How To Incorporate Saltine Crackers Into Your Next Sweet Treat

That half-sleeve of saltines in your pantry doesn't have to sit around until you decide to make a new batch of homemade soup. While Ree Drummond shared a way to elevate saltines to be more savory, these crackers also have a lot of potential in sweet treats, and can be incorporated into a variety of desserts. Saltines, also known as soda crackers, became a hit in 1876, just a few decades before the Great Depression struck the U.S. economy in 1929. During this difficult period, cooking and baking had to evolve, and many interesting foods became increasingly popular, including the chocolate chip cookie and sliced bread.

Saltines can be used to elevate pie crusts, toffee, or even airy meringues. For pies, saltines can show up at pretty much any moment in pie-making. In a cracker meringue pie, you can fold crushed saltines into stiff-peak egg whites. Add in some chopped walnuts and bake for 30 minutes, and you'll have created an airy, chewy-crisp base for some whipped cream.

You can also include saltines in other fillings. For example, finely ground saltines are packed with baking soda, yeast, water, and salt. They add structure to gelatinous fillings and don't compete with the flavor. For pie crusts, crushed saltines combined with butter and sugar create a lovely salty-sweet base for cheesecakes or key lime pies. Unlike graham crackers, saltines won't add much sweetness to an already sweet dessert.

Outside of pies, saltine crumbs can also be easily incorporated into chocolate chip cookie dough (even store-bought cookie dough can benefit from a little salty kick). They will disperse a touch of savory flavor evenly through each cookie and provide pockets of crunch to contrast with the melting chocolate. An even simpler tip: use them in your ice cream sandwiches by replacing ordinary cookies with saltines. The saltiness balances the sweetness, and the rigidity of the cracker keeps it from being overly soggy, especially if served immediately.

And finally, here's a quick method for the ever-popular "Christmas Crack" toffee: Arrange your saltines in a single layer on a baking tray, cover with hot caramel (a cup of butter and a cup of brown sugar, boiled for three minutes), and finish with melted chocolate and sprinkles on top. The cracker absorbs the caramel to transform into a brittle layer that cracks beautifully beneath the chocolate for a delicious bite.

Crackers bring something extraordinary to sweets — particularly, a hint of salt that heightens flavors and a crispness that holds up to creamy fillings. Alone, they might not be that special, but when paired with the right levels of sweetness, they shine. Saltines may be subtle, but they get the job done and leave a mark.