It seems strange to do a post the night of Thanksgiving for a dessert that’s not a Thanksgiving dessert, but I’m still recovering from my food coma and don’t think I can handle posting the Thanksgiving recipes tonight. I’m also pretty obsessed with this saltine toffee.
One of the many wonderful things about the holidays is that you are always cooking for a crowd. That’s when you want desserts like this. It is SO easy and SO good. I made it last Saturday night, and we had finished all of it by Sunday night. I’m slightly ashamed to admit that the crowd I made it for wasn’t all that big, but after a few glasses of wine we weren’t counting how many pieces we were eating.
It’s an incredibly simple recipe with ingredients you might already have at home. I was skeptical about the Saltines, but the airy crunch mixed with the solid chocolate layer is perfect. I made another batch last night just to have as an option if we got tired of eating pumpkin desserts. There was really no need for another dessert around here, but 1) I’ve been missing it in
my life for the past four days, 2) I enjoy baking significantly more when I’m
back home because I don’t have to pay for ingredients and 3) who doesn’t like
options?
nuts of some sort. I chose M&Ms and sprinkles. I’ll probably change up the
sprinkles to red and green once December hits (when yes, I will inevitably be
making this again). If you use candy I’d
recommend crushing it up a bit like you can see I’ve done with the M&Ms. I
stored the finished product in the fridge because I thought it was delicious
cold, but storage is up to you!
- 40 saltine crackers (I recommend using Nabisco Saltines with Sea Salt)
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 cups chocolate chips (whichever you prefer, milk, semi or bittersweet. I used half milk chocolate half semi-sweet)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla
- 3/4 cup chopped, toasted nuts of choice – pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts (optional)*
- Sprinkles (optional)
- Preheat
oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Align crackers side by side in a single layer along baking sheet, set
aside. - In
a medium saucepan combined butter and brown sugar. Bring mixture to a
boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once it reaches a boil stop
stirring and allow to boil 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla
bean paste then immediately and carefully pour mixture over crackers in
an even layer (spread out as needed). Transfer to oven and bake 5 to 6
minutes until bubbly. - Remove
from oven and sprinkle top evenly with chocolate chips. Let rest 5
minutes then spread chocolate into a smooth even layer. Sprinkle with
nuts or sprinkles. Transfer to freezer and allow to chill 20 minutes or
until chocolate has set. Remove from freezer and break or cut into
pieces. Store in an airtight container. - *I
just toasted the nuts in a skillet over medium heat several minutes
until fragrant and toasted (while the crackers were baking). Toasting
them is optional though.