Today I have the PERFECT holiday baked good to share with you! You might be thinking…it’s way too early to be planning for Winter holidays already, but I disagree. I am a planner – some people like to call it ‘having a Type A Personality’. So, I started my holiday planning oh…four months ago {don’t believe me? check out my holiday Pinterest board…}. I strongly believe the earlier you start planning out holiday gifts, the better. Of course, I’m not going to start baking right now, but I know what I’m going to make for everyone; that way, when the time comes I’m prepared. The holidays are stressful enough, don’t wait until the last minute to plan!
With all of that being said, these Bingo Cookies are a great no-stress holiday gift. They are quick & easy to make, and don’t take up much oven time! I love to give them to neighbors, church friends, the mail-person, my friendly Michael’s cashiers {haha just kidding…though that might not be a terrible idea…}, the list goes on and on. Of course, you can’t forget those holiday bake sales!
Ingredients:
Saltine Crackers
2 sticks Unsalted Butter
1/2 C. Sugar
12 oz. Chocolate Chips {I prefer semi-sweet, but any kind will do}
Pecan Pieces {or your favorite chopped nut}
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line a cookie sheet with foil. If you have some on hand, I would recommend that you spray the foil with some Pam…it’s not necessary, but makes removing the cookies SO much easier!
Lay out your saltines onto the cookie sheet. I counted just for you guys, and found that I used 44 crackers. Obviously, this number will vary depending on the size of your cookie sheet.
Melt the sugar and butter in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is fully melted. It’s OK to drool over the scent {because what’s better than the smell of melted butter & sugar?} just don’t get any in the pan. Pour the sugar/butter mixture over the saltine crackers.
*WARNING: Do not stray from stick butter in this recipe…margarine & whipped butter doesn’t harden like stick butter resulting in mushy gushy cookies. And NO ONE wants that! :-)
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the crackers with chocolate chips and bake for 1 minute. The chocolate chips will be gooey, but not fully melted.
Using a spatula, spread the chocolate chips over top of the crackers.
Cover with pecan pieces. Using your hand or a spatula, press the pecans into the chocolate so they stick once the chocolate hardens.
*Note: If you have a friend or family member who is allergic to nuts, you can leave them off…but the flavor will be a bit sweeter than normal.
Refrigerate for approximately 1 hour. I have left them for less time before, but they won’t be as hardened as they’re supposed to be. Now, you can attempt to break the cookies up into single-cracker servings…good luck with that! The easiest method I have found to remove the cookies from the foil and break them into pieces is this: lift one side of the foil-lined cookies up and try to peel the foil backing off, attempt to break the cookies at each cracker junction but expect to have a few larger pieces and a few smaller pieces. Once they’re packaged nicely and everyone gets a good taste, they won’t care what the cookies look like anyway!
My favorite way to give these as gifts is to purchase an affordable charger plate, cover it with a pretty holiday napkin and pile up the cookies on top. Wrap the whole thing with cellophane {colored for the holidays} and tied off with curly ribbon. Attach a nice note, and you’re done. A delectable holiday gift, that everyone will be sure to love!
Here’s a printable recipe you can include in your gift!
*Click image to download*
This sounds like a great recipe! I’m always on the look out for new party treats!
These look awesome! Nothing’s better than salty and sweet mixed together. Add chocolate! Amazing! Are you bringing these to our Christmas celebration or should I?
I think these cookies could actually make me like saltines!! ;)
Thanks so much for sharing this at MTM Mondays!!
Oh my gosh!…this is the best recipe ever…so easy!