Sweet & Salty

Sometimes you find a recipe in a magazine that just tickles your tummy. In the April 2010 issue of Country Living, I found just such a recipe. Trisha Yearwood shares some family photos along with some favorite family recipes. Like she writes about her mother, I love salty/sweet flavors. I gave her Sweet & Saltines recipe a try. YUM! Chewy toffee, chocolaty, and salty, just right flavor! I made a couple of changes for my taste and here is the result:

Yummy dessert or snack served on Mom's '60's platter

Sweet & Saltines or Grahams
Pre-heat oven to 425F

30 saltine crackers
9 graham crackers
1 ½ cups butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts

1. In a sided cookie sheet lined with foil (I used non-stick foil)
2. Lay down one layer of saltine crackers, I used 1/3 pan of graham crackers and 2/3 pan saltines
3. In a sauce pan melt the butter and brown sugar
4. Bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes
5. Pour equally over the crackers
6. Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 5 minutes; watch it these will burn quickly if left too long.
7. Once out of the oven, place the cookie sheet on a no-burn surface
8. Pour the chocolate chips evenly over the entire pan, when they melt spread with a knife
9. Pour the walnuts over ½ the pan
10. Put in freezer for 20 minutes or until chilled all the way through
11. Enjoy!

Serves 20

This was so good; I thought I would share the Caramel Corn recipe I got from Dorthy about 30 years ago. Again, nicely caramel and toffee flavored.  If you use buttered and salted popcorn, you will get that lovely sweet and salty flavor.

Baked Caramel Corn

 Pre-heat oven to 250F

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
 1tsp vanilla
 6 qt popped popcorn – I use air-popped and love to make up a huge batch served with butter and salt. I use the leftovers for this recipe.

1. In a 2 quart sauce pan Melt butter and add brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring
3. Boil 5 minutes without stirring
4. Remove from the heat and add vanilla and soda. It will foam
5. In a 13 quart mixing bowl -
6. Pour over hot popped corn (I put the popcorn on sided cookie sheets in the oven while it pre-heats)
7. Mix well.
8. Turn the popcorn back into the cookie sheets and return to the oven.
9. Cook for 60 minutes stirring every 15 minutes; check at 30 and 45 minutes to see if the popcorn is no longer sticky. If so remove from the oven sooner
10. Remove from oven and cool
11. Break apart when cool.