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.

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.

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

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.

So what critical function do those pinholes serve? They allow steam to escape as the cracker puffs up (making it crispy), and they keep each cracker unit from blowing up into a cracker pillow as it bakes. According to Deep Dip, our appetizer informant, Keebler makes both 13-hole and 16-hole saltines.

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.

What is the 3 cracker challenge? ›

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.

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.

Saltine crackers have been the family prescription for upset stomach and nausea for many years as they soak up the acid that sits in an empty stomach, which is often the source of the irritation. Additionally, saltine crackers prevent acid from being released in the stomach.

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.

Toffee Making Tips + Troubleshooting

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!

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