Christmas Crack

Some say the name is because this luscious confection’s made with crackers.  Others say it’s because it’s addictive.  Both groups speak the truth.  Crunchy, toffee sweet, salty, oh, it’s irresistible.

This ridiculously easy recipe is tweaked just a little from the many 'originals', but relies on real butter and jaggery, that raw Indian cane sugar also known as Punjabi shakkar.  Oh deliciousness.

Jaggery is also Shakkar, available in Indian groceries.

1 sleeve Stoned Wheat Thins

2 cups jaggery, or Punjabi shakkar

1 ½ cups butter

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

a sprinkling of Himalayan salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Arrange crackers on two parchment lined cookie sheets.  My crackers became somewhat bejumbled. No problem: the goo flowed over, around and underneath the crackers, beautifully glazing them all over.  Other recipes call for plain saltines, or salted soda crackers, but I never liked those, not even when I was a child.  Way too bland and boring!

Hot and dangerous!

Put jaggery and butter into a large saucepan.  Turn on to medium to melt butter and dissolve jaggery, about five minutes.  Turn heat up to medium high, and hover, stirring with a wooden spoon for about three minutes.  Remove from heat and gently pour over crackers.  Push molten sugar around with the back of a wooden spoon if it doesn’t nicely oblige you, so it covers every molecule of exposed cracker.  Molten sugar is dangerously hot, so be extremely careful!

Pop covered crackers into the oven for about ten minutes.  Stay with them toward the end to watch they don’t get too dark.  Remove from oven onto safe places to cool.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips. 

In a couple of minutes it’s time to use a metal knife to carefully smooth out the melted chocolate.  Distribute so every molecule of sugar is covered in a skiff of chocolate.  Sprinkle with a little freshly ground Himalayan salt if you’re really bad.

Spread with a knife within a few moments.

Walk away and leave these alone to cool.  These are still molten hot and dangerous, so no fooling around, you greedy thing!  Oh, would you regret that!

Several hours later, you may need to refrigerate these to harden the chocolate, or if the room is cool enough, you may be in luck.  I needed to refrigerate.  When the chocolate is hardened, crack apart with your fingers. 

This stuff is getting tucked into cookie tins, to be distributed as gifts and treats for our pre-Christmas dinner tonight.  Oh, happy day, I’m turning the entire family into cravin’ addicts.  What fun!

These crack easily with your hands.  You will become addicted, guaranteed!