Chocolate Covered Ritz With a Twist

We've seen Martha Stewart make Ritz Mints, Nabisco is now even selling their own fudge dipped Ritz. But have you ever had a Ritz Twix?

Some of my favorite gal pals and I came up with this idea last year while playing with chocolate.

Take a Ritz cracker and gently press some home made caramel onto it.
Then dip it it chocolate!

Caramel

In a large heavy pot combine:
2 C half and half
1 C butter
2 C sugar
1 3/4 C corn syrup

Cook over medium heat until 238 degrees. (Use a candy thermometer) Stir often. Especially towards the end of the cooking time, that is when it scorches easily! I like to cook my caramel just slightly under soft ball stage ( which is 240 degrees). It keeps it softer and easier to work with. The cooking process usually takes about 40 minutes. When 238 is reached remove from heat and add:
1 t vanilla
pour into a buttered (don't use cooking spray) 9 x 13 pan. Let set.

I have had a lot of people ask me "can't I just melt down Kraft caramels"? Well. . . if you think that would taste good, go right ahead. The problem with that stuff is once it is melted it is very runny, it'd be hard to get it on the cracker nicely.

If you cook your caramel too long it will be hard and not very easy to smoosh onto a cracker. I have done that before! After it set up I put it back in the pot and added a couple tablespoons of half and half. I melted it down and stirred it just until smooth. Then I poured it back into the 9 x 13 pan and let it reset. It was fixed!

Chocolate dipping tips

You can use candy melts, chocolate chips, or fine quality bar chocolate. Just depends on your taste. The best way to melt chocolate is in a double boiler. I don't have one so I use a pot and a Pyrex bowl that sits on top of my pot. You don't want your bowl to touch the water in the pot. Put 1 inch of water in the pot and bring to a boil. Meanwhile place 2/3 of your chocolate in bowl. When water is boiling turn off heat and place bowl on top of pot. Let the hot steam melt the chocolate. This takes a while, don't get in a hurry and turn the heat back on. Stir, stir, stir. When the chocolate is melted and smooth remove from pot and add remaining 1/3 of chocolate. Stir, stir, stir. This also takes a while to melt. This step is what tempers the chocolate, allowing it to set up nice and firmly, and be so shiny and pretty! If you try to hurry it along by reheating it, the chocolate may turn spotty or seed, which will not make you happy. Once the chocolate is all melted and smooth you are ready to dip.

Drop your ritz/caramel cracker into the bowl of chocolate. Completely cover with chocolate. Fish it out with a fork, tap fork on side of bowl to drizzle off excess chocolate and place on wax paper. Let set.

When all are dipped drizzle with extra chocolate by placing chocolate in ziploc bag, cut off a corner and drizzle away. (The smaller you cut the corner the thinner your drixzzle lines will be. I like dainty drizzle)