This is a real favorite around my house… I just love the savory quality of using salted crackers in this sweet dessert. I often leave out the nuts and just top the melted chocolate with twice as many crushed cookies. (I mix Lorna Doones with Chips Ahoy). Be sure to use the right size baking sheet, for assured success. I’ve never met anyone that didn’t absolutely adore these… I trust you and yours will too.
They taste five times as great as they look!
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First preheat the oven to 350F. Melt the butter in a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, over medium heat. Line a 10 x 15-inch jelly roll pan (with 1/2-inch sides) with parchment paper, with a bit of overhang, and grease the paper, lightly and evenly, using some of the melted butter. Line the pan with rows of the crackers, in a single snug layer. In the correct pan, you should have eight rows of five crackers.
Get the melted butter hot, over medium heat, until it’s bubbling, then carefully whisk in the brown sugar, until homogeneous (the butter can splash until homogeneous with the sugar). Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla (make sure all the butter is completely incorporated into the sugar). Drizzle the caramel mixture over the crackers and use a small metal spreading spatula to disperse the caramel evenly, on top of the crackers. Sprinkle on the toasted almonds, if using. Bake the candy for 12 minutes, then let pan sit on a wire cooling rack, for 3 to 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate either in the top of a double boiler, over barely simmering water or in the microwave, on medium, for 2 minutes, stirring after each minute, until perfectly smooth. Pour the melted chocolate on top of the crackers and spread it out, so it covers them completely. Mix the chopped nuts and crushed cookies and sprinkle this over the chocolate. Stick the pan into the refrigerator, uncovered, for 1 hour. Lay a sheet of wax paper lightly on top and chill for another 1 to 2 hours.
Lift one end of the parchment paper and release the slab of candied crackers from the sheet. Peel off the parchment paper and then break up the candy, into irregular pieces. Alternatively, for a more finished look, after removing the parchment, position the slab horizontally in front of you (on a cutting board) and use the blade of your pastry scraper to divide it into four 3-inch strips. Cut the strips into angular shards. Either way, put the candy onto a platter or into an airtight tin.
Store the candy in an airtight tin, at room temperature.