Chocolate Crack

I first saw this recipe on Serious Eats, and of course I had to make it.  It is so easy and tastes amazing; you really can't pass it up if you are a chocolate and caramel lover.  Our friend Katie came over this week and she brought all the ingredients to make this yummy dessert.  I was elated! It reminded me what a great recipe this is and that I should definitely make it more often.  It's just as easy to make a large batch as a small one, so this is a great idea for parties too.  

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups butter (2 and a half sticks)
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate pieces (We used semi-sweet and peanut butter chips, but the peanut butter flavor didn't really come through.  So I would just stick with chocolate)
Saltine Crackers (about 50 or one and a half stacks, for a large sheet pan)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cover a large sheet pan (about 12x17) with foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Place the Saltines in a single layer to cover the entire pan.

In a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat, stirring often.  Mix in the sugar and then stir in the vanilla.  Whisk or stir until it becomes an even dark brown color and you can tell all the butter has been incorporated.  (About 5 minutes)  When it starts to bubble, remove from heat.

Pour the caramel mixture over the crackers, somewhat evenly.  Spread it out with a spoon to make sure all the crackers are covered completely with the sauce.

 

Next, place the tray in the oven for 7 minutes until the caramel is bubbling around the crackers.  Remove from the oven and let it cool for a couple minutes before spreading on the chocolate.  Evenly place the chocolate pieces over the crackers and let them sit for 10 minutes so they melt enough to be spreadable.  

With a spoon, spread the chocolate evenly and then let it cool.  When the tray has cooled down, place in the refrigerator or freezer until it has hardened.  Once hard, break pieces of the bark off and peel the foil away.  Break them into smaller serving size pieces of any shape.  It's impossible not to become addicted to this stuff!  

Yummmmm!!!