My family doesn’t really celebrate Easter, but I’m still usually surrounded by more chocolate than I can handle this time of year. (No, I’m not crazy, but yes, one time a giant chocolate rabbit sat in my pantry, staring at me with its weird creepy sideways-eye, for upwards of a month.) Don’t get me wrong — chocolate is good. But you know what’s better? Chocolate and salty caramel and a little bit of crunch. Yes, peeps, it’s Edible Witness’ first trip over to the sweet side.
The first time I made chocolate caramel buttercrunch, I had been surfing Smitten Kitchen, which is pretty much my go-to food blog. It’s one of the few sites that will inspire me to go out to the grocery store immediately to grab the requisite ingredients for a given recipe. In this case, I had actually just returned from the grocery store and went back to get the stuff I needed, because — well, you’ll see.
It takes very little time to make. It looks mega impressive. It’s crazy delicious. And your colleagues will pretty much love you when you bring leftovers (if you even have any) into work the next day. Be prepared to send this puppy around; people will basically be demanding the recipe from you.
Added bonus for my Jewish friends: the original recipe that inspires this one, from Montreal-based food writer Marcy Goldman, is made with matzoh and is Passover-recommended!
One of the great things about this recipe is its adaptability. Sometimes I like to add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the caramel for a spicy hint. You can use dark bittersweet, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate. You can mix white and dark chocolate chips and swirl it around once it melts. You can top it with whatever nuts you prefer: crushed hazelnuts, sliced toasted almonds, or (my favourite) shredded toasted coconut. I like salted top soda crackers best, but you can also use a different type of cracker or matzoh.
Make sure you use dark brown sugar and it’s easiest to clean up when you line your cookie sheet with some foil first, then with parchment to ensure there’s no sticking. And if you do have leftover Easter chocolate, you can always chop it up and use that instead — just make sure it’s in small pieces so it will melt enough to be spreadable.
Chocolate Caramel Buttercrunch
Adapted from Marcy Goldman’s A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking, by way of smittenkitchen.com
40-50 salted soda crackers OR 4-6 unsalted matzohs, cut to fit
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 2 inch cubes
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
½ – 1 tsp kosher salt (I like the full tsp for saltier caramel)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with foil (going up and over the edges), and then with parchment paper (cut to size and laid flat). Arrange crackers to form a single layer covering the sheet; edges touching.
2. In a heavy-bottomed, medium saucepan, melt butter and sugar together on medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture begins to bubble, continue stirring for about 3 minutes until the sugar is dissolved into the butter. Remove from heat and stir in salt and vanilla.
3. Pour caramel mixture evenly over the crackers. Using a spatula (a silicon/non-stick one will work best), spread to cover entire surface of crackers evenly (do this quickly before the caramel begins to set). Transfer sheet to oven for about 12-15 minutes (keep an eye on it; you don’t want the caramel to burn at the edges).
4. Remove sheet from oven and realign crackers if they’ve separated during baking, working quickly (I just use the end of a spatula to push them all back into place). Sprinkle with chocolate chips and let sit for 10 minutes to melt. Using a non-stick spatula, spread chocolate evenly across the surface of the caramel crackers. Sprinkle with nuts if desired.
5. Allow it to set — if you can pop it in the freezer, this is the fastest way and you can cut it into pieces within an hour (otherwise it will take a few hours). Once mixture has hardened and set, use a heavy knife to split it into pieces (I like to make them kind of irregular), Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks (I usually keep it in the fridge).
Sara Chan is an articling student at a Toronto law firm. Her favourite food group is pork. Sara’s column appears every other Tuesday here on lawandstyle.ca.