A consumer poll revealed that a common food item that just about everyone has tucked away somewhere in their kitchen is a box of Saltine crackers. Much of the time, these humble butter crisps have been forgotten to the point of turning stale. Then what happens? They’re often tossed because no one knows what to do with them.

That doesn’t have to happen, however. There are lots of ways to get creative with saltine crackers (stale or otherwise). And the beauty of a saltine is that it works well in both savory and sweet recipes.

First let’s look at some savory ideas:

· Use them in place of flour in potato pancakes. Just grind them in a food processor or mini chopper.

· Use them to coat chicken instead of bread crumbs. They yield a much heartier texture and crunch

· Use them to top baked fish. Just crumble several (depending on how much fish you’re cooking) and mix the crumbs with minced garlic, finely ground black pepper, and minced fresh parsley. Sprinkle these seasoned crumbs over your fish servings, drizzle with fresh lemon juice, and finish with a sprinkle of paprika. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 375°F.

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  A favorite idea is to create customized seasoned saltines. You can turn them into little squares of heaven with the addition of just a few things. Olive oil, a ranch seasoning packet, and some red pepper flakes is all it takes. Here’s how:

For Seasoned Saltines: Pour 3-4 sleeves of saltines onto a large cookie sheet. Drizzle them with ½ cup olive oil (or until crackers are lightly covered). Sprinkle a ranch seasoning packet over the crackers then top with about 2 tablespoons of red pepper flakes (more or less, depending on how spicy you like your crackers). Bake at 200°F for approximately 15 minutes (watch closely to prevent over-browning). Serve warm. When cool, they store well in a plastic bag. While they make a terrific snack on their own, we love them crushed up over all sorts of pasta dishes.

Now let’s look at a couple sweet ways to use our saltines:

· Another favorite way is to use them instead of graham crackers in our no-bake pie recipes. A saltine pie crust calls for 1½ sleeves of saltine crackers, 1 stick of butter and 3 tablespoons of sugar. The process is the same for a typical graham cracker crust—crush the crackers, melt the butter, mix all three ingredients well and coat your pie pan evenly with the crust. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes or until crust lightly browns.

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  Finally, saltine toffee. The best recipe for this comes from Rachel Ray (who else?). What makes it the best? Rachel says, “I think it's the perfect combination of salt (saltines and peanut butter chips), sweet (chocolate), and butter (brown sugar butter caramel). Plus, it's so easy, even novice bakers will succeed with this recipe.”

Here’s her process (and her recipe follows):

Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Evenly place 48 saltine crackers (or as many as you need to completely cover the pan with the crackers touching, but not overlapping) on the cookie sheet.

Next, melt some butter in a pan, whisk-in brown sugar, bring to a bubble, and simmer until it is fully, combined, and thickened.


Immediately pour the caramel layer evenly over the saltines. Use a spatula to make sure the caramel layer is even and covering all of the crackers. Then, bake at 350°F for 8 minutes.

Return the pan to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the chips are shiny and softened, but still intact. Take the pan out of the oven and immediately sprinkle one cup of chocolate chips and one cup of peanut butter chips on top. This where you can get creative and customize your toffee. White chocolate chips would be good, as would butterscotch, milk chocolate, or a combination of any or all of these!

Return the pan to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the chips are shiny and softened, but still intact.

Use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread the chips into an even, melted layer.

Immediately sprinkle chopped Heath Bars (or a similar toffee bar) on top of the melted chocolate layer and let cool. Other tasty toppings would be chopped, toasted nuts, chopped Oreos, or Heath Bar Brickle. Let cool, and then refrigerate to harden completely.

Once hardened, break into pieces and enjoy! Store in the refrigerator, and try to pace yourself.

SALTINE TOFFEE

48 saltine crackers (a little more than one sleeve, depending on the size of your cookie sheet)
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips (white chocolate, butterscotch, and/or milk chocolate chips all work)
1 1/2 cups crushed Heath Bars (chopped and toasted nuts, chopped Oreos, or Heath Brickle Bar would be excellent as well)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Evenly place approximately 48 saltine crackers (or as many as you need to completely cover the pan) on the cookie sheet.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add brown sugar. Whisk the mixture to combine and bring to a low boil. Simmer for a few minutes, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened. Immediately pour the caramel mixture over the crackers, spreading with a spatula to make sure the cracker layer is evenly and completely covered. Bake for 8 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chips evenly on top of the cracker layer. Return the pan to the oven for 2-3 minutes, to soften the chips. Use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread the chips into an even melted layer. Quickly sprinkle chopped Heath Bars on top of the melted chocolate layer. Let cool, and then refrigerate to harden completely. Once hardened, break toffee into pieces. Store in the refrigerator.

    Alice Osborne
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
    Email the author! alice@dvo.com