Ok, this is the last Christmas candy that I will post this year. Seeing as it is a couple of days past Christmas at this point, that would make sense. Jake and I were out of town visiting his parents for the holiday, but we are now back and ready to spend the week relaxing at home.
When we went to my in-laws' house, we were prepared with the tiger butter, almond-marshmallow-craisin bark, chocolate dipped pretzels, and these crackers. Everything was a hit, and I was crowned the best daughter-in-law (just kidding, they only have one daughter-in-law). The crackers, which taste more like toffee to me than caramel, were amazing. I couldn't stop eating them. Which is a problem considering they were a gift for someone else.
Here is the recipe (adapted from Smitten Kitchen):
~ 40 Fat-Free saltine crackers (I figured the amount of butter that I was about to pour onto them more than made up for the fact that they are fat-free) 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 cup toasted sliced almonds Extra sea salt for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet completely with foil, and then line the base of the foil with parchment paper, cut to fit (the foil is more for an easy clean-up than anything, so it isn't completely necessary).
Line the bottom of the baking sheet with the crackers, covering it as much as possible.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, stirring it over medium heat until it begins to boil. Once it boils, let it bubble for three more minutes so that it will thicken, stirring it the whole time. Remove from the heat and add the salt and vanilla, and then quickly pour it evenly over the crackers. Make sure that all of the crackers are completely covered (spread the caramel around with a spatula if need be).
Bake the caramel-covered crackers for 15 minutes, watching carefully so that it doesn't burn (turn the heat down if this happens). It WILL bubble. Don't be afraid. This is completely normal.
Remove from oven and pour chocolate chips all over the crackers right away.
Let it stand for five minutes, and then spread the chocolate evenly across the caramel using a spatula or a knife. At this point you want to throw on a pinch of sea salt on the top, and the almonds. The crackers are super sweet, as you can tell by the ingredients list, so I like the additional salt to offset the taste, but don't let me pressure you to do the same.
Throw the whole baking sheet into the fridge if you have room. If you don't then you can leave them to cool at room temperature, but it will take a lot longer. Once they are all set, break the crackers up - they will pretty much break along the lines of the saltines. If you don't eat them all in one sitting, keep the crackers in an air-tight container for up to a week.
