Vegan Cracker Candy
Happy Holidays everyone! We hope you enjoyed your annual festivities with family, friends, and love ones. Christmas time always brings families together near and far. This time of year is also an important time for loved ones to share recipes and cook together in the kitchen. Some things I look for in recipes is the ease factor and minimal ingredients. The less I have to buy, the better! My Grandma Shirley recently shared a link on her Facebook page of a video of someone making Cracker Candy. I had never heard of Cracker Candy before but after watching the video I was intrigued at how easy it was to make. I have quite a sweet tooth so it was hard to resist not giving it a shot. This recipe that I am sharing today is not part of our family tradition by any means (although it was so delicious that it just might be from now on.)
The original recipe is not vegan so I thought it would be fun to “veganize” and share the recipe with anyone else who wants to make their own Cracker Candy. It makes for the perfect gift or a sinfully delicious "cheat treat" from time to time. The batch I made I brought to co-workers to enjoy and they sure did! They loved every bite. Since New Years Eve is 4 days away, you can still get away with making this recipe just in the nick of time before starting your healthy eating resolutions for 2017! Get to baking!
The original recipe can be found at the link below: http://afternoonbakingwithgrandma.com/how-to-make-delicious-cracker-candy/ My adaptation of the recipe is featured here:
Vegan Cracker Candy 1 package of Trader Joe's Stone Ground Wheat Crackers* 1 cup (226 g) original Earth Balance Buttery Spread 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. firmly packed organic brown sugar 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used the ones from Trader Joe's)
1/2 to 3/4 cup toasted chopped pecans ½ cup unsweetened or sweetened coconut flakes (I used sweetened) *Notes: You can use Saltine crackers however I opted to use the TJ ones and was pleasantly surprised at how good it turned out. They are also more dense and packed with more nutrition than the regular saltines. Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. On a 9 x 13 cookie sheet, line with foil and spray with non stick coconut oil spray (or any non-stick vegetable oil spray)
Next, line the wheat crackers throughout the pan making sure every inch is filled. Break the crackers to fit if needed
When you're finished, set cookie sheet to the side and start melting the Earth Balance on low heat in a saucepan. Once the butter is melted, add in brown sugar and turn heat to medium. Stir continuously until boiling. Then boil for three minutes. Pour mixture over crackers and quickly spread evenly. Bake in oven for 5 minutes only.
Once that is done, remove from oven and pour chocolate chips over the top of crackers and cover with foil. Let the chocolate melt for about 3 minutes. Using a spatula, spread chocolate evenly.
Now for the fun part, add any topping you want. I used crushed pecans and sweetened coconut flakes. You can get really creative and use essentially any of your favorite toppings from nuts, chopped dates, dried fruit, etc. After you add the topping of your choice, replace foil and refrigerate until set (chocolate should be completely cooled and hard) or freeze for about 30 minutes. Once the candy is set, you can start breaking it into pieces and enjoy!
Let us know if you try the recipe and how you liked it by leaving a comment below! Happy New Year!
