used gloves because the chocolate tends to melt under the warmth of your hands.
Straight out of the fridge.
Consume all of the crack in one sitting and don't share. Okay, so I don't recommend eating it all at once, but it certainly seems plausible once you try it.
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