- 9 hours ago
Saltines aren’t just for soup anymore. From sweet-and-salty desserts to crispy coatings, clever shortcuts, and party-ready apps, Nicole is sharing 16 Saltine cracker hacks you need to try that will completely change the way you use this pantry staple. In this video, learn how to turn basic crackers into bold Alabama Firecrackers, the crunchiest chicken-fried coating, an unexpectedly perfect pie crust, and even ice cream sandwiches. Whether you’re cooking on a budget, cleaning out the pantry, or just craving something nostalgic with a twist, these easy, creative ideas prove a box of Saltines can do way more than you think.
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00:00One simple cracker, 16 possibilities.
00:03I'm showing you 16 ways you can spice up saltine crackers.
00:06There's a lot more you can do with these
00:07besides crumbling up into your chili or chicken noodle soup,
00:11although that is delicious.
00:12I'm gonna begin by sharing some sweet and savory snacks
00:15I love to do with saltines,
00:16starting with my favorite treat, the Alabama firecracker.
00:20This is a great no-cook snack,
00:21but it also doubles as a great food gift
00:23because it lasts a long time
00:25and it's pretty inexpensive to make a lot of crackers.
00:28It is shocking because it is maybe not
00:31the healthiest thing you've ever seen,
00:33but it just works and it's one of the most delicious things.
00:36So it starts with oil.
00:37Classically, this is made with vegetable oil.
00:40I've made it a little healthier by using avocado oil,
00:44but it's a lot.
00:45To that, a couple packets of ranch seasoning.
00:48You can make a batch of these and they last so long,
00:51like I swear like a couple months
00:53just sitting in your pantry.
00:55Three tablespoons of crushed red pepper.
00:57I mean, it sounds like it would be inedible,
00:59but I'm telling you, it just works.
01:01I don't know how.
01:02Then some garlic powder and onion powder
01:04and a little black pepper.
01:07Give this a mix.
01:09This is really a showstopper
01:10when you wanna add it to your charcuterie platters
01:12or just your normal cheese and cracker platter,
01:15because you're not putting something out basic.
01:16This thing is mind-blowing.
01:18Sounds like I'm being dramatic, but I'm not.
01:20All right, you can get an extra large bag.
01:23All the crackers in there.
01:24It's gonna be a whole box.
01:25There's just something nostalgic about a saltine cracker.
01:28It's what everyone's mom gave you
01:29when you weren't feeling too well.
01:31They're a little magical.
01:32Then you take this deliciousness right here
01:34and pour it right in.
01:36I know some of y'all are gonna be telling me
01:38that I should put this in the oven
01:40and cook it, you know, at 200 or 250.
01:44But you don't have to.
01:46Gently toss them.
01:47You don't wanna break all of them.
01:49Now, they are not ready.
01:51They have to absorb all the flavors,
01:53so the best thing to do is to do this a day before.
01:56It says at least eight hours, but I would say 24 hours.
02:00Just wait, because I know you're probably thinking,
02:02that looks gross.
02:03Let me show you what they look like after a day.
02:05There's a batch we did yesterday.
02:06Look at this.
02:08It has absorbed the flavors.
02:10It's not just soaking in oil.
02:13But is it soggy?
02:15Listen to this.
02:15Mmm.
02:20They might be a little indulgent,
02:21but I'm telling you, one million percent worth it.
02:23Let me show you my favorite way to serve them up.
02:26Add them to your charcuterie board
02:28or what we do down here in Alabama
02:31with the Alabama firecracker.
02:32Serve it with some pimento cheese.
02:34It's also not that spicy.
02:35It's just like the perfect amount of kick
02:38kind of hits you in the back.
02:40This right here is a perfect bite.
02:44Mmm.
02:4525 out of 10.
02:48Speaking of magical treats,
02:49we are doing magic meatball crackers
02:52because the way this comes together is kind of magical.
02:55Mix up meatballs however you like it,
02:57or I have the recipe.
02:59Take your meatball mix
03:00and spread it directly onto your cracker.
03:03You're making little meatball subs,
03:05and you're gonna take a piece of cheese
03:07and another cracker.
03:09Okay.
03:11Trust the process.
03:12Don't wanna do too much.
03:13It's a very thin layer.
03:15As these cook, the flavor from the meat
03:17is going to absorb into the cracker a little bit
03:20in the best way.
03:21Just gonna heighten that meatball sub experience.
03:24Got a little olive oil.
03:25I'm gonna add a little garlic,
03:27kind of make it a little like garlic bread,
03:30and just brush the tops very lightly.
03:33This is an easy appetizer, and it makes so many.
03:36Then we just bake them for about 10 to 12 minutes.
03:39I'm going 325.
03:40Does not take long for that little bit of meat to cook
03:42and that cheese to get all melted.
03:44Look at that.
03:45You can tell, that meat is cooked through.
03:49To serve them, put them on a tray
03:51with a little marinara for dipping.
03:53There's some little perfect bite Italian snacks.
03:56Whoo!
03:57I'm gonna pretty them up with a little parsley.
03:59You're looking for the something different
04:01to serve at your next party.
04:02This might be that.
04:03A little swim through the sauce.
04:05Mm.
04:10It is magical.
04:12It's called Magic Meatball Cracker for a reason.
04:14Tastes just like a perfect bite of a sub
04:16with the toasty, crusty bread at the end, you know?
04:20This is definitely the trick you need to pull out next.
04:24You've probably seen this next one before.
04:26A little sweet snack.
04:28We're turning saltine crackers into chocolatey toffee.
04:31So start by lining your crackers
04:32in a single layer on a baking sheet.
04:34I've got mine lined with parchment paper
04:36just for easy removal later.
04:38And then we're just going to melt some butter
04:41and brown sugar together.
04:42A cup of each.
04:44Bring that to a boil and let it cook for three minutes.
04:46After three minutes,
04:47we're gonna pour this straight over the crackers.
04:49Just kind of act fairly quickly
04:52cause it'll start to really thicken up.
04:54Now this goes into the oven 400 degrees
04:57for about five minutes.
04:59Turning crackers into candy.
05:01Okay, so when it comes out,
05:03we're gonna sprinkle over some chocolate chips
05:06and let them melt.
05:08So let it sip for about three or four minutes
05:10and then we'll spread it out
05:11and it will naturally melt.
05:13If you wanted a satisfying food craft, this is that.
05:17You can get lost in it.
05:19While that's melty,
05:20it will act as a glue to hold on the chopped pecans.
05:23As you can see,
05:24it's quite easy to make a whole tray full of candy.
05:26You gotta let that set for at least 30 minutes or so.
05:28Once it's all set up like this,
05:30we can break it apart.
05:31No need to cut it perfectly.
05:33It's more fun to just like break it up.
05:38You know that's gonna be good.
05:40Buttery bottoms, chocolatey tops.
05:43This is not the kind of toffee that breaks your teeth,
05:45which is why I like it.
05:46A little craggly edges.
05:48Get that perfect layer of toffee right there.
05:50It's absorbed into the cracker.
05:54Come on now.
05:55I think this is what a lot of people make.
05:57Put it in your cookie tins over the holidays.
05:59But make it year round.
06:01Put this next to that barbecue spread for the 4th of July.
06:04Nobody's gonna be mad at that.
06:06You already know why I'm gonna like this.
06:08If you guessed it's because I love sweet and salty,
06:10then you are correct.
06:11It's buttery, it's rich, it's not too sweet.
06:19Little hint of salt.
06:20This is my perfect dessert.
06:21And to think it all started with a simple saltine cracker.
06:25Another baked hot appetizer, quick serve on a saltine,
06:30a spicy tuna melt.
06:31I mean, we've always put tuna on our saltine crackers, right?
06:35Have you heated it up and turned it into a tuna melt?
06:38Well, it's as easy as it sounds.
06:40Use your favorite tuna recipe, tuna salad recipe.
06:43Place it on your saltine.
06:45And then I'm putting it on a foil lined baking sheet.
06:48You could easily do this as just a snack for yourself
06:51or do it as a party appetizer.
06:53And you could also just kind of pop these in the air fryer
06:56for a couple minutes.
06:57And top it with some cheddar cheese,
07:00or you could do American cheese if you want.
07:02To turn it into a spicy tuna melt,
07:04a thin slice of jalapeno.
07:06Things don't have to be complicated, people.
07:08Just take familiar favorites and kind of serve them up
07:11in a new way, and all of a sudden it's a whole new thing.
07:13About seven minutes, 400.
07:15Look what you get.
07:17So cute.
07:19Here's what I'm loving is some of the cheese
07:20has dripped off the side and cooked,
07:22so you get that little like cheese crisp attached to it
07:25as it cools.
07:27Tuna on crackers is one of my favorite snacks
07:29since I was maybe six years old.
07:31So I'm gonna love this.
07:37Mm-hmm.
07:38And turning that into a tuna melt
07:41is the upgrade we all needed.
07:44That's an A+.
07:45We're on a roll.
07:46I'm gonna show you how to use saltines
07:47as a breading, a binder, and a topping.
07:49Did you know saltine crackers are the perfect binder
07:52in crab cakes, salmon cakes, meatloaf, meatballs.
07:56You can crush them finely, and then they easily absorb
07:58any excess moisture, and they offer a little flavor
08:01because they have a little salty touch.
08:03So I've got some crab cakes here.
08:06Of course we will link a recipe,
08:07but just know that this is a suggestion
08:10to what you could do to any of your favorite recipes
08:13that I mentioned.
08:13So I've just got a mixture here of lump crab meat
08:17with some green onions, a little Dijon mustard,
08:19some Worcestershire, a little lemon,
08:21and I'm gonna add in some mayonnaise.
08:23Season it up with a little Old Bay.
08:25There's an egg in here also,
08:27and the mixture is pretty loose.
08:29That's not gonna form a substantial cake,
08:32so you have to kinda add your binder.
08:35And for that, today is gonna be saltine cracker.
08:37This is always how my mother-in-law makes her crab cakes.
08:40Of course you don't want too much.
08:42You don't want crab cakes or salmon cakes
08:43to be all breading.
08:45So just about eight crackers is perfect.
08:48And then as it sits, it will continue to absorb
08:52and become less wet.
08:53You can see how it already kind of sucked up some
08:56of that extra moisture.
08:57You could fry them up just like that.
08:58I like to give them another little coating
09:01in some breadcrumbs.
09:02Could also just do some crackers here,
09:05but I'm gonna show you crackers as a breading in a minute.
09:08So then I'm gonna show you how perfectly they fry up.
09:10Just a side note, when I cook my crab cakes
09:13or anything like this, I usually just brown them in the skillet
09:15and then finish them in the oven.
09:17I think that's the most foolproof way.
09:19Beautiful crab cakes.
09:21They look perfect.
09:22I'll have to show you the inside to really prove it.
09:24I love my crab cakes with a little roulade.
09:27Maybe a squeeze of lemon.
09:29Let's see what the inside looks like.
09:30Perfect.
09:31It held together, but you can definitely see
09:33all the crab in there.
09:35The cracker is just kind of barely hidden in there.
09:38Gonna add flavor and moisture.
09:40Mmm.
09:44Wow.
09:46That was a good one.
09:47Sometimes you get crab cakes, salmon cakes,
09:50even the meatloaf and all you taste is like mushy bread.
09:53That doesn't happen here with cracker as your binder.
09:57Now let me show you cracker as a breading.
10:00And what better breading to have it on
10:02than chicken fried chicken.
10:04Easiest way to bread things in a Ziploc bag.
10:06This is just a classic Southern style thing to do.
10:10So I'm just gonna crush up some saltines in here,
10:12about 30.
10:13They're so dry that they're easy to crush with your hand.
10:16However, for this, I want them a little bit finer.
10:19And now we're gonna add a couple things to here.
10:22This is like a saltine cracker shake and bake situation.
10:25Little tricks, some potato flakes or dried mashed potatoes.
10:29It's gonna help it get crispy.
10:30Little flour, seasoned salt, an ideal lot.
10:33And some pepper.
10:34Then you take your chicken.
10:35We can go a couple at a time.
10:37Just dip them in the egg and then into your cracker mixture.
10:41This will work with cube steaks, fish, chicken tenders.
10:47Pull it out.
10:48You can see those cracker crumbs stuck to the chicken.
10:50I can tell you right now,
10:51this is gonna be some crunchy chicken.
10:53That is some crunch right there.
10:56Am I right?
10:56I do like a little gravy.
11:00I mean, if we're gonna do it, let's just finish it out, right?
11:02Perfectly cooked.
11:04This is what we like.
11:06Crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside.
11:11Mm-hmm.
11:12Mm.
11:13Whoa, that is good.
11:15Crackers add the perfect crunch,
11:16but also a little salty flavor.
11:19I end with the seasoned salt, but oh my gosh.
11:22Quite possibly one of the best pieces of fried chicken I've had
11:25in a long time.
11:26You're gonna want to remember this one.
11:29Surely you know about this one.
11:30Saltine crackers as a topping.
11:32We are making old fashioned,
11:34Southern style scalloped corn.
11:36It makes one of the most delicious,
11:38crunchy toppings on any casserole, and I'm here for it.
11:42Take your saltines and crush them up.
11:45This doesn't have to be super fine.
11:47You kind of want them to be a little craggly.
11:49We need a cup total.
11:50Some is gonna go inside and some on the top.
11:53Doing a simple scalloped corn starts with cream corn.
11:57Three cans, not in the recipe,
11:59but because I like a little texture,
12:01I'm adding in one can of regular corn that I've drained,
12:04half a stick of melted butter, couple eggs,
12:08and about half of our cracker crumbs.
12:12This is going to absorb some of that cream corn
12:15so that it has a little structure.
12:17This goes into a greased casserole dish,
12:19and then what we came for are the crackers as a topping.
12:23I'm gonna do more than it calls for
12:24because the topping is the best part.
12:28Of course, a lot of casseroles,
12:29you see the buttery cracker as the topping.
12:31I really like the saltines here
12:33because they absorb the flavor of the butter,
12:34but they also stay a little crunchier
12:36than those buttery crackers.
12:38A little paprika and some cracked pepper.
12:40Make sure all the cracker crumbs are well coated,
12:45and then sprinkle it on top.
12:46All right, and this just goes into the oven 350 degrees
12:49for about 30 to 40 minutes.
12:50Oh, it smells so good.
12:54That looks good.
12:55You can tell the crunchiness of the topping here.
12:57That's thanks to saltines.
12:59Sometimes those round buttery crackers
13:01don't get this crunchy,
13:02but this is unfortunately one of those casseroles
13:04where you're gonna have to let it sit for a while
13:05before we can dig in.
13:07I know you can see that this hack already works,
13:09but I'll taste it for you.
13:11Mm, the crunch from that topping
13:15is the perfect contrast to that creamy corn.
13:18Saltine crackers as a topping is a no-brainer.
13:20Okay, this is one of my favorite tricks
13:22with the saltine, turning it into salad.
13:25A Georgia cracker salad is a thing.
13:27It is like a tomato salad meets a tomato sandwich.
13:31The cracker is gonna act as the bread
13:33in like a classic tomato sandwich.
13:35If you're from the South,
13:35you know exactly what I'm talking about.
13:37Tomato, some green onion, a little hard-boiled egg.
13:41Listen, you gotta trust me on this one.
13:43And then sort of a lot of mayonnaise.
13:45Lots of pepper, like how you like on your tomato sandwich.
13:49A little bit of salt.
13:51As those tomatoes get a little juicy,
13:53this is gonna act as a dressing.
13:55Perfect for this.
13:56All right, and then we're gonna add in
13:57a whole sleeve of crackers.
13:58I remember when I saw this,
13:59at first I thought it was a joke,
14:01but then I made it,
14:02and I was like, I will be doing that again.
14:05Listen, it makes sense, okay?
14:07You have put a little mayonnaise on a cracker
14:10with a little tomato before, right?
14:13Or maybe you've had an egg salad on a saltine cracker.
14:17Same concept.
14:19So bring this to your next barbecue, see what happens.
14:22Think you'll be the hit of the party.
14:24Cracker salad for the win, trust me.
14:29I'm gonna dig in straight from this bowl,
14:31cause I can.
14:37I know you don't want it to be good.
14:40But you can't deny.
14:41Also reminds me of like,
14:42when you eat your salad with a cracker.
14:46If you don't do anything else from today's episode, do that.
14:49I might blow your mind with this one.
14:50We can use saltine crackers as a thickener.
14:53I've actually done this before with a chowder type soup.
14:57Today I'm making what is called chicken mull.
15:00Never heard of it, me either.
15:01But when I was researching things to do
15:03with saltine crackers, this popped up from Southern Living
15:06and it looks delicious.
15:08Not only are we using the saltine cracker
15:10to thicken the broth,
15:12but it's really a main ingredient to this soup.
15:15This is more like a Southern style chicken stew
15:18with crackers as the thickener.
15:19I've gone ahead and boiled a whole chicken
15:21and created a really delicious broth right here.
15:24Taking the chicken out and shred it now for the magic.
15:30First, I know what you're thinking.
15:31This might be gross and soggy.
15:35I trust the process.
15:37A whole sleeve of saltines.
15:40We're gonna cook that for about three minutes.
15:42Let those crackers get good and soft and then blend it up.
15:47You'll never know they were there.
15:48We really do need to make sure the crackers are mushy
15:51before we blend or else it won't incorporate as well.
15:54But if you ever do, I've done this before,
15:56like if you're making a clam chowder or something
15:59and you need your cream mixture a little thicker,
16:03saltine cracker works perfectly in there.
16:05It also imparts a nice like mild flavor,
16:08kind of saltiness.
16:09Look how smooth and velvety that is.
16:12I mean, that right there is kind of magical.
16:15To finish this off, add the chicken back in,
16:18along with some heavy cream.
16:20How have we not heard about this before?
16:23Taste the seasoning.
16:27Yum.
16:29My kids would eat this up.
16:32Okay, let me show you how they serve this one.
16:34It's like chicken and dumplings flavor,
16:37but in a much easier package.
16:39Now you don't have to do this,
16:41but you can serve it with more crackers,
16:43which is how we like our chicken soup usually anyway, right?
16:45My son will love this
16:46because when he's making his chicken noodle soup,
16:48he puts so many crackers in it,
16:49you almost have to eat it with a fork.
16:51And hot sauce is suggested.
16:54Doesn't that look good?
16:55Going in for that perfect bite
16:56now that it's all dressed up.
17:01Mm.
17:02I wish I could explain to you how much better this is
17:06than I even expected.
17:07The flavor is perfection.
17:09It is perfectly creamy
17:10without feeling like super indulgent.
17:12I just can't wait to bring this home tonight to my kids.
17:15They're gonna love it.
17:16This is the one to keep in your file in the fall
17:19when Thanksgiving rolls around
17:21because you can turn these saltine crackers into dressing.
17:24Southern style cracker dressing.
17:27It is a thing.
17:28Now you might be saying,
17:29my grandmother always put crackers in with her dressing,
17:32but probably that was in combination
17:35with biscuits or cornbread.
17:37But in this recipe, the crackers are the only bread.
17:40Telling you what, it's a lot easier than making cornbread.
17:43A whole box of saltines crushed up.
17:45To that, the usual.
17:47Some sauteed onions and celery and a bunch of butter.
17:51This has sage and thyme, a little cayenne pepper,
17:55salt and pepper.
17:55It smells like Thanksgiving dressing.
17:59And you gotta moisten it up with chicken broth.
18:02And then an egg and a little milk.
18:06There and some fresh herb in there too.
18:09Into a greased casserole dish.
18:12Smooth it out.
18:13And then this goes into the oven 375 degrees
18:16for about 40 minutes or so.
18:18Smells like Thanksgiving.
18:20Looks a little dry on top,
18:22but I can hear a little bubbling underneath.
18:24So, I'm hopeful.
18:26See how it tastes.
18:28Looks pretty good.
18:29Looks like traditional Thanksgiving dressing,
18:32if you ask me.
18:37It works, it works.
18:39These saltine crackers have yet to disappoint me.
18:41What I like is how moist this dressing is
18:44because sometimes you get it and it's just too dry.
18:46The moisture factor is there.
18:47The flavor is right on.
18:49Tastes just like a traditional Thanksgiving dressing,
18:51Southern style.
18:52Slightly gummier than a cornbread dressing.
18:56I think it would be an A plus 100
18:58if we mixed the saltine crackers with a little cornbread.
19:01If you're looking for something convenient,
19:02a box of crackers is just as easy as that stove top stuff.
19:06And this is better than that.
19:07Now my next trick is a little bit of an experiment.
19:10And I'm kind of excited about it.
19:12And scared.
19:14Saltine cracker pancakes.
19:16Could work.
19:18Just happened to stumble across this one
19:20when I was doing my research.
19:22We're just kind of gonna make this one up as we go.
19:24Recipe I saw said you could soak these in water
19:27and then strain out the water.
19:29So we'll make it like a little batter
19:31that I feel like you could just soak them in milk.
19:34So I'm just gonna pour just enough milk to cover
19:37and let it sit until it's mushy.
19:40Just enough to reach the top.
19:42These aren't like fluffy bread pancakes.
19:44These are more like, like hoe cakes or, you know,
19:47some sort of like, that's what it's called.
19:51These aren't gonna be like soft pancakes.
19:53These are gonna be more like a corn cake,
19:56almost like a toasted biscuit or something.
19:59I'm gonna add in an egg and go in with some sugar
20:01and some cinnamon, a splash of vanilla.
20:04It's not the most attractive thing, guys,
20:06but I try these things so you don't have to.
20:09Let's cook it up like we do pancakes.
20:11Butter down.
20:13All right, here it goes.
20:15Kind of looks like oatmeal pancakes.
20:18All of a sudden, it's not so scary.
20:20I don't know what to think.
20:21I'm worried that they're gonna fall apart
20:24when I go flip it.
20:25Oh, it's kind of sticking together.
20:28Although I guess I did use them as a binder,
20:30so they are binding on their own.
20:34There goes nothing.
20:38Kind of looks like a pancake on top.
20:40I can't get over how like smooth
20:41they are on the top like a pancake.
20:43And they're like regular pancakes.
20:45The first ones are never the prettiest.
20:47I'm beginning to think when the end of the world comes,
20:50everybody needs to be stocked up on saltines.
20:52Looks like you can make anything.
20:54I'm afraid it's still gonna be soggy.
20:55I feel like some fruit might be nice,
20:57especially if we need to hide any flavor.
21:00And then maple syrup.
21:01It's gotta be good.
21:02Okay, wish me luck.
21:05Wow, it cut like a pancake.
21:15I'll be damned.
21:16Not only does that work, it's actually really good.
21:19The crunch, it gives it on the outside.
21:22That cinnamon we put in there.
21:25Y'all, this one kind of blows my mind.
21:29It is tender inside.
21:31It's moist but not gummy and not soggy.
21:36You gotta let it cook long enough to where it feels firm.
21:39But I mean, look at that.
21:41The inside of that looks just like a pancake.
21:43Might be the most mind-blowing one of the day.
21:45A dessert recipe that uses saltines as a main ingredient,
21:48not just a happy accident, is a classic Atlantic beach pie.
21:52The crust features saltine crackers.
21:56Start by whisking up an egg white.
21:58It's gonna help hold the cracker crust together.
22:01And then two cups of finely crushed saltines.
22:05Maybe this is why they call it Atlantic beach pie.
22:07Cause I feel like the crust is gonna look like the seashore,
22:10on the Atlantic coast.
22:12Also just melt that up.
22:14But if I'm right, I'm smart.
22:16I'm gonna add this to the egg,
22:18along with melted butter and some sugar.
22:21Sweeten it up a bit.
22:22Make sure everything's well coated,
22:24and then we press it into our power plate.
22:26On the bottom and up the sides.
22:29All right, that is how you turn the crackers into a crust.
22:32You have to freeze this for about 10 minutes,
22:34and then bake it for about 10 minutes at 350.
22:37Now I just have to mix up the filling.
22:38In this bowl, I've got sweetened condensed milk
22:40with four egg yolks.
22:42To that, I'm adding quarter cup of lemon juice
22:45and lime juice.
22:46So very similar to a key lime pie meets a lemon icebox pie.
22:51You can see where I'm going.
22:53Okay, and then lemon zest and lime zest,
22:56and a little bit of vanilla.
22:58Pour this into the crust while it's a little bit warm,
23:00and then it goes into the oven 350 degrees
23:02for just about 15 minutes.
23:04Then you let it cool, let it chill, slice it up.
23:08Here she is in all her glory.
23:11This is my favorite kind of pie.
23:13That crust cut beautifully.
23:16Fresh whipped cream.
23:17To me, it's perfect,
23:18but you can add a little more zest if you want.
23:21That is festive, and I'm excited.
23:23That crust, though.
23:27Mm-hmm.
23:28That works.
23:29The crust really, it's not overly sweet.
23:31Like sometimes graham cracker crust can be.
23:34So it's letting that feeling shine and taste just the crust.
23:42Mm-hmm.
23:43That's a winner.
23:44I don't know who invented this recipe,
23:45but I'm here for it.
23:48And I will be using saltine crackers to make a crust again.
23:50Saltines are the star of the show in this dessert.
23:53It is called soda cracker pie.
23:55So typically made with soda crackers,
23:57but saltines work just fine.
23:59I'm gonna start by beating egg whites
24:00until they're stiff peaks.
24:04Stiff peaks.
24:06I'm gonna incorporate the sugar.
24:08And a half a teaspoon of baking powder.
24:10This is gonna make it get slussy.
24:12And 20 saltines that have been finely crushed.
24:15Also a cup of chopped pecans.
24:18And two teaspoons of vanilla.
24:20I feel like this could get really sticky.
24:22Pie plate, grease it, mixture right in.
24:27I feel like this is some sort of magic dessert too.
24:31And this just goes into the oven 325 degrees
24:34for 25 to 30 minutes,
24:35and then we let it cool completely.
24:37Look at this soda cracker pie.
24:42Looks like a giant cookie, but very tender.
24:47Never had a pie like this before.
24:49When I was reading about it,
24:50it seems like this kind of pie is a perfect canvas
24:54for whatever you really want to put on top or serve with it.
24:57I like the suggestion of topping it with some whipped cream
25:01and then a sprinkle of cinnamon.
25:02Never eaten this many crackers in the day,
25:04I can tell you that.
25:05Inside almost looks like there's a little gooeyness,
25:08sort of like in a pecan pie,
25:10which I wasn't expecting.
25:11So I'm kind of excited about that.
25:16Mmm.
25:18I didn't know what to expect.
25:20And it's better than I thought it was gonna be.
25:22Like almost everything else has been today.
25:24The bottom has that like delightful chewiness to it.
25:27Almost like the pecan pie was cooked longer than normal.
25:30Like it doesn't have that like gooey,
25:33but the chewy, I can't even describe it.
25:36And then the top is so light,
25:38it almost melts in your mouth.
25:39That crackly light sugar topping.
25:41I sort of got worried thinking
25:43that this might be like just a dry crumbly situation.
25:47It's sweet, it's chewy,
25:48it's light and airy at the same time.
25:50This is a pie I would make again.
25:52Ice cream plus saltines.
25:55Saltine ice cream sandwich.
25:56This is not a joke.
25:58If you are a fan of ice cream with french fries,
26:03then this one's for you.
26:04It is what it is.
26:05I'll show you how to make it,
26:07but I think you get the picture.
26:08Got a caramel swirl, vanilla ice cream.
26:12So I think that sounds really good.
26:14And you put the top cracker on,
26:15give it a little smush.
26:16Then you take end of a butter knife or a little spatula,
26:21smooth the edges.
26:23Okay, ice cream sandwich.
26:25I mean, you could just go straight in and eat it,
26:26but let it freeze together because you won't believe it.
26:30Because what I thought was the cracker's gonna get soggy.
26:32Remember how sometimes we keep our chips
26:35and popcorn in the freezer and they stay crunchy?
26:38Somehow it's like the same science.
26:40And trust me, this is better than doing it with cookies.
26:43So you get the idea.
26:44Pop these in the freezer and watch.
26:46Here they are frozen.
26:48I'm just gonna dig right in before I show you
26:50what else you can do with it.
26:51Just to show you that it's still crunchy and not soggy.
26:54I'm telling you this is gonna be something that you start doing.
27:04It's gonna become a regular thing in your house.
27:06This is the perfect nighttime treat.
27:09Another thing I love is that the cracker,
27:12even though this all just came straight from the freezer,
27:14is not so cold you can't bite into it.
27:16So they're delicious just like this.
27:18If you want to make them extra special,
27:20get some melted chocolate,
27:22give it a little dunk-a-roo,
27:24and then pop them back in the freezer.
27:26Or you can do this before you freeze them to begin with.
27:28If you don't try this one,
27:30I'm gonna be mad at you.
27:31Now the next dessert scares me just a little bit.
27:35Saltine Cracker Pudding.
27:37Who is that?
27:39Saltine Cracker Pudding is up next.
27:43This could go either way.
27:45This could be a soggy mess.
27:47Or it could be delicious.
27:50So far these crackers have not let me down.
27:52Not once.
27:53I've got four cups of milk heating up.
27:56To that I'm gonna add in a cup of sugar.
27:58One cup of coconut.
27:59And two cups of our crackers that I've crushed up.
28:02I'm just gonna bring this up to a simmer
28:04until that sugar dissolves.
28:06There are several ways you could make this.
28:08I'm not really following our recipe,
28:10but I combined a bunch of recipes
28:12to figure out the best way.
28:13This seems like the best way.
28:15So once this is really hot,
28:17we're going to temper the eggs.
28:19This is just how you make vanilla custard.
28:22This is whole eggs, not just the yolks though.
28:24So we're gonna take some of this warm mixture into here,
28:27heat this up a little bit,
28:29and then pour it all in.
28:30We don't want to have scrambled eggs.
28:32So the eggs are really gonna thicken it
28:34and turn it into pudding.
28:36I'm just gonna bring this up to a simmer
28:38and let it cook until it's thickened.
28:40It'll take about five minutes.
28:41Okay, so look how thick it got.
28:43Finish it off with a little vanilla.
28:45And then, because I'm going to picture this
28:49as my grandmother's rice pudding,
28:51she always put raisins in it.
28:53And it says you can put raisins in it.
28:56So I'm going to.
28:57All right, now we refrigerate it until it's cold.
29:00Transfer it to a bowl.
29:02I'm really taking one for the team here on this one.
29:05But I want to do everything you can do with saltines.
29:08Here goes nothing.
29:10You can see how thick it sets up.
29:12I'm gonna picture Momo's rice pudding.
29:22It's just a simple, sweet dessert.
29:25The coconut adds a little texture in there.
29:27I am pleased to say it doesn't taste like mushy crackers.
29:30That's all I was really worried about.
29:33It's not as good as rice pudding, but it works.
29:37This is another use of crackers as a good thickener.
29:40Just adds bulk.
29:42Not my favorite of the day, but I'd probably eat it again.
29:47We're bringing it home with my favorite childhood snack.
29:50I would be remiss to do a whole saltine episode
29:53without showing the most obvious way to serve up a saltine,
29:57which is the base for the most delicious snacks.
30:01I'm going to show you two.
30:03It's a two-for-one special.
30:05If you followed me for a minute, then you know about this snack.
30:08This is what my mom still to this day will put out as an appetizer cracker.
30:15It's really best if you do four at a time.
30:18Cheese.
30:19American cheese.
30:21You fold it once and then again.
30:25And you get four slices that fit perfectly on a saltine.
30:28A little mayo on each cracker.
30:31Cheese on top.
30:32See how it fits perfect?
30:33A piece of American cheese.
30:34And then a dill pickle.
30:37Not the expensive kind.
30:38The kind you had when you were a kid.
30:40This right here is the original Perfect Bite.
30:43This is the one.
30:44I haven't had it in a minute.
30:46Mmm.
30:55If you want to know where the Perfect Bite came from, this one.
30:57I give my mom credit for making up the Perfect Bite, but it was with this snack.
31:02Here's a fancy version, but still not fancy.
31:05You know, a saltine is the definition of when I say sometimes the simplest things are the best.
31:12I learned this one from, I think she is the cheese gal on TikTok.
31:17I mean, I've always put butter on my crackers.
31:20That's not the trick.
31:21Sprinkle a flaky salt.
31:23Still haven't hit the surprising element.
31:26Squeeze of a lemon.
31:27That just sounds so good.
31:29Cheers.
31:30Mmm.
31:31Mmm.
31:32Mmm.
31:33Mmm.
31:34Mmm.
31:35The lemon heightens the whole experience.
31:36Oh my God.
31:37Pour me a glass of wine to go with that.
31:52And also because I think I deserve it.
31:54I've just shown you 16 incredible things to do with saltine crackers, most of which I bet
31:59you've never done before.
32:00But trust me when I tell you, they are worth it.
32:02A lot of magic in this box.
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