Christmas Crack Recipe

This is a super easy, delicious, sweet, and salty Christmas crack candy recipe with layers of crackers, toffee, and chocolate. It takes less than 20 minutes to make this highly addictive candy!

Dress it up to fit the occasion with sprinkles, pecans, walnuts, toasted coconut, pretzels, or M&Ms. This delicious candy makes excellent holiday gifts and a tasty addition to your cookie trays.

Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

• Saltine crackers: You can substitute the saltine crackers with Ritz crackers, Club crackers, or graham crackers.
• Butter: unsalted. If using salted butter, reduce the added salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
• Brown sugar: light or dark brown sugar
• Chocolate chips: Use good-quality chocolate chips like Guittard or Ghirardelli for optimal flavor. Avoid Ghirardelli white chocolate chips, as they do not work well with this recipe and are more difficult to melt. Peanut butter chips, milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips also work well in this recipe.
• Toppings: see below for topping ideas

How to make Christmas Crack

First, line a jelly roll pan or baking sheet with aluminum foil. Grease the foil with vegetable shortening. Arrange the saltines side by side in a single layer on the baking sheet. Melt the butter and brown sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently.

Bring the brown sugar mixture to a boil for 3 minutes while stirring about every minute for 10-20 seconds slowly and gently. It is best to use a candy thermometer; the ideal temperature is between 270°-290°F. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. It will bubble up, so be careful.

Now, carefully pour the caramel mixture over the crackers, spreading with an offset spatula. Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 5 minutes. When you take it out, the toffee mixture will be bubbling on the crackers. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top and let them soften and melt for about 5 minutes. You can speed up the process by placing the baking sheet in the warm oven for 1-2 minutes.

Use an offset spatula to spread the melted chocolate. Top with sprinkles or chopped nuts. Let the candy sit on the counter for a few minutes to cool, and then pop it in the fridge or freezer until it is hard. Break or cut it into pieces.

Preparation Tips

• The caramel for this recipe gets very hot. Please be very careful not to get it on you.
• Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil, parchment paper, or a silicone mat. 
• It is best to invest in a candy thermometer. They are relatively inexpensive and eliminate the guesswork when making candy.
• You can break this candy with your hands or use a knife and a cutting board to cut it into more uniform pieces.
• Personalize this Christmas Crack Recipe with various toppings. Just make sure to add them right after spreading the melted chocolate. See below for topping ideas.

Topping Ideas

• Nuts: pecans, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and macadamia nuts
• Candy: sprinkles, M&Ms, crushed candy canes or peppermints
• Snacks: crushed Oreos, pretzels, crushed graham crackers

Store and Freeze

Store the candy in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week. To freeze this candy, first make sure it is cooled and set. Then, store it in a sturdy freezer container. Freeze for up to 2 months. It is also delicious frozen.

More Candy Recipes

Buckeye Balls

Peanut Clusters

Rum Balls

Oreo Truffles

Dark Chocolate Turtles

Chocolate Covered Cherries

Christmas Crack Recipe

This delicious saltine cracker toffee is a delicious salty-sweet combination of saltine crackers, easy homemade toffee, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Customize by adding your favorite toppings. However, consider yourself warned because you won’t be able to stop eating these treats. 

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dessert/candy

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 servings

Calories: 250kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 35-45 saltine crackers about 1 sleeve
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar light or dark
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Sprinkles optional
• Chopped pecans or walnuts optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan or baking sheet with aluminum foil. Grease the foil with vegetable shortening or nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the saltines side by side in a single layer on the baking sheet.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat melt the butter and brown sugar stirring frequently. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 3 minutes while stirring about every minute for 10-20 seconds slowly and gently. It is best to use a candy thermometer and the ideal temperature to reach is between 270°-290°F. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt and the vanilla. It will bubble up so be careful.
• Carefully pour the toffee mixture over the crackers spreading with an offset spatula. Bake for 5 minutes. When you take it out the toffee mixture will be bubbling on top of the crackers.
•  Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top and let them soften and melt for about 5 minutes. You can speed up the process by placing the baking sheet in the warm oven for 1-2 minutes. Use an offset spatula to spread the melted chocolate.
• Top with sprinkles or chopped nuts. Let the candy sit on the counter for a few minutes to cool and then pop it in the freezer until it is hard. Break it with your hands or cut it into pieces with a sharp knife and a cutting board.

Notes

• The caramel for this recipe gets very hot. Please be very careful not to get it on you.
• Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil, parchment paper, or a silicone mat. 
• It is best to invest in a candy thermometer. They are relatively inexpensive and eliminate the guesswork when making candy.
• You can break this candy with your hands or use a knife and a cutting board to cut it into more uniform pieces.
• Personalize this Christmas Crack Recipe with various toppings. Just make sure to add them right after spreading the melted chocolate. See below for topping ideas.

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 293IU | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 2mg

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