52 Sundays of Dessert: Week 25
Sometimes the recipes that seem geared towards kids are the ones that require you to be the most exact. And every time I come upon the next candy recipe, I start to sweat a bit.
Since the beginning of this project, caramel and I have broken up and gotten back together more times than Kim Kelly and Daniel Desario. So you can understand that I was both excited and apprehensive to change course from the usual cakes and pies this week with Chocolate Caramel Crackers.
I am relieved to report that caramel and I seem to have worked out our differences for the most part. I did not mess up a single step of this recipe.
Wait. Let that sink in. I promise you that no matter what your impression is of my skills in the kitchen, this is rare!
My almonds toasted up to a golden-brown perfection. The matzo crackers broke precisely into the shapes and sizes I needed. The caramel became thick and fragrant without burning. I mean, I was ON. Or this recipe just isn’t that hard. Either way, it feels nice to have a week where I didn’t forget to take something out of the fridge to soften or miss a crucial step in the recipe or fling batter all over the countertop. Stress-free.
Two warnings: These WILL get stuck in your teeth, but in spite of that fact, you will NOT be able to stop eating them.
I’m not sure if there’s anything I could possibly do about the teeth-sticking factor. I think the main reason it wanted to seal itself to our teeth was that the caramel dripped through all of the holes in the matzo and hardened on the underside as well. I think it was all of that underneath-caramel that was cementing itself to our molars, not the caramel between the chocolate and cracker. There’s got to be a way to prevent that! Hmmm … maybe you can scrape it off after it cools.
They’re addictive though. In fact, the exact recipe title is written as “Chocolate Caramel (Crack)ers” to emphasize their seductive nature.
My favorite parts of this dessert were 1) watching it bake because all of the caramel bubbled like little aliens the whole time and 2) spreading the chocolate on top. I was so astonished that it actually worked like it was supposed to. The chocolate really did get soft enough to spread and it did so without mushing the caramel around too. Wonderful when things happen according to plan.
The only downside to making this dessert was having to stand over a hot stovetop in August. Still, it was worth it!
Side Story:
Let me let you in on something I discovered a few weeks ago. Our oven is a piece of crap.
I bought an oven thermometer a few weeks back because I wanted to see how accurate the temperature was. You know how when you preheat most ovens, they give you a countdown until it’s supposedly at the temperature you set? Ours is a massive liar!
After installing the thermometer, I set the oven for probably 350°F and when it beeped to say it was ready, I bent down to check the temperature gauge. It read 175°F. That, my friends, is only half! That’s not even hot enough to re-warm leftovers.
This explains soooo many past failures!
At any rate, I have to give my oven about 20 minutes to preheat accurately. That’s three times as long as it’s supposed to take. Ridiculous, right? It’s irritating to have to wait so long, but ultimately, I’m relieved to have discovered this problem.
4 out of 5 stars for Chocolate Caramel Crackers.
Difficulty Rating: 3 out of 10.
Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers)
From smittenkitchen.com, adapted from David Lebovitz, adapted from Marcy Goldman.
4 to 6 sheets matzo (or approximately 40 Saltine crackers or crackers)
1 C. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into a few large pieces
1 C. packed light brown sugar
A big pinch of sea salt
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 C. semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips (or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate)
1 C. toasted chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts or a nut of your choice (optional)
Extra sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Liz: I couldn’t tell you if they sell nuts already toasted. I just took slivered almonds, scattered them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 300°F for a total of 8 minutes, stirring them around every few minutes to prevent burning.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet completely with foil, and then line the base of the foil with parchment paper, cut to fit.
Line the bottom of the baking sheet with matzo or crackers, covering all parts. If using matzo, you'll need to break pieces to fit any extra spaces. It’s sometimes difficult to break in straight lines. One method that works pretty well is pressing a serrated knife straight down along the perforations (placing the points over the cracker sections, not the actual holes).
In a medium heavy-duty saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, and stir it over medium heat until it begins to boil. Once it has begun boiling, let it bubble for three more minutes, stirring it well. It will thicken a bit as it cooks.
Liz: Mine took less than 3 minutes. Once the two ingredients finally started to combine, they darkened pretty quickly and I took it off the heat with 40 seconds left so it wouldn’t burn. Just gauge it based on your own stovetop.
Remove from heat and add the salt and vanilla, then quickly pour it over the matzo or crackers. You’ll want to spread it quickly, as it will begin to set as soon as it is poured.
Bake the caramel-covered crackers for 15 minutes, watching carefully as it will bubble and the corners might darken too quickly and/or burn. You can reduce the heat if you see this happening.
Liz: I let mine bake at 350°F for about half the allotted time, then bumped the temperature down to 300°F because the tops of some of the bubbles started to turn dark.
Remove from oven and immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let stand five minutes, and then spread them evenly across the caramel. An offset spatula works great here.
If you’re using them, sprinkle the chocolate with toasted chopped nuts and/or sea salt. (The sea salt is great on matzo. On Saltines, it’s really not necessary.)
Once completely cool - you can speed this process up in the fridge - break it into pieces and store it in a container. It will keep for a week.
Since the beginning of this project, caramel and I have broken up and gotten back together more times than Kim Kelly and Daniel Desario. So you can understand that I was both excited and apprehensive to change course from the usual cakes and pies this week with Chocolate Caramel Crackers.
I am relieved to report that caramel and I seem to have worked out our differences for the most part. I did not mess up a single step of this recipe.
Wait. Let that sink in. I promise you that no matter what your impression is of my skills in the kitchen, this is rare!
My almonds toasted up to a golden-brown perfection. The matzo crackers broke precisely into the shapes and sizes I needed. The caramel became thick and fragrant without burning. I mean, I was ON. Or this recipe just isn’t that hard. Either way, it feels nice to have a week where I didn’t forget to take something out of the fridge to soften or miss a crucial step in the recipe or fling batter all over the countertop. Stress-free.
Two warnings: These WILL get stuck in your teeth, but in spite of that fact, you will NOT be able to stop eating them.
I’m not sure if there’s anything I could possibly do about the teeth-sticking factor. I think the main reason it wanted to seal itself to our teeth was that the caramel dripped through all of the holes in the matzo and hardened on the underside as well. I think it was all of that underneath-caramel that was cementing itself to our molars, not the caramel between the chocolate and cracker. There’s got to be a way to prevent that! Hmmm … maybe you can scrape it off after it cools.
They’re addictive though. In fact, the exact recipe title is written as “Chocolate Caramel (Crack)ers” to emphasize their seductive nature.
My favorite parts of this dessert were 1) watching it bake because all of the caramel bubbled like little aliens the whole time and 2) spreading the chocolate on top. I was so astonished that it actually worked like it was supposed to. The chocolate really did get soft enough to spread and it did so without mushing the caramel around too. Wonderful when things happen according to plan.
The only downside to making this dessert was having to stand over a hot stovetop in August. Still, it was worth it!
Side Story:
Let me let you in on something I discovered a few weeks ago. Our oven is a piece of crap.
I bought an oven thermometer a few weeks back because I wanted to see how accurate the temperature was. You know how when you preheat most ovens, they give you a countdown until it’s supposedly at the temperature you set? Ours is a massive liar!
After installing the thermometer, I set the oven for probably 350°F and when it beeped to say it was ready, I bent down to check the temperature gauge. It read 175°F. That, my friends, is only half! That’s not even hot enough to re-warm leftovers.
This explains soooo many past failures!
At any rate, I have to give my oven about 20 minutes to preheat accurately. That’s three times as long as it’s supposed to take. Ridiculous, right? It’s irritating to have to wait so long, but ultimately, I’m relieved to have discovered this problem.
4 out of 5 stars for Chocolate Caramel Crackers.
Difficulty Rating: 3 out of 10.
Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers)
From smittenkitchen.com, adapted from David Lebovitz, adapted from Marcy Goldman.
4 to 6 sheets matzo (or approximately 40 Saltine crackers or crackers)
1 C. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into a few large pieces
1 C. packed light brown sugar
A big pinch of sea salt
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 C. semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips (or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate)
1 C. toasted chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts or a nut of your choice (optional)
Extra sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Liz: I couldn’t tell you if they sell nuts already toasted. I just took slivered almonds, scattered them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 300°F for a total of 8 minutes, stirring them around every few minutes to prevent burning.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet completely with foil, and then line the base of the foil with parchment paper, cut to fit.
Line the bottom of the baking sheet with matzo or crackers, covering all parts. If using matzo, you'll need to break pieces to fit any extra spaces. It’s sometimes difficult to break in straight lines. One method that works pretty well is pressing a serrated knife straight down along the perforations (placing the points over the cracker sections, not the actual holes).
In a medium heavy-duty saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, and stir it over medium heat until it begins to boil. Once it has begun boiling, let it bubble for three more minutes, stirring it well. It will thicken a bit as it cooks.
Liz: Mine took less than 3 minutes. Once the two ingredients finally started to combine, they darkened pretty quickly and I took it off the heat with 40 seconds left so it wouldn’t burn. Just gauge it based on your own stovetop.
Remove from heat and add the salt and vanilla, then quickly pour it over the matzo or crackers. You’ll want to spread it quickly, as it will begin to set as soon as it is poured.
Bake the caramel-covered crackers for 15 minutes, watching carefully as it will bubble and the corners might darken too quickly and/or burn. You can reduce the heat if you see this happening.
Liz: I let mine bake at 350°F for about half the allotted time, then bumped the temperature down to 300°F because the tops of some of the bubbles started to turn dark.
Remove from oven and immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let stand five minutes, and then spread them evenly across the caramel. An offset spatula works great here.
If you’re using them, sprinkle the chocolate with toasted chopped nuts and/or sea salt. (The sea salt is great on matzo. On Saltines, it’s really not necessary.)
Once completely cool - you can speed this process up in the fridge - break it into pieces and store it in a container. It will keep for a week.