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Pulled straight from the pages of my best selling christmas cookies & candies cookbook, this Christmas Crack Toffee recipe has been tested and loved by hundreds of thousands of families.
You are going to love this Christmas Crack
The Christmas season may be hectic, but that doesn’t mean your holiday baking has to be! Let me guide you through the most delicious time of the year – starting with the absolute best saltine cracker toffee recipe! Insanely simply, this sweet and salty toffee treat is sure to impress even the toughest scrooge. Combining saltine crackers, caramelized brown sugar and chocolate, christmas crack is a toffee dessert that is quick, easy, and a pleasure to make with your kids.
Christmas Crack Saltines ingredients
- Saltine Crackers – This recipe is usually made with Saltine crackers, but can also be made with pretzels or Ritz crackers.
- Butter – I always use salted butter.
- Brown Sugar
- Chocolate Chips – I love milk chocolate, but this recipe would also be great with semi-sweet or dark chocolate. Use whatever kind you have in your pantry!
How to make Christmas Crack
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and then line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the saltine crackers in a single layer on the lined cookie sheet, then set aside.
- Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
- Once the butter is completely melted, turn the heat up to medium high and stop stirring. When the mixture begins to boil, set a timer for 3 minutes.
- Once the mixture has boiled for 3 minutes, remove from heat and then pour it over the saltine crackers.
- Spread out the mixture with a spatula to cover the crackers evenly.
- Next, place the pan with the crackers and brown sugar/butter layer in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. The mixture will bubble in the oven. Don’t worry if it looks like the crackers are floating in the mixture, this is totally normal.
- When the 5 minutes are up, remove the cookie sheet from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
- Place the pan back in the oven for 1 more minute, or until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Remove from the oven and spread the chocolate with a spatula to cover the toffee evenly.
- Allow the toffee to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then place in the refrigerator so the toffee and chocolate can set completely.
- Once the toffee is completely cool, cut, break, or crack it into pieces and enjoy!
Saltine Cracker Toffee Variations
I know it has ‘saltine cracker’ in the name, but I think this toffee would be exceptional with Ritz crackers or the thin pretzel crisps.
Beyond that, you can mess around with the types of chocolate you use – adding dark chocolate and sea salt, white chocolate and peppermint or even a mixture!
Christmas Crack Tips
Making cracker candy is simple, but here are a few of my tried-and-true tips that make it a breeze!
- Always line your pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat. This will make it easier to remove your toffee and wash the pan later.
- Line your crackers into tight even layers – this will make it 10x easier to spread the toffee and chocolate on top.
- Don’t be afraid to chill it in the fridge to speed up the process!
How to use Cracker Crack
- Plate it up: Once the Christmas crack has hardened in the fridge, break it into pieces and arrange them on a festive plate. You can sprinkle some powdered sugar or crushed candy canes on top for added decoration.
- Gift it: Christmas crack makes a great homemade gift for friends and family. Package it in festive gift bags or boxes and tie with a ribbon. You can even add a handwritten note for a personal touch.
- Serve it with hot cocoa: Christmas crack pairs well with a hot cup of cocoa or coffee. Serve it as a dessert or snack at your holiday party or cozy night in.
- Add it to a charcuterie board: If you’re looking to elevate your holiday charcuterie board, add some Christmas crack to the mix. It adds a sweet and salty element that pairs well with cheese, nuts, and fruit.
How to store Christmas Crack Saltines
You can store your cracker toffee in an air tight container or a zip top baggie. This toffee freezes great, so you can store it in your freezer for up to 3 months (if you can resist it for that long)!
Does Christmas crack need to be stored in the refrigerator?
No, this recipe does not need to be stored in the refrigerator.
Saltine Cracker Toffee FAQs
Well, for a few reasons! Because it’s made with crackers, you crack it into pieces at the end, it cracks in your mouth, and it’s highly addicting!
Most of the time, the culprit for soggy Christmas Crack is not cooking the toffee layer long enough.
The origin of Christmas crack is not entirely clear, as it has become a popular holiday treat in recent years. However, it is believed to have originated in the United States, specifically in the Midwest.
If your saltine toffee is grainy, it’s likely that the toffee mixture was not cooked to the right temperature, causing the sugar to crystallize and form grains. Here are some tips to help you avoid grainy toffee and achieve the right texture.
– Once the sugar and butter have combined and starts boiling, do not stir. This can cause the sugar to crystallize.
– Do not scrape the sides of the pan when pouring the toffee out onto the crackers, disturbing the crystalized sugar on the sides of the pan can cause the rest of the sugar to crystalize.
– Avoid cooling the toffee too fast, this can cause crystallization.
If you like Christmas Crack Candy, try these!
Saltine Toffee (Christmas Crack)
Ingredients
- 40 saltine crackers
- 1 1/2 cups (333g) salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups (377g) brown sugar
- 2 cups (400g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the saltine crackers onto the parchment lined cookie sheet in a single layer. Set aside.
- In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar together.
- Once the butter is completely melted, turn the heat up to medium high and stop stirring. Once the mixture begins to boil, start a timer for 3 minutes.
- When the mixture has been boiling for 3 minutes, remove from heat and pour over the saltine crackers.
- Spread to cover the crackers.
- Place the pan with the crackers and brown sugar and butter mixture into the 400° F (205° C) oven for 5 minutes. The mixture will be bubbling and it will look like the crackers and floating in the mixture.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the top with the chocolate chips.
- Return to the oven for about 1 minute, until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Remove from the oven and spread the chocolate to cover the top of the toffee.
- Allow the toffee to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and then place in the fridge to help set up the toffee and chocolate faster.
- Once the toffee is completely cool, break or cut into pieces and enjoy!
We love this recipe… well we love the end results really! So simple. Fun to make and fun for kids to help with. Also it’s fun to switch up the crackers you use or try different kinds of chocolate chips. So many possibilities. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool.
It’s delicious although mine chocolate seperated from the rest of the bar. I went to cut it and the chocolate kept falling of the top of the treat. Do you know what I did wrong? I thought I followed the recipe to a tee. Thanks
Hi Jodi! Sometimes this happens if the hardned caramel isn’t warm when adding the chocolate chips to the top. Make sure that the caramel is still warm and it should help fix the problem.
This was super easy and I will honestly make it for all occasions.