Saltine Toffee Bars

I know what you're thinking... Saltines?  In a dessert? Surprisingly enough yes, and delicious too! This recipe is so easy to put together and it makes more than enough to give away as gifts. These two pans yielded 8 medium cellophane bags and I was able to hand them out all weekend with some left over for us... Yay!

                                     

After refrigeration, break them up into desired size pieces. You can plate them or wrap them up individually. I used medium cellophane bags and tied a ribbon on each one. 

Ingredients:

1-1/2 sleeves of saltine crackers per cookie sheet

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups chocolate chips

2 cups chopped nuts (optional)

* I made one more batch of the toffee (1 stick butter / 1 cup brown sugar) and split it between the two cookie sheets. I felt they needed more.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with a nonstick cooking spray. Arrange crackers in a single layer on the sheet so that there are no empty spaces between them.

Melt butter in heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, carefully pour the sugar-butter mixture over the crackers in an even layer, trying to cover most of the crackers. If you miss some spots, don't worry as the toffee will spread in the oven. Bake for five minutes, until the toffee is bubbling all over. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for one minute.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the hot toffee and allow them to sit for one minute to soften and melt. Once softened, use an offset spatula or knife to spread the melted chocolate over the entire surface of the toffee in an even layer. While the chocolate is still sticky, sprinkle the top with the reserved chopped nuts. Refrigerate the pan to set the toffee and chocolate for about 30 minutes or more. Once set, break into small uneven pieces by hand. Store uneaten saltine toffee in an airtight container for up to one week.

Monterey Pumpkin Bread

Soft Ginger Cookies

This recipe is from The Taste Of Home Baking Classics and I have to tell you they are going down as one of my favorite cookies. They are crunchy on the outside and unbelievably chewy on the inside. I would however adjust the ginger amount depending how much you like the flavor. I prefer a stronger ginger taste so I increased the amount by 1/2 teaspoon.




Ingredients


3/4     cup butter, softened
1        cup sugar
1        egg
1/4     cup molasses
2-1/4  cups all-purpose flour
2        teaspoon baking soda
3/4     teaspoon cinnamon
1/2     teaspoon ground cloves
1/4     teaspoon salt
Additional sugar for rolling

Directions


In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses. Combine the flour. ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

Roll into 1-1/2-in. balls, then roll in sugar. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bale at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield aprox. 2 dozen.

Shaping Cookies


Cookies bake more evenly if all the cookies on the baking sheet are the same size. I used a medium ice cream scoop which made them about 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie.

Soft Ginger Cookies