November 24, 2010

Thanksgiving, Shmanksgiving

 Now that Thanksgiving is pretty much over...
C'mon, lets face it...you know as well as I do that Thanksgiving is over way before the day actually comes.
Thanksgiving gets lost in between Halloween and Christmas.
 Don't 'cha think?
I went into a large craft store over a week ago looking for a some Thanksgiving items and they had all but gone the way of the pilgrim.
The powers that be give Thanksgiving planning a tiny window of opportunity and if you don't sneak in when it's open you are stuck in the cold world of leftover items and discount bins...that means 3 napkin rings, a pack of cupcake liners and some cinnamon pine cones.  I challenge the MacGuyver-like people over at Real Simple to come up with something using just those items!
(They did have an abundant supply of extra tall bar stools ...not sure what's that's all about)
It is sort of a suckfest for those of us who don't plan out our Thanksgiving tables 3 months ahead.  
Sheesh.
I know that some people really dig on Thanksgiving, but for me the turkey is not where it's at.
So, since I am easily swayed by the folks behind Christmas marketing, I will move on to Christmas.
Ahhhh, Christmas.
It is the holiday of the cookie.
So, by default, it's the most most wonderful time of the year!
I will not pledge to you that I will have a cookie recipe a day or any nonsense that both you and I know I am not capable of.
But, I will vow to share as many cookies with you as possible. 
We'll do this ~ some new cookies and some all-time favorites that always end up on my Christmas cookie platter.
And for all of you that do cookie exchanges, there will be a few ideas for ya!
Oh yeah, and on that note...do you know that I have NEVER been invited to a cookie exchange?
*sigh*
Just thought I would share that sad fact.

So, my for first sweet treat of the month I will share with you an oldie.

...but a goody!
I started making this candy at holiday time because it's super easy, super tasty and a favorite of my oldest son.
It has the whole salty-sweet, buttery, chocolate thing going on.
And there are only 4 ingredients
And you don't need a candy thermometer.
AND you don't need to use your mixer.
I am giddy.
You'll need:
40-ish Saltine crackers, plus 1/2 cup crushed Saltines for garnish (about a sleeve and 1/2)
2 sticks butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350
Line your baking sheet (jelly roll pan) with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
Arrange your crackers snugly on baking sheet.
Over medium high heat melt butter and sugar together.
When mixture comes to a rolling boil let boil for 2 minutes, stirring.
Pour mixture over crackers.
Bake in oven for about 10 minutes.  Toffee will be bubbling.
Let cool for 1 minute and then sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
Let sit for 2 minutes and then spread the melted chips with an off-set spatula.
Sprinkle with reserved crushed crackers.
Refrigerate pan for approx 30 minutes so chocolate and toffee sets.
Break or cut into pieces.
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
I hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Now, bring on the jolly :)

29 comments:

corinne said...

I've always done something similar with graham crackers. The salt on Saltines could be a good touch...

Anne said...

I've already made (and given away) mini gingerbread boys this week and am putting the finishing touches on my decorated gingerbread turkey-shaped cookies for tomorrow. I agree with you - bring on the holiday of COOKIES!!!

Cookbook Queen said...

This is one of my favorites, too!! Yum.....can we be neighbors?

:)

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Diane Schmidt said...

YUM! love toffee :) and the combo with the saltines sounds fabulous!!!

Anonymous said...

so simple yet so delicious looking!

Lorraine said...

This is one of my favorites too. It is easy and incredibly delicious. That is okay; you can move right on to Christmas:) I am looking forward to your cookies. If I lived near you, you would be on the top of my invite list for a cookie swap.

Unknown said...

That is interesting recipe. I am amazed you used saltine.

Tis So Sweet Bake Shoppe said...

Oooohhh, I've never heard of these! They look easy and yummy! Thanks so much!

Beth said...

Looking forward to all your Christmas cookie recipes! I'd love to exchange cookies with you any time.

Unknown said...

Lol I'm shocked at how easy this is. Sounds and looks delicious :D

Erin said...

YUM!!! I'm so with you on Thanksgiving. Not my holiday at all. Bring on Christmas! Sorry abotu the cookie exchange thing. I'd invite you if you lived closer =o)

Mindy said...

These are so yummy...but so dangerous as I want to eat half the pan. And as mentioned in the recipe, it has TWO sticks of butter. I guess that's what we have treadmills for.

Enjoy the start of Christmas baking!!

grace said...

this is one of my favorite homemade treats of all time. i like to refer to it as toffee crack.

Joanne said...

Candy thermometers scare me. Which is why I am so so so pleased that this doesn't require me to use one! Delicious!

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you posted this! I've never had it, but always thought it sounded good. Adding to my holiday list!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Love this! So easy yet soooo good! You can make it with anything really. I've used ritz, tortillas, & graham crackers, along with the saltines.

Hope you had a blessed & delicious Thanksgiving, Shelly!
~ingrid

Btw, I hope you sneak in a few good bar recipes for us, non cookie bakers!! :)

Monet said...

Hi there! These look like great holiday treats. I love using crackers and other unusual ingredients when making candy or cookies. I have a bag of saltines in my pantry...perfect! Thank you for sharing! I hope you have a lovely weekend.

bakingdiva said...

Let's trade addresses, I'll do an exchange with you!
Do a very similar recipe, but my "base" is keebler crackers ( you know the buttery rectangles). Makes the treat taste like a big pan of twix. YUM!

Becki D said...

I've never been to a cookie exchange, either. I would totally have one and invite you if we were neighbors! :-)

Sara Tea said...

Saltines sneak their way into everything, and it's always more impressive with each application!

Sue said...

I finally made these for the first time a few weeks ago and I love them! So simple and So good!

Peggy said...

Never thought Saltines had much use other than being crumbled up into chili or soup! I definitely want to try this very very soon!

dearheart said...

Fantastic! Saltines were cool long before finishing salt! Thanks for sharing....

Barbara said...

I'm into cookies in a big way....and these little gems combine cookies AND candy. How can they miss??

Kristie Maynard said...

Oh that is an oldie, but a goodie. I love this stuff and haven't made it for a long time, maybe this year I will pull that recipe out again. YUMMMMMY!!!!

Melanie said...

I LOVE Saltine Toffee! And I was just lamenting this week that I've never been invited to a cookie exchange either, I think it would be so fun. But you should be invited to everyone's cookie party :)

Monica H said...

I've never made this with saltines, just graham crackers but it is delicious!

Leslie said...

A perfect combo of sweet and salty

Kristi said...

I absolutely LOVE this stuff! But last year I think no one else liked it and I had to eat the whole batch myself (not because I accidentally kept the container hidden in a secret place in the garage, or anything) and it took me until mid-October to go back to my pre-holiday weight. =( It's this toffee that did it.

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