Saltine Toffee Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my saltine toffee chewy? ›

Why is my cracker toffee chewy? For firm toffee, the caramel needs to cook to what's known as "hard crack" stage. If you pull the toffee out of the oven and it isn't bubbling all over, leave it in for additional time. If using a thermometer, the temperature of the caramel should reach about 300°F.

Why is my saltine toffee grainy? The graininess you taste in toffee is always whole sugar crystals that did not fully dissolve when heated. To prevent this, stir the butter and brown sugar together while it melts. Then, make sure the entire mixture comes to a rolling boil, not just the edges of the pan.

UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), FOLIC ACID), CANOLA OIL, PALM OIL, SEA SALT, SALT, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, BAKING SODA, YEAST.

Try the 3,2,1 strategy.

This strategy is done by eating your crackers in sets of three, then two, and eating the last cracker on it's own. Your saliva is absorbed after eating two saltines separately, so when you use this strategy it is said to be easier since half of the challenge is over with in the first go.

Low and slow

Simmering the syrup for English toffee to the requisite 300°F temperature can (and should) be a slow process — up to 20 minutes or so. Don't hurry this gradual transformation; syrup that doesn't reach 300°F, or close to it, will make candy with timid flavor and chewy (not crunchy) texture.

As the toffee cools and the molten sugar crystals become solid again, they are attracted to the 'seed' forming new lumps of tiny crystals – hence the grainy texture. This can also happen if the toffee is stirred, or agitated, after it has begun to boil or on cooling (as happened with this pink-tinted toffee).

As an alternative solution, before cooking, add corn syrup or a mild acid like lemon juice, vinegar, or cream of tartar to break up crystallization.

Add Moisture: If the sugar is melted but you still see a few crystals- sometimes adding some liquid like water or heavy cream to the mixture can help dissolve any sugar crystals that have formed and promote a smoother texture.

Saltine crackers may improve symptoms of upset stomach in people with gastroparesis or nausea and vomiting induced by pregnancy or chemotherapy treatments.

From Florey University, neuroscientist Dr. Craig Smith states that the consumption of salt and salty snacks fire the natural opioid system within the central amygdala, where positive and negative emotions are handled and have the potential to get us hooked on seeking salt for taste.

Are saltines hardtack? ›

Saltines have been compared to hardtack, a simple unleavened cracker or biscuit made from flour, water, and sometimes salt. However, unlike hardtack, saltines include yeast as a leavening agent, which causes the bread to rise.

Crackers are not meant to rise like sourdough and baguettes, though. For cracker dough to bake to a perfect crisp, it needs to release the steam. Basically, perforating crackers with holes (also called docking) helps release steam from the dough when it bakes to keep the crackers flat.

Although the challenge may sound trivial, it is difficult because the crackers quickly exhaust the saliva in the mouth. Even though six saltines can fit in one's mouth at the same time, and a minute is plenty of time to chew, the resulting mass of crumbs is still difficult to swallow with a dry mouth.

THREE? They say this is fairly impossible. All we are asking you to do is eat THREE cream crackers in one minute or under. You cannot drink or eat anything else during this time.

The caramel topping needs to get to the hard-crack stage or it will be chewy. This means you may have to bake it a little longer or adjust your oven temperature slightly (every oven is different). I insist on a candy thermometer.

Moisture is the number one way to kill a crunch, and placing crackers in the fridge can cause them to go soggy rather quickly. Instead, to keep your crackers crunchy, place them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature. They'll remain nice and crisp until you're ready to enjoy them.

But overcooked toffee will be just slightly crunchier (almost unrecognizably). So, always err on the side of over-cooking! Tip 2 explains how to do so! In order to avoid your chocolate turning white, you'll want to let it set in a room temperature spot without exposure to any drafts.

/ˈtɑː.fi/ a hard, chewy, often brown sweet that is made from sugar boiled with butter.