Christmas crack is a sweet, salty and buttery toffee made with saltine crackers topped with homemade caramel, creamy chocolate and your favorite crunchy topping. This Christmas crack recipe makes the best quick and easy last minute holiday treat.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I have several fun, versatile and easy to make holiday treat recipes on the blog. My personal favorites at the moment are my Rolo Pretzels, 3 Ingredient Fudge, 2 Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge, Chocolate Covered Oreos and Puppy Chow. This Rolo pretzel cookie is another fun and easy treat I know you’ll love.
- It’s quick, easy and fun to make. This easy saltine, caramel and chocolate candy recipe takes about 10 minutes to make. This is a great recipe to make with kids!
- It’s delicious and versatile holiday dessert. With only a handful of ingredients, you probably already have mosy of what you need to make this easy holiday treat. Simply make the caramel, bake the caramel on top of the saltine crackers, top with chocolate and your preferred toppings. Then set, break and enjoy.
Ingredients
This Christmas crack recipe calls for just a few simple ingredients. Luckily they are also basic pantry staples. Here’s what you will need to make this easy recipe.
Gather saltine crackers, light brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract, salt and your preferred toppings. The topping pictured is Heath toffee bits.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions for this x-mas crack recipe if you need them.
- Saltines: The classic christmas crack is made with saltine crackers. If you prefer, use another cracker like Ritz or even pretzels.
- Butter: I like to use unsalted “sweet cream” butter in almost all my baking recipes. This is the most common and widely available butter in the US. If needed, use salted butter.
- Light Brown Sugar: Maple sugar would be good refined sugar free substitutes. Dark brown sugar can also be used.
- Chocolate Chips: Feel free to use your preferred chocolate chips. Milk chocolate chips will create a sweeter crack candy. Semi sweet or dark will be less sweet.
- Toppings: For a festive look, top the chocolate with colorful sprinkles or M&M’s. Other sweet toppings to try are crushed Oreos, crushed candy like Butterfingers or toffee bits (like Heath), marshmallows, mini peanut butter cups or crushed candy canes. For a saltier sweet taste, top the chocolate with crushed pretzels, potato chips, crushed peanuts or almonds or simply flaky salt.
How To Make
Learn how to make this Christmas crack recipe in a couple of easy steps.
- Line a 10 x 15 “jelly roll” baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Place the saltine crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet. Make sure to fully cover the pan with the saltine crackers.
- Make the caramel sauce. Cook the butter and brown sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat. Continue to cook until the mixture comes to a boil. Once the caramel starts to boil, allow the caramel to cook for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently. The caramel should read about 270 - 290 F on a candy thermometer. Remove the caramel from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the caramel sauce over the saltine crackers.Bake the saltine cracker and caramel in the oven until the caramel is bubbling vigorously. This takes about 5 minutes. The caramel should read about 300 - 310 F on a candy thermometer. Once the caramel starts to bubble vigorously, remove the baking pan from the oven.
- Top the hot caramel with chocolate chips. Cover the entire baking sheet with another larger or equally sized baking sheet and allow the heat to melt the chocolate chips. This takes about 5 minutes. Smooth the melted chocolate into a layer across the caramel saltine crackers. Top the melted chocolate with your preferred candy, sprinkles, crushed cookies or nuts or toffee bits.
- Allow the Christmas crack to fully cool and set overnight on the counter or for 2 hours in the fridge. Once the crack candy has set, break or cut the saltine candy into your preferred number of pieces and enjoy.
How To Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: Transfer the Christmas crack into an airtight container to be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. For longer storage, freeze the saltine toffee.
- Freeze: Allow the saltine crack candy to fully chill in the fidge or freezer. Break the toffee into your preferred size and number of pieces. Transfer them to an airtight and freezer proof container to store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Transfer your preferred amount of candy to thaw in the fridge.
M’s Expert Tips
- Read through the recipe before starting. The whole saltine toffee recipe comes together quickly, especially once the caramel starts to cook. Make sure you read all the directions and have everything prepped before starting on the caramel sauce.
- Keep an eye on the caramel. Once the caramel sauce starts to boil, it only needs 3 minutes to cook. The caramel only needs to bake in the oven on top of the saltine crackers for about 5 minutes or until the caramel is bubbling vigorously.
- Decide on the chocolate. Milk chocolate will create a sweet crack while dark chocolate will be less sweet.
- Have fun with the toppings. This Christmas cookie crack is delicious on its own. However, it is so easy and fun to customize the toppings to your tastes and the holiday.
- Chill the crack to fully set the saltine toffee. After topping the crack candy, the chocolate and caramel need time to fully set. The candy sets more quickly when chilled in the fridge or freezer.
FAQs
Pretty much any topping you like is perfect for topping this crack candy recipe. For a festive look, top the chocolate with colorful sprinkles or M&M’s. Other sweet toppings to try are crushed Oreos, crushed candy like Butterfingers or toffee bits (like Heath), marshmallows, mini peanut butter cups or crushed candy canes. For a saltier sweet taste, top the chocolate with crushed pretzels, potato chips, crushed peanuts or almonds or simply flaky salt.
Parchment paper is perfect to bake saltine crack candy on. Foil is also recommended, but parchment paper is better in my opinion. Either will make cleaning up a breeze and will prevent the caramel saltines from sticking to the pan.
It’s not advised to set the saltine toffee in the freezer. Doing so can cause the chocolate to separate from the caramel layer. Allow the layers to fully cool and set overnight on the counter or for a couple of hours in the fridge.
Most likely the caramel sauce didn’t reach the correct heat range. Once the caramel starts to boil, allow the mixture to boil for 3 minutes. Thecaramel should read between (270 - 290 F) on a candy thermometer. Once the caramel is in the oven, allow the caramel to boil vigorously for 5 minutes. The caramel should ready about (300 - 310 F) on a candy thermometer.
More Easy Holiday Desserts
If you try this Christmas Crack Recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking!
Christmas Crack Recipe
Equipment
- 1 10 x 15 "jelly roll" pan
- 1 sheet parchment paper
- 1 sauce pan
Ingredients
- 35 - 37 saltine crackers
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, sliced
- 1 cup (200 g) light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a 10 x 15 “jelly roll” baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Place the saltine crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet. Make sure to fully cover the pan with the saltine crackers.35 - 37 saltine crackers
- Make the caramel sauce. Cook the butter and brown sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat. Continue to cook until the mixture comes to a boil. Once the caramel starts to boil, allow the caramel to cook for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently. The caramel should read about 270 - 290 F on a candy thermometer. Remove the caramel from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, sliced, 1 cup (200 g) light or dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , ½ teaspoon salt
- Pour the caramel sauce over the saltine crackers.Bake the saltine cracker and caramel in the oven until the caramel is bubbling vigorously. This takes about 5 minutes. The caramel should read about 300 - 310 F on a candy thermometer. Once the caramel starts to bubble vigorously, remove the baking pan from the oven.
- Top the hot caramel with chocolate chips. Cover the entire baking sheet with another larger or equally sized baking sheet and allow the heat to melt the chocolate chips. This takes about 5 minutes.2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips
- Smooth the melted chocolate into a layer across the caramel saltine crackers. Top the melted chocolate with your preferred candy, sprinkles, crushed cookies or nuts or toffee bits.
- Allow the Christmas crack to fully cool and set overnight on the counter or for 2 hours in the fridge. Once the crack candy has set, break or cut the saltine candy into your preferred number of pieces and enjoy.
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