Send more . . . chocolate chips?
Today, being tax day, we get to take part of the day off as a holiday. You want quiet? Go to a public accounting firm's office on the afternoon of April 15th.
I got home and decided to make something stacye13 brought to my attention, Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers). Well, first she brought them to my attention, and you have to admit the recipe sounds wonderful, and then she made some and posted a picture, which just made me want them all the more.
Of course, me being me, I couldn't quite leave the recipe alone. First off, it says to line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and then put parchment paper on top of that (although there is a comment on the recipe from someone who says the parchment is unnecessary). Well, I don't do that. Lining a pan with aluminum foil to make clean-up easy doesn't work in our house, since we'd recycle the foil, which means we'd have to clean it. It's much easier to just wash the damn pan. I do think, if I make them again, I will probably lightly grease the pan. The center stuck a bit.
I also didn't bother to check, and of course, the recipe calls for unsalted butter and light brown sugar. We have salted butter and dark brown sugar. I didn't add salt to the caramel, and I figured the dark brown sugar would be just fine. It was.
One thing that happened that doesn't get described in the original post up there, was almost all of the caramel went under my crackers (I went with unsalted-top saltines, by the way, and forty don't quite fit the pan, so I had a little overlapping at one end). There was still enough left on top to sprinkle the chocolate chips over, but it was mostly under the crackers. I don't think it hurt them at all.
I did wind up putting the pan in the refrigerator to cool. I'm not generally a big fan of doing that, because I don't think things set as well (unless they're supposed to be cooled in the fridge), but the woman at Smitten Kitchen said she does that, so I figured it would be okay. Plus, I was trying to make dinner and had to get them out of the way somehow. If I make them again, I will leave the tray on a wire rack and let them air-cool. I think both the caramel and the chocolate could have set better. They are a little more chewy than crunchy. I was hoping for something a little more peanut brittle-like (or do you say "peanut brickle"?), but then, the recipe is called Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers). More fool me, I guess.
I also thought we had sea salt, but apparently I was wrong. We have coarse ground kosher salt, but it isn't sea salt. I did sprinkle some of that (pretty thinly) on about half the tray. I don't think it really needed it. Maybe on matzos, but even the unsalted-top saltines were fine without.
I would like to try it with toasted almonds or pecans, but all I have on hand are walnut pieces, and I didn't want to slice and toast those. I'm lazy that way.
So, all-in-all, if I try them again (and I don't see any reason not to, except that I'm out of chocolate chips), I will probably lightly grease the pan, use margarine instead of butter (because I'm poor - if we win the lottery, I'll buy more butter), stick with dark brown sugar, maybe use matzos instead of saltines, put nuts on top, and let them air-cool instead of making room in the fridge.
I still think my Quick Mix Fudge is the best PMS remedy around, but these are very yummy and very simple.
And just a note, although I don't imagine anyone noticed: I changed my food icon from the one I use for "women" stuff to the zombie. She looks like she could use a good meal.
I got home and decided to make something stacye13 brought to my attention, Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers). Well, first she brought them to my attention, and you have to admit the recipe sounds wonderful, and then she made some and posted a picture, which just made me want them all the more.
Of course, me being me, I couldn't quite leave the recipe alone. First off, it says to line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and then put parchment paper on top of that (although there is a comment on the recipe from someone who says the parchment is unnecessary). Well, I don't do that. Lining a pan with aluminum foil to make clean-up easy doesn't work in our house, since we'd recycle the foil, which means we'd have to clean it. It's much easier to just wash the damn pan. I do think, if I make them again, I will probably lightly grease the pan. The center stuck a bit.
I also didn't bother to check, and of course, the recipe calls for unsalted butter and light brown sugar. We have salted butter and dark brown sugar. I didn't add salt to the caramel, and I figured the dark brown sugar would be just fine. It was.
One thing that happened that doesn't get described in the original post up there, was almost all of the caramel went under my crackers (I went with unsalted-top saltines, by the way, and forty don't quite fit the pan, so I had a little overlapping at one end). There was still enough left on top to sprinkle the chocolate chips over, but it was mostly under the crackers. I don't think it hurt them at all.
I did wind up putting the pan in the refrigerator to cool. I'm not generally a big fan of doing that, because I don't think things set as well (unless they're supposed to be cooled in the fridge), but the woman at Smitten Kitchen said she does that, so I figured it would be okay. Plus, I was trying to make dinner and had to get them out of the way somehow. If I make them again, I will leave the tray on a wire rack and let them air-cool. I think both the caramel and the chocolate could have set better. They are a little more chewy than crunchy. I was hoping for something a little more peanut brittle-like (or do you say "peanut brickle"?), but then, the recipe is called Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers). More fool me, I guess.
I also thought we had sea salt, but apparently I was wrong. We have coarse ground kosher salt, but it isn't sea salt. I did sprinkle some of that (pretty thinly) on about half the tray. I don't think it really needed it. Maybe on matzos, but even the unsalted-top saltines were fine without.
I would like to try it with toasted almonds or pecans, but all I have on hand are walnut pieces, and I didn't want to slice and toast those. I'm lazy that way.
So, all-in-all, if I try them again (and I don't see any reason not to, except that I'm out of chocolate chips), I will probably lightly grease the pan, use margarine instead of butter (because I'm poor - if we win the lottery, I'll buy more butter), stick with dark brown sugar, maybe use matzos instead of saltines, put nuts on top, and let them air-cool instead of making room in the fridge.
I still think my Quick Mix Fudge is the best PMS remedy around, but these are very yummy and very simple.
And just a note, although I don't imagine anyone noticed: I changed my food icon from the one I use for "women" stuff to the zombie. She looks like she could use a good meal.