Saltine Bark of My Heart!

After my maple cream was only a 50% success last Christmas, I decided it was time to go with something foolproof, quick, delicious, and, most of all, cheap. At that point in the season, days before holiday gift exchange time, saltine bark seemed like my best option.

My roommate used to make it and it was the kind of snack I hated to love: sweet, crispy, salty, chocolatey. Oh. My. It's also almost shamefully easy to make.

It goes like this:
Grab a cookie sheet with a rim and line it with parchment paper. Take a bunch of saltines and spread them out in one even layer. If you have to, break some crackers in half to fill the tray completely. Melt together some butter and brown sugar, pour them over the crackers. Put the whole thing in a hot oven for a few minutes, while the butter and brown sugar soak into the crackers. Try to prevent yourself from shoving molten buttery crackers into your face. Then sprinkle chocolate chips over the whole tray, stick it back in the oven until the chocolate is soft, and then spread the chocolate with a knife or spatula.


Before the whole thing cools, sprinkle with your choice of: chopped nuts, chopped dried fruit, candy sprinkles, crushed peppermint (or other) candies, or whatever else sounds delicious pressed into chocolate on top of toffee. Gently press the topping into the chocolate and let it cool. When the pan is completely cooled, break the saltine bark up into chunks, wrap it in pretty packages using cellophane bags, parchment, or pretty candy boxes with ribbon. 


Here's how Paula Deen does it, and she can't possibly be wrong.


It's a pretty economical treat, by my calculations:
Saltines - $2.50/box, recipe uses 1/4 - $0.60
Butter - $2.99/lb, recipe uses 1/2 - $1.50
Brown sugar - $1.89/ 2lb, recipe uses 1 cup - $0.40
Chocolate chips - $2.99/ 12 oz. bag, go ahead and use the whole bag, it's the holidays!

Without toppings, it works out to about $5.50 for the batch, which you can easily split into 4 gift bags, at least.

Add a homemade cocoa mix in a mug, or fudge, or a jar of caramel sauce, to complete a sweet treat gift for someone on your list. It makes a great teacher gift, or a unique offering at a cookie party or holiday potluck.