A cookie for Jenna

OK, on a good note, my cooking obsession on THE GOODS will soon dissipate with the passing of Christmas.  But until then, here is a new recipe I picked out from the Food Network for my daughter - it has nuts, brown sugar, chocolate and graham crackers - an easy "turtle" treat that I knew she'd love!  The addition of the graham cracker makes this cookie UNBELIEVABLY easy and a great recipe to make with older kids.  The hardest thing is waiting for the chocolate to set, but that is why we invented freezers :-)

Jenna and I made this new recipe last night, and I cannot lie, it was the first thing we ate this morning!

This was the final product after we broke it up, chocolate bark style.  We omitted the salt and switched the dark chocolate for milk chocolate, because it was for an 11 year old audience.  Also, I wasn't quite sure if it was going to turn out, as when you place all the crackers together, add the butter/sugar combo and place it in the oven, some form of witchcraft happens and separates the crackers, driving them to all ends of the cookie sheet.  Now we know, it was just magic...

Turtle Graham Bars
Courtesy of Claire Robinson and The Food Network

Ingredients


Approximately 14 graham crackers (if each graham cracker is 5" x 2.5")

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

Kosher salt, to taste

12 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat. Arrange the graham crackers in a single layer on the lined baking sheet.

Put the butter, brown sugar, pecans, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour the butter mixture evenly over the graham crackers and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a glass bowl placed over simmering water. Pour the chocolate over the toffee-covered graham crackers and spread evenly. Chill completely in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Cut into bars.

Enjoy this creative and simple recipe - not only was my daughter pleased, the rest of the family kept coming back for more!  If you like Turtles, caramel and nuts and crispy cookies, these will be a hit!