Buttery and light-weight Membership Crackers are one of many few crackers I’ll fortunately eat straight-up, no spreads or toppings required. They’re delightfully self-contained. Even so, once I ran throughout a recipe for a straightforward candy snack with Membership Crackers as the bottom and crunchy toffee on high, I needed to strive it. I’m so glad I did.
These Membership Cracker cookies aren’t actually cookies, however they’re not fairly crackers or sweet, both. No matter you name them, know that it takes quite a lot of willpower to eat only one.
Within the early 2000s, I labored within the advertising division at a small artisan chocolate manufacturing unit. We had a service, WebClips, that despatched us press clippings each month mentioning our enterprise. The sheaf of newspaper and journal articles primarily contained recipes mentioning our model, however that did imply I acquired to flick through a lot of recipes for chocolate.
One way or the other, the one recipe I put aside for myself contained no chocolate in any respect. All it mentioned on the high of the web page was “Winner, Straightforward Cookies. Judy Beaudoin of Bedford says she acquired this profitable recipe from her sister in Dickinson, N.D., however provides that it’s ‘a great Texas recipe’ as a result of it doesn’t get messy in sizzling climate.”
Why You Ought to Make These “Cookies”
Judy’s recipe intrigued me, and whereas I added it to my accordion file, I didn’t get round to creating it for a great 20 years. After making Membership Cracker cookies, I can vouch that they’re each simple and worthy of profitable a recipe contest.
All you do is simmer butter and sugar collectively for a couple of minutes, pour it over a grid of Membership Crackers, sprinkle nuts over the entire works, and bake it till the topping bubbles. The result’s akin to Christmas cracker sweet or matzo toffee, but the absence of melted chocolate someway heightens the distinction of the brittle toffee and the salty, crispy crackers. I like how the uncovered edges of among the crackers get a little bit browned and toasty within the oven and the way the toffee coats among the crackers greater than others.
They’d be wonderful for packaging up as presents for the vacations or as an addition to a cookie tin so as to add a component of intrigue. They’d even be good for making with children (one thing Judy famous within the unique recipe clipping).
Merely Recipes / Shilpa Iyer
How To Make Membership Cracker Cookies
For about 42 cracker cookies, you’ll want:
42 Membership Crackers1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter1/2 cup mild brown sugar1/4 teaspoon kosher salt1 teaspoon vanilla extract1/2 cup chopped nuts, akin to almonds or pecans
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with greased foil or a silicone baking mat. Prepare the Membership Crackers in a grid, 6 crackers broad and seven crackers lengthy. Shut any gaps so the crackers contact one another as a lot as attainable.
In a medium saucepan, soften the butter over medium warmth. Stir within the sugar and salt and convey to a boil, stirring continuously. Prepare dinner for two minutes, nonetheless stirring, lowering the warmth as wanted to take care of a robust simmer. Take away from the warmth and stir within the vanilla.
Working rapidly, drizzle the topping over the crackers and use an offset metallic spatula to unfold it as thinly and evenly throughout as many crackers as you’ll be able to. Don’t fear if it’s not excellent. Sprinkle the nuts over the cookies after which bake till the topping is effervescent, 8 to 12 minutes. Judy’s recipe says to switch the cookies to a cooling rack at this level, however I allow them to cool on the sheet after which broke them aside into particular person items with no drawback.
Retailer the cookies in a tightly lined container for as much as 4 days. The topping will get a little bit softer every day, however the cookies will nonetheless be tasty.
Merely Recipes / Shilpa Iyer
Ideas for Making Membership Cracker Cookies
As fond as I’m of saving cash from shopping for retailer manufacturers, I’ll say there’s a marked distinction in high quality between Membership Crackers and faux Membership Crackers. The true factor is price splurging on for this tremendous easy recipe. I used chopped almonds, however any nut you take pleasure in would work right here–pecans, walnuts, pistachios, or hazelnuts.If you happen to don’t like nuts, don’t use them.Ought to chocolate really feel essential, drizzle melted chocolate over the cookies after they arrive out of the oven and have had an opportunity to set.
