Chocolate covered crackers with peanut butter and cyrstalized ginger

Sometimes a sort of magical thing happens, where you look at a box of those Scandinavian style rye crackers (you know the ones) sitting on your kitchen counter, and think, “I wonder what would happen if I slathered those with peanut butter, dipped them in melted chocolate, and sprinkled delicious sorts of things over the top?” And of course, you don’t wonder about it for very long, because the answer becomes clear immediately.

What happens, in case chocolate doesn’t clarify things for you in the way it does for me, is that you end up with a very sophisticated sort of candy bar – the glitz and sparkle of crystallized ginger and sea salt – the au natural peanut butter with a kiss of honey and a touch of flax. But the magic comes from the crackers hidden within. The cracker gives it a delicious crunch, a sort of airy brittleness – but best of all, it makes the whole thing feel somehow wholesome and respectable – even if it is tarted up for a night on the town. It’s that nutty, fiber filled crunch that makes you believe that you are so near to having rye crackers and peanut butter, that there really isn’t any difference. You could have one for your afternoon snack and not even flinch. It’s like that Rolling Stone song, Down Home Girl – as though if the bars could talk they’d say –  ”I know I look glitzy on the surface, darling, but really I’m just a dolled up rye cracker at heart.”

These are super easy to make, and with Valentine’s just around the corner, you can never have too many chocolate ensconced things lying around. And by the way, in honor of the great holiday (which I happen to like, thank you very much – all cynical comments aside) my posts will be entirely chocolate themed up until the big day.  Enjoy!

Adapted by a recipe posted on Sprouted Kitchen.

• 4 Scandinavian style crackers (such as Ryvita or Ak-Mak) 
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (I like Maranatha creamy style)
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds, freshly ground
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1.5 cups dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1/8 cup peanuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons crystalized ginger, sliced into thin pieces
• 1 teaspoon course sea salt

Place the chocolate in a double broiler (make one yourself by placing a heat proof bowl over a pan of boiling water so that the bowl is not in contact with the water). Once the chocolate begins to melt, turn off the heat and stir occasionally until the chocolate is completely melted.

Meanwhile, mix together the peanut butter, flax seeds and honey in a small bowl, adding a little pinch of salt. Spread a generous amount onto each cracker, so that you have a nice thick layer of peanut butter on each one. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Once the chocolate has melted, submerge the crackers into the chocolate until they are completely covered on the top and sides. I found it easier to do this by cutting the crackers in half so that I could submerge them into the chocolate completely, but if you want to leave them whole then you can use a spoon to spread the chocolate over the cracker rather than trying to submerge it.  Return to the parchment lined baking tray.

While the chocolate is still soft, sprinkle the crackers with a generous helping of the ginger, peanuts and sea salt. Place in a cool dry spot to let the chocolate completely harden, about an hour.

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