52 Cookies - Chapter 14

When I began this Cookie Journey, never once did I promise, or guarantee for that matter, that every week would find me sharing an exhaustive or challenging recipe.  No.  There's a little bit of Sandra Lee in me.  You know, the chic on the Food Network that does the "Semi-Homemade" recipes.  Today's cookie recipe is quick, simple and really, there's no baking involved whatsoever.  In fact.  I would go so far as to say, this technically is not a cookie.  Uh oh.  I might be cheating here a little bit.  My only saving grace is to say I found this recipe under the cookie section of the Kraft Foods website.  I think this is more of a candy than a cookie.  Candy.  Cookie.  Brownie.  It's all good.

I have to admit.  We are into Week 14 and this cookie business is beginning to feel like work.  That's one good reason not to pursue the whole "You should bake cookies for a living!" advice that friends and acquaintances have thrown my way.  I have always loved baking cookies.  I just think that if I went into the business of baking cookies for other people that it won't be fun anymore.  Then again, advisers to entrepreneurs always say, "Do what you love!"

Crunch Bars 
Here's What You Need:
35 saltine crackers
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted

Here's What You Do:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a jelly roll pan with foil.  Line up your crackers 5 across and 7 down.  After all, 5 times 7 is 35!  Now, heat the stick of butter with the brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Stir every so often until the butter is melted.  By the time the butter melts, it should begin to boil.  Keep the heat on and stop stirring.  Let it sit, boiling, for 3 minutes.  Now, spoon your brown sugar mixture over the saltines.  Try not to think about the butter.  Pop the pan into the oven for 5 minutes.  Once your timer goes off, take the pan out and sprinkle the tops of the crackers with the chocolate.  Let it sit for another 5 minutes while the chocolate melts.  Spread the chocolate evenly across the top of the crackers, then sprinkle with the toasted, chopped nuts.  Allow it to cool and the chocolate to firm up.  Break the crackers into pieces.  Mine were able to break up into their original square shape.  The recipe indicates that this makes 16 servings.  Given that I used exactly 35 crackers, I thought that was a curious number of servings to come up with.  I did the math, using a calculator because math never was, is or will be my thing.  One serving is exactly 2.1875 crackers.  Hmmm.  I think I'll just round up and help myself to 3 crackers and call it a day!