Thursday, December 22, 2022

Christmas Cracker Candy #Christmas #recipe #giveaway @vmburns

 VMBURNS: Christmas is when I feel no guilt when baking cookies, candy, cakes or pies. It's a holiday. Time to be festive. I never tried this simple candy recipe until I moved to the south. It's both salty and sweet and extremely versatile. I like nuts and have added a LOT. If you don't like nuts, skip them. You can also top this with pretzels, crushed peppermint, or pretty much anything else you like. However, I love pecans, so that's what I used, but I've had it with butterscotch, white chocolate, pretzels, M&Ms, and various nuts. All variations were wonderful. I'm pretty sure Santa will love these, too.

Christmas Cracker Candy



INGREDIENTS



  • Saltines (approx. 40)
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 12 oz bag of chocolate chips
  • 1 cup pecans (chopped) OPTIONAL

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil making sure it covers the sides. Spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. Add all of the saltines to the baking sheet. Completely fill the sheet.

  3. Melt the butter in a sauce pan on medium high heat.

  4. Stir in the brown sugar and bring to a boil for approximately 3 minutes. Stir occasionally so the sugar doesn't burn.
  5. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
  6. Pour the caramel sauce over the crackers and spread evenly with a spatula.

  7. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes.

  8. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the caramel crackers and return to the oven. The oven doesn't need to be turned on. The warmth will still melt the chocolate. When the chocolate chips are shiny, remove (approx. 1 minute).

  9. Spread the chocolate using a spatula.
  10. (Optional) Add the chopped pecans.

  11. Cool for 20 minutes and then place the entire tray in the refrigerator for 2 - 4 hours.
  12. Remove the foil and cut or break apart like peanut brittle.



  • READERS:  What's your favorite item to bake for Christmas? Pies? Candy? Cookies? Let me know in the comments for a chance to win a copy of BOOKCLUBBED TO DEATH, the 8th book in the Mystery Bookshop Mystery series. Don't forget to leave your email address with your comment so I can contact you, if you're selected as the winner.

  • BOOKCLUBBED TO DEATH, Mystery Bookshop Mystery #8

    V. M. (Valerie) Burns

     

    When the bookshop she owns becomes a crime scene, mystery writer Samantha Washington discovers there is such a thing as bad publicity . . .
     
    After the local library in North Harbor, Michigan, is flooded in a storm, Sam offers her bookstore as a new venue for the Mystery Mavens Book Club. Unfortunately, she immediately runs afoul of the club leader, Delia Marshall, a book reviewer who can make or break careers—something Sam can ill afford with her debut historical mystery soon to be published.
     

    But the next morning, Sam opens her shop to find the unpleasant woman dead on the floor, bashed with a heavy—apparently lethal—tome: the Complete Works of Agatha Christie. While Sam is busy writing her latest British historical mystery in which the queen mother is suspected in the murder of a London Times correspondent, a pair of ambitious cops suspect Sam of the real-life crime. When she gathers Nano Jo and their friends from the Shady Acres Retirement Village to review the case, they discover every one of the Mavens had a motive. With her novel about to hit the stores, Sam must find out who clubbed Delia before a judge throws the book at her . . . 

47 comments:

  1. One of my favorite holiday things to make our my Mom's No Bake Fruitcakes. Most folks seem to have an adverse reaction just to the word fruitcake, but honestly these are delicious converting many of those haters. It's basically ground vanilla wafers mixed with eagle brand milk and melted marshmallows. Then you stir in chopped candied pineapple and cherries, chopped dates, raisins and a ton of pecans - all of which you can alter if there's something you don't care for. Then you press it into a saran layered mini muffin pan. Mom always put an additional whole pecan pressed on top. Then you just lift them out using the saran wrap and place on wax paper lined cookie sheet. When done, I place mine in the refrigerator. They freeze very well and the size makes them portion controlled, which you will need as good as they are. The recipe makes a lot of them and as I've gotten older and less around to share them with, I have even cut the recipe in half too.

    Thank you for the wonderful chance to win a copy of BOOKCLUBBED TO DEATH! This book is on my TBR list and I can't wait for the opportunity to read and review it.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. I have to admit, I'm not a fruitcake fan, but yours sound yummy. I like all of those ingredients. So, I will need to give them a try. Thanks for sharing. Good luck!

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    2. I had a similar no-bake fruitcake at a women's group gathering last Christmas. Our hostess had been given the recipe as a young girl. It was delicious and will win over people who think they hate fruitcake! Thank you for sharing the recipe.

      Nancy
      allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

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  2. I’m so excited for Bookclubbed! My best friend and I started cookie baking day when our now college age daughters were young. This is our first year that our spritz cookies behaved as they should! We were pretty excited! My kids love Christmas Crack (the saltine recipe you listed)! I’m not normally a sweets eater, but there is something about Christmas sweets - peanut butter balls, dirty snowballed, tea cakes, eggnog snickerdoodles, I love them ALL!

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    1. I'm so glad your Spritz cookies behaved! That's awesome. I agree there is something magical about Christmas sweets. I love them all, too. Good luck!

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  3. So sorry - fuzzy morning brain! I’m not Anonymous, twice apparently, I’m Lisa Arnold lisacat00 at yahoo dot com

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    1. Hi Lisa, I removed the duplicate. No worries. And, thanks for sharing.

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  4. Yum! I make a 'candy' similar to this but I use graham crackers. I'm going to try this with saltines and pecans!
    Laura Nason
    Dlcnason@msn.com

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    1. I love the saltiness that the saltines add. I hope you enjoy it!

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  5. I made something like this once but I don't remember there being caramel in it. I'll have to try this version. Yum! I love to make cookies. I have a lot of cookie cutters. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com

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    1. Riley, I hope you like it. The caramel was so yummy, I almost ate it before pouring it on the saltines. :-)

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  6. Thanks for the recipe, Valerie. I love treats that are easy to make and have few ingredients. Happy Holidays! ~Maya

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  7. I have read and enjoyed several of your books. I like to bake made from scratch home made cinnamon rolls for Christmas!

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

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    1. Yum! I haven't tried cinnamon rolls, but Abby Vandiver posted a recipe that looked super simple and I'm going to give it a try. Glad you've enjoyed my books. Good luck and Happy Holidays!

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  8. YUMMY!!!!! My favorite pastry that I look forward to eating are Pecan Tassies. They are like mini pecan pies that you make using a special baking pan that looks like a mini muffin pan. Otherwise, I will eat any goodies in front of me. Your recipe for Christmas racker Candy looks so delicious, and it reminded us of the candies that my late mother-in-law used to make...This is a must try for us, and we have all the ingredients!!! Thank you for sharing not only your brilliant writing skills, but also your delicious recipes!!! Merry Christmas and a very Prosperous and Prolific New Year :-) Luis at ole dot travel

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    1. Luis, thank you so much for the kind words. I love pecans and your recipe sounds great. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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  9. My sister makes butter cookies cut in holiday shapes. Very buttery so very yummy. Wskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. That sounds like a lovely baking tradition. Thanks for sharing. Good luck and Happy Holidays!

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  10. What a great recipe! I really like the idea of the saltine as the base to give the salty flavor to balance the sweet. Like you I am a pecan kind of person but I could see how you can mix it up with a variety of items and flavors. I also consider the month of December like as a calorie time out and bake guiltfree. I usually make cranberry bread, gingerbread men, chocolate chip pecan pie, and any other recipe I happen upon while reading. Thank you for both the recipe and an opportunity to win your next Mystery Bookshop book! tracy.condie@gmail.com or tracy dot condie at gmail dot com. I am never sure which way is supposed to be used LOL. Merry Christmas Valerie and thank you for writing cozies!

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    1. I agree that December should be a calorie time out. All of your recipes sound yummy. I was seriously going to make gingerbread men, shortbread cookies, and sugar cookies, but that was too much even for me. But, oh how yummy. Good luck and Happy Holidays!

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  11. Your recipe sounds so good! I make my husband a gooseberry pie every Christmas - it's his favorite. I don't bake as much as I used to. Merry Christmas. madamhawk at gmail dot com

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    1. I don't think I've every had gooseberry, but its nice that your husband will have his favorite pie to look forward to. Good luck and Happy Holidays!

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  12. Love make my grandma’s sandtart cookies.
    Kitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net

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    1. Family recipes are the best. It's wonderful that you get to carry on the tradition. Good luck and Happy Holidays!

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  13. Candy and cookies for us. We'll bake and decorate sugar cookies and then I usually like to try a new cookie recipe too. Yesterday we made fudge, peanut butter balls, and maple nut goodies. Sometimes we do divinity. I had made some caramels last week. And we have a bunch of sourdough starter to use so biscuits, cake, and bread are the plan for the next couple days.
    kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. I'll bet your home smells delicious. Good luck and Happy Holidays!

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  14. Valerie, this looks delightful! My late mother would have loved it. Tip: DO NOT try to toast Saltines in the toaster. (In my defense, I was only 5. And the kitchen cabinets were only scorched on the bottom.)

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    1. OMG! That is hilarious. Glad there wasn't more damage and you lived to tell the tale. Oh how far you've come! :-)

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  15. Welcome today/ Thanks for this fun recipe. I have asked others what the name was and they didnt know, but they could make wonderful ones. I love to make christmas cookies from recipes that my husband got from his grandmother. I love to make Sweet Potato Casserole. I dont cook or bake as much as I used to.
    quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

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    1. Lori, that is so great that you have recipes that have been handed down over the years. I never met my maternal grandmother and my paternal grandmother wasn't a very good cook. So we don't have any of her recipes, but I've been trying to recreate foods that my mom used to make so that those recipes can continue. Thankfully, my sister paid better attention than I did!

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  16. Thank you, Ms. Burns, for sharing thus yummy and delicious, and easy to make recipe! I may not put a lot of nuts because I don't have strong teeth..I love Italian wedding cookies very much, and I normally would get them from Whole Foods (the wedding cookies at this store have the taste and texture that I like)..Then we decided to bake our own from scratch, and it becomes our Christmas tradition! Thank you for the giveaway ❤️! Happy Holidays to you and your family, Chloe and Kenzie!
    cwkuen(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Emily, I think its great that you are making the Italian Wedding Cookies at home. That's awesome. Chloe and Kenzie are definitely enjoying all of the baking (and scraps that fall to the floor). Happy Holidays and Good Luck!

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  17. I loved to bake spritz cookies with my grandma and since she has passed hubby and I baked them once and forgot the almond extract they were horrible so we made choc chip cookies, I am a cookie fan and only tried candy once and the chocolate burned peggy clayton ptclayton2 at aoldot com

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    1. Peggy, I love cookies too. It's amazing how one little ingredient can make such a HUGE difference. I hope you give the Spritz cookies another shot. Good luck and Happy Holidays!

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  18. I usually bake cookies and brownies. I love this series and am looking forward to the new book!

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    1. Sally, I love cookies and blondies and brownies (with pecans) and pretty much everything yummy. I'm so glad you are enjoying the series. Happy Holidays!

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  19. I've made a version of this and it is WICKED good stuff! Put it under lock and key!!!

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    1. Libby, I agree, it is quite yummy. I might eat an entire tray before Christmas. We shall see. Happy Holidays!

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  20. I love to bake cookies. I love this recipe and I think I will do half saltines and half graham crackers.
    lindalou64(@)live(dot)com

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    1. Linda, that sounds awesome. I'll bet they both will be delicious. Good luck and Happy Holidays!

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  21. I like to make Crescents and Pecan Tassies deborahortega229@yahoo.com

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  22. Cookies and fudge. cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Cherie, I love both. How can you go wrong? Good luck and Happy Holidays!

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