Easy saltine cracker toffee, also known as Christmas Crack, is the easiest Christmas treat you'll bake this year. Keep the ingredients ready to go in your pantry for last-minute baking. You'll have a delicious chocolate treat in minutes.
When it comes to the annual Christmas cookie exchange, do you want to bring the WINNING treat?
One year I thought I was taking the easy route by baking up 3 batches of my classic saltine cracker toffee.
The whole recipe only took me a total of 20 minutes for all 3 batches. It was so easy it felt like cheating.
However, when I set my cookie tin filled with the chocolate covered cracker candies and went into the hostess' kitchen, I heard from behind:
"WHO brought the Christmas Crack?!?" with lots of excited squeals from the other guests in response.
My pan of saltine toffee made from such simple ingredients as brown sugar, butter, saltine crackers, and chocolate chips, was the hit of the afternoon.
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Why This is the Best Recipe
There are endless Christmas cookies you could bake this season but I think this is the best saltine cracker toffee recipe because:
- The Original: This is the CLASSIC Christmas recipe you know and love. I first wrote about it in 2012 and my family has begged for it every year since.
- Perfect Pantry Cookie: All the ingredients are pantry-friendly, you can keep what you need ready to go for last-minute holiday baking.
- Easy for Beginners: This is an awesome first Christmas cookie for beginner bakers. Just be careful with the boiled sugar.
- SUPER Popular: Bring this treat to a cookie exchange or holiday party and watch it FLY off the buffet table. No one can resist a second piece.
- Travel-Friendly: Perfectly portable dessert for bringing to a Christmas potluck.
Ingredients
With the holiday season as busy as it is, you are going to love just how quick and easy this saltine cracker toffee is to make. It starts with such a simple list of ingredients:
- Butter: I always use salted. If you use salt-free, add a pinch of salt to the recipe.
- Brown Sugar
- Saltine Crackers: The square saltines make the perfect cracker base but you could use Ritz butter crackers if you wanted.
- Chocolate Chips
OPTIONAL Toppings:
If you wanted to mix things up a little, you could also try adding one of these toppings:
- Toasted Pecans, Chopped
- Toasted Almonds, Chopped
- Toasted Hazlenuts, Chopped
- Festive Sprinkles
How to Make Christmas Crack
This easy recipe takes just minutes to make, the hardest part will be waiting for the toffee to chill in the fridge before you crack it!
Before you begin to prep the toffee sauce, get everything ready to go:
1. Prep the Baking Pan: Line a baking sheet with tin foil for easy removal of the toffee. Spray it with a bit of cooking spray and set it aside.
2. Preheat the Oven: Set the oven to 400°F so it is ready when you are.
3. Arrange the Saltine Crackers: Line the crackers up in a single layer covering the entire baking pan surface. 6 rows of 8 crackers worked just right for me:
Make the Toffee Sauce
Next, add the butter and brown sugar to a sauce pan. Heat them together over medium heat until the butter has melted and you can stir it all together.
Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a boil.
As soon as it bubbles, set a timer for 3 minutes. Continue to stir the mixture the entire time so it doesn't burn.
Bake the Saltine Crackers
Immediately pour the prepared toffee sauce over the top of the prepared pan of saltine crackers.
Gently smooth the toffee all over the top of the crackers so that the entire surface is coated evenly.
Carefully transfer the pan to the oven -- be careful, the crackers will wiggle in the soft toffee if you jiggle the pan too hard.
Bake the toffee for 5 minutes.
Carefully set the toffee on top of the stove top, the crackers will still wiggle around if you bang the pan too much.
Spread the Chocolate Chips
Immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips over the entire surface of the toffee pan.
Let the chocolate rest and the heat from the pan will begin to melt the chocolate.
When the chocolate chips are glossy and shiny looking, you're ready to spread.
Use a knife or spatula to smooth the melted chocolate evenly over the top of the toffee.
You'll be breaking the pan into smaller pieces, so it doesn't have to be perfect.
However, you want the toffee to look pretty so try to add a few flourishes as you smooth the chocolate out.
Add the Optional Toppings
If you are interested in adding one of the optional toppings, you'll definitely want to have the ingredients prepped and ready for sprinkling over the top right after you finish spreading the chocolate.
If you wait till the chocolate has set, you won't be able to get the toppings to stick.
Saltine Cracker Toffee with Nuts: Adding chopped nuts like toasted almonds, pecans, or hazelnuts gives the toffee a delicious crunchy texture.
Saltine Cracker Toffee with Sprinkles: For festive flair, sprinkle some colorful sprinkles over the top.
Black and White Chocolate Saltine Cracker Toffee: You could also add ⅓ cup white chocolate chips scattered among the milk chocolate chips.
Let them melt along with the chocolate and smooth them carefully together.
This will give the toffee a black and white swirl effect.
Chill the Toffee
Transfer the baking pan to your fridge and chill the toffee for 2 hours to allow for the sugar to set and the chocolate to firm up.
Use the ends of the aluminum foil to life the toffee from the pan and break it into 3-inch pieces.
Storage Tips
Once you've broken the toffee into pieces, store them in an airtight container.
They'll taste best within the first 2 - 3 days but will keep for a week.
Serving Suggestions
Saltine cracker toffee makes such an excellent Christmas cookie tray addition.
You can add pieces into a cookie tin for sharing with friends and neighbors.
Pile the toffee high on festive Christmas plates or serving trays.
Sometimes I add smaller servings to pretty bowls and scatter them throughout the house on Christmas Eve for my family to nibble on them as we mingle.
More Christmas Cookies
If you love easy make-ahead Christmas cookies, you will love these festive recipes:
📖 Recipe
Saltine Cracker Toffee
Ingredients
- 20 tablespoon (2 ½ sticks) butter
- 1 ¼ cup brown sugar
- 48 saltine crackers
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Line a jelly roll pan with tin foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place the saltine crackers in 8 rows of 6 in a single layer.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together over medium heat. Stir constantly. Once combined, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. As soon as it begins to boil, set a timer for 3 minutes exactly and continue to stir and scrape the sides of the saucepan constantly.
- Immediately pour the melted butter/sugar combo over the crackers. Spread the toffee gently and evenly over the surface of all the crackers. Try not to disturb their places, you want them to remain in a single layer and not overlap.
- Place gently in the oven and bake for 5 min. Remove carefully, the sugar will have bubbled up significantly but will quickly settle.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top of the toffee while it is still warm. Allow the chocolate to rest for a few minutes until all the chips are nice and shiny. Spread them with a knife or spatula like you would for frosting.
- Refrigerate the toffee for 2 hours. Then break the pan into 3-inch pieces and serve.
Recipe Notes
Variations
I love adding chopped toasted almonds or pecans to the top of the chocolate before it has set. You could also sprinkle festive holiday sprinkles over the top. Just remember to do it before the chocolate has firmed up.Save This Recipe to Your Recipe Box
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Julie
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Linda
Love to bake cookies for gifts. Since my accident I am no longer able to stand long to do my baking . Your simple recipes are a God send thank you.