Buttered Saltine Crunch Cookie

I sat on the cream linoleum floor, curled up next to the cast iron wood stove to warm my frozen toes fresh from my sopping wet boots. I had just come in from an afternoon in the snow, exploring the woods at my grandma's house in northern Michigan. The afternoon of this memory isn't one snowy day in particular. It's an entire season filled with memories of American Girl books, Anne of Avonlea rentals, and this flavor memory I hold so dearly.

Buttered saltine crackers in my grandma's kitchen.

This spring, I enrolled in Christina Tosi's Monthly course on creative baking. I wanted to flex my culinary education muscles and get inspired by someone I admire while creating a collection of baking courses due out over the next year. The goal of the course is to learn Christina’s recipes and then be inspired to write your own. Honestly, the only recipe I’ve ever taken 100% credit for writing from scratch is the Martian Mallow sundae at Scoops, the ice cream shop I worked at in high school. Other than that, my recipes have been minor riffs on other recipes I've known and loved.

While this recipe starts with a riff on a recipe from the class, it digs deep into my own flavor story centered around this memory. Entire sleeves of Saltines, being devoured along with a sidecar of Fleishman's. My cookie goals were as follows.

1. To mimic the crunchy familiar feeling of the crackers.

2. To fill the flour with the powdery saltiness that is signature to Saltines.

3. Nail the gooeyness of room temperature butter slathered on those perfect little bites.

This recipe, of course, is Everybody approved with variations from traditional to gluten and dairy free. Choose your ingredient list below and get baking!

Please note, I'm going to be writing recipes using grams instead of cups measurements for dry ingredients from now on. I highly recommend you purchase a kitchen scale. I've had this scale for over a decade, bought on a whim from the clearance section at Sur La Table - it has not disappointed!

Buttered Saltine Crunch Cookies

Author: Alicia Sturdy | Category: Cookies | Inclusive Baking: Options for Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free

This cookie recipe is for all bakers — whether you bake traditionally, gluten-free, or dairy-free. Substitutions are clearly noted so everyone can enjoy the same crisp, gooey, brown-butter magic.

Brown Butter Saltine Crunch

65 g Schär Gluten-Free Table Crackers (or regular Saltines)
15 g soy, coconut, or traditional milk powder (about ⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp)
2 g kosher salt (¾ tsp)
50 g browned butter — for dairy-free, use Miyoko's European-style vegan butter (it’s the only one that will brown properly)

Cookie Dough Ingredients

225 g unsalted butter, at room temperature (2 sticks)
300 g granulated sugar
100 g light brown sugar
1 egg — or substitute: 1.5 tbsp water + 1.5 tbsp oil + 1 tsp baking powder
1 cup all-purpose flour or Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see below)
65 g mini marshmallows
60 g panko bread crumbs (Kikkoman brand recommended)

Gluten-Free Flour Blend

40 g White Rice Flour
24 g Cornstarch
22 g Brown Rice Flour
20 g Tapioca Starch
18 g Non-Fat Dry Milk
4 g Potato Starch
3 g Xanthan Gum
130 g ground Schär Gluten-Free Table Crackers (or Saltines)
3 g baking soda (¼ tsp)
5 g kosher salt (1½ tsp)

Materials

Stand mixer
Kitchen scale
Small and medium bowls and containers
Spatula
2¾ oz cookie scoop or ⅓ cup measure
Parchment paper
Sheet pan

Instructions

Make the Brown Butter Saltine Crunch:
Preheat oven to 275°F. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, brown the butter until nutty and golden. Set aside.
Place crackers in a bowl and crush into half-inch or smaller pieces. Add milk powder and salt; toss to combine.
Pour browned butter over crackers and toss to coat. Spread evenly on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake 20 minutes, then cool until golden and crisp.
Make the Cookie Dough:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Pulverize 130 g saltines (or crackers) in a food processor until fine and powdery.
Cream butter and sugars together in a stand mixer on medium-high for 3 minutes.
Scrape down sides; add egg (or substitute) and beat on high for 7–8 minutes until pale and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, whisk flour, pulverized crackers, baking soda, and salt together.
With the mixer on low, add dry ingredients and mix until no dry bits remain.
Add cooled Brown Butter Cracker Crunch and mini marshmallows. Mix on low until evenly distributed.
Scoop 2¾ oz portions (about 78 g each). Roll each in panko breadcrumbs and flatten slightly into puck shapes.
Arrange on parchment-lined sheets with 2 inches between cookies. Chill for 10 minutes.
Bake 12 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Cool on the pan for 10–15 minutes before transferring — they’ll firm up as they cool.

Tip: These cookies are soft right out of the oven — let them rest fully before moving. The chewy centers and crisp edges make them irresistible for every kind of baker. 🍪