Chocolate Caramel Cracker

Around my house there is a certain kind of food that never lasts long. It seems as if it secretly disappears: suddenly it is all gone and no one knows where it went.
Last year my daughter and I found these amazing chocolate caramel crackers that everyone loved. Since we ran out of Christmas cookies already, my daughter decided to make the crackers again this year and everyone went crazy. It only took her about 30minutes to make them, which includes baking time and it was  super easy. Initially I was going to give them to my neighbor as a gift but by the time I got around to putting them in a bag there were barely any left. My daughter already made twice the amount from the recipe but it still wasn't enough, so trust me when I say that you won't have enough of these crackers!

• Chocolate Caramel Cracker
• Adapted from Smittenkitchen and David Lebovitz, who adapted it from Marcy Goldman who is the genius that first applied this to matzo
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• 4 to 6 sheets matzo, or approximately 40 Saltine crackers or crackers of your choice
• 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks or 8 ounces) cut into a few large pieces
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• A big pinch of sea salt
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cup semi-, (or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate) or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup toasted chopped almonds, (optional) pecans, walnuts or a nut of your choice
• Extra sea salt for sprinkling, (optional)

1.Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet completely with foil, and then line the base of the foil with parchment paper, cut to fit.

2.Line the bottom of the baking sheet with matzo or crackers, covering all parts. [If using matzo, you'll need to break pieces to fit any extra spaces, which will be annoying because despite being perforated, it does not actually break in straight lines. I have some luck pressing a serrated knife straight down along a section between perforations, if that (hopefully) makes sense.]

3.In a medium heavy-duty saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, and stir it over medium heat until it begins to boil. Once it has begun boiling, let it bubble for three more minutes, stirring it well. It will thicken a bit as it cooks. Remove from the heat and add the salt and vanilla, and then quickly pour it over the matzo or crackers. You'll want to spread it quickly, as it will begin to set as soon as it is poured.

4.Bake the caramel-covered crackers for 15 minutes, watching carefully as it will bubble and the corners might darken too quickly and/or burn. You can reduce the heat if you see this happening.

5.Remove from oven and immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let stand five minutes, and then spread them evenly across the caramel. An offset spatula works great here. If you're using them, sprinkle the chocolate with toasted chopped nuts and/or sea salt. (The sea salt is great on matzo. On Saltines, it's really not necessary.)

6.Once completely cool ‚ I sometimes speed this process up in the fridge, impatient as should be expected in the face of caramel crackers, break it into pieces and store it in a container. It should keep for a week but I've never seen it last that long.