Holiday Crack

My friend David sent me a recipe for New Year's Eve Crack.

Warning! This is a highly addictive treat and you won't be able to eat just one piece. I would never make this to have around the house, but I'd gladly make it for a party at someone else's house.

I plan on taking this "crack' to my friend Joni's New Year's Eve Party tomorrow night.

After I read the ingredients, I realized I would have to modify it just a bit. I don't care for the product sold here for brown sugar, because is it simply raw sugar with caramel added, and it doesn't pack down well. I like using the real thing... traditional sugar cakes sold as Tapa de Dulce. In my opinion, Tapa de Dulce has more of a natural molasses flavor I find delicious.

Ingredients:
20-24 saltine crackers
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 cup packed Tapa de Dulce (or brown sugar if you must)
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup of holiday sprinkles (think 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year's colors)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Line a cookie sheet with foil and coat it with nonstick cooking spray. 
• Lay the saltine crackers on the cookie sheet in a single layer with the salted side down.
• Grate the Tapa de Dulce with a cheese grater, or food processor until you have enough to firmly pack one cup of sugar.
• Melt the butter and Tapa de Dulce in a saucepan over medium heat and stir frequently to prevent the butter from scorching.
• Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil for 3-5 minutes to create toffee.
• Remove from the heat and carefully pour the butter and sugar mixture over the crackers on the cookie sheet.
• Place the cookie sheet with the crackers and toffee in the oven for 3-5 minutes, until the toffee is bubbly all over. Carefully remove the cookie sheet from the oven.
• Immediately top the toffee crackers with the chocolate chips, and allow them to sit for a minute to soften and melt. When the chocolate chips are soft, take an offset spatula and spread the melted chocolate into an even layer over the toffee crackers.
• Top with holiday colored sprinkles.
• Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for a least 30 minutes.  Once the "crack" is set, break it into small uneven pieces by hand.
• The Holiday Crack can be stored in a airtight container for about a week (if it lasts that long.)