Sweet & Salty

Wait, where did Christmas go? One moment I was singing carols and wrapping presents and then the next I am saying goodbye to family members. The Christmas season has come to a sudden halt and the new year is rolling in. With all the anticipation built for the Christmas season it seems only fitting that there should be the a at least a few weeks to taper off the holiday. But sadly our tree has already come down and not a single light, angel, or nativity scene is in sight. Time seems to drag on after Christmas in anticipation for beautiful Spring time. But don't worry, with all the unexciting events January and February promise, I have a plethora of baked goods I want to share with you that I whipped up over the holiday. Woohoo. To start, I made a recipe I have been eyeing for awhile: saltine cracker toffee. You heard me. I made it along another great dessert: peanut butter Ritz dipped in chocolate. I am a big fan of these Ritz treats and when I found the saltine recipe I knew I'd love it because of its salty and sweet combo. I always feel as though I'm am breaking rules when I make salty/sweet desserts. Complete opposites?....dang right I'm combining them. Both of theses recipes are easy-peasy and take only minutes to make, plus they make you feel like a rule breaker.


Saltine Cracker Toffee
From: The girl who ate everything

Ingredients:
- 40 salted saltine crackers or enough to line your pan
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cups milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips


*You can either use salted butter or salted saltines but not both. I used salted crackers and unsalted butter in this one. 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Line saltine crackers in a single layer on the cookie sheet. 

2. In a small pot combine sugar and butter and bring to a boil. Once mixture is at a boil, continue boiling for 3 minutes. Mixture should be a deep caramel color. Immediately pour over saltines and spread to cover crackers completely. 

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 to 6 minutes. It will get all bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and let sit a couple of minutes to melt. I stuck mine back in the oven for about 30 seconds or you can slightly melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for about 1 minute then spread it on. Spread melted chocolate. Cool  completely and break into pieces. 

Chocolate-covered peanut butter Ritz

Ingredients:

- 2 cups milk chocolate chips

- ½ cup creamy peanut butter

- ¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted

-32 Ritz crackers

Directions:

1. Place chocolate chips over a double boiler and melt.Place peanut butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.

2. Spread a small amount of the peanut butter mixture onto a cracker and sandwich together with another cracker. Repeat until all the crackers and peanut butter filling have been used.

3. Place crackers onto a parchment line baking sheet and place in freezer for about 30 minutes.

4. Once the chocolate has melted, using a fork, dip the chilled peanut butter sandwiches into the chocolate until completely covered. Shake off any access chocolate and place back onto the parchment lined baking sheet.

Repeat with the remaining sandwiches and set aside to dry, about an hour.

5. Carefully peel from the parchment and serve. Store in fridge

-Sarah-