crack

Alright! This recipe is for 'crack' which is an extremely accurate name on account of this stuff being impossible to stop eating. its SO good.

I can't take any credit for the recipe...I found it on smitten kitchen but I will add in my two cents below and maybe it will help you out when you make this for anyone you love as soon as possible. because thats seriously what you need to do. right now.

Ingredients:
approximately 40 Saltine crackers or crackers of your choice

1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into a few large pieces
1 cup packed light brown sugar
A big pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips (or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate)
1 cup toasted chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts or a nut of your choice (optional)(I used toasted coconut) 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 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.
(Note: I didn't use the parchment because I had run out but the tin foil alone is enough to make it not stick and for easy clean up.) 

Line the bottom of the baking sheet with crackers, covering all parts.

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 crackers. You’ll want to spread it quickly, as it will begin to set as soon as it is poured.

(Note: I would advise you to under cook the caramel slightly because in the next step the caramel goes into the oven for 15 minutes.)

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.
(Note: Watch it closely, my oven isn't very hot and it started to cook around the edges faster then I would have liked)

Remove from oven and immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let stand five minutes, and then spread them evenly across the caramel. A spatula works great here. If you’re using them, sprinkle the chocolate with toasted chopped nuts or whatever topping your using.

Once completely cool — I sometimes speed this process up in the fridge, impatient as should be expected in the face of caramel crack(ers) — 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.

(Note: I put mine in the fridge and it made pulling the tin foil off very easy.) 

this looks like much more work then it really is. you really only need to lay out the crackers, make the caramel, bake the caramel on the crackers and then melt the chocolate chips on the top once it comes out of the oven. easy peasy. 

oh and we didn't have any left after our party to try this but I can guarantee this would be ammmmmazing sprinkled over vanilla ice cream.