A festive treat made with just 5 ingredients, Christmas Crack features layers of candy toffee covered crackers, rich chocolate, and sprinkles! It’s salty ‘n sweet with a yummy crunch. Your soon-to-be fave Christmas Crack recipe with saltines.
Some say this festive time of year is about the cookies. Others say it’s about the candy. I say it’s BOTH. But for today, we’re Team Candy with this jolly Christmas Crack recipe! It’s a most delicious combo of toffee poured over and crunchy saltine crackers and topped with chocolate and your fave toppings.
What could be better? Practically nothing.
The Best Part of Christmas Crack with Saltines
My favorite part? The way the toffee oozes through the saltine cracker holes and drips into the bottom layer. It’s crispy, it’s sweet, it’s salty… it’s just everything your sweet ‘n salty loving self could need to enjoy the holidays. (That and chocolate almond bark.)
What is Christmas Crack?
Christmas crack is a festive candy that features layers of saltine crackers, a toffee-like candy coating, and a topping of chocolate with add-ins like sprinkles on top.
It’s called Christmas crack because the final step in making this holiday candy recipe is cracking it into pieces, which making a cracking sound. And, it’s made with crackers!
Ingredients
Just 5 ingredients to making one of the tastiest, sweet-tooth satisfying holiday candy recipes ever!
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Saltine crackers
- Semisweet chocolate chips
- Toppings: like sprinkles, candy, nuts, and more.
How to Make Christmas Crack
Make this easy Christmas crack recipe with saltine crackers with just a few simple steps that require a bit of precision and a bit of speed for the best results.
Begin by preheating the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, then spray that paper in cooking spray for extra nonstick power.
Next, line the baking sheet with a single layer of saltine crackers. Set aside for later.
Bring a medium saucepan to medium heat, then add butter and brown sugar into the pan. Whisk together until well mixed, then leave it undisturbed until it comes to a boil, about 3-6 minutes.
Once the brown sugar mixture hits around 280°F, it’s done!
Working quickly and carefully, pour the caramel-like mixture over the saltines. Using a large offset spatula, spread it into an even layer that coats every cracker.
Next, transfer the pan into the oven to bake until bubbly, about 4 minutes. This will allow the toffee layer to spread, harden and set for an amazing candied toffee layer in your Christmas crack.
Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the caramel, allowing the chocolate to melt for about 1 minute.
Spread the chocolate over the caramel (which is actually toffee!) into an even layer.
Sprinkle and lightly press toppings over the melted chocolate.
Chill Christmas crack candy in the fridge until hardened. Use a spoon to pop the corners of the candy up, then peel off the parchment paper.
Lastly, crack the sheet into pieces. Enjoy the best Christmas crack recipe!!
How to Store Christmas Crack Candy
Can I Freeze Christmas Crack? Yup! Once completely hardened and cracked, store in an airtight, freezer-friendly container for 1-3 months in the freezer.
Does Christmas Crack Need to be Refrigerated? It is best to store Christmas crack in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This is to keep the chocolate in its best condition; however, you can keep it at room temp for a few days.
How Long Does Christmas Crack Last? Christmas crack can last up to 5 days in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Can You Use Parchment Paper for Christmas Crack?
Yes, you can use parchment paper to make Christmas crack and to store it. For making this festive candy, you’ll be lining a baking sheet with parchment paper, then spraying it with cooking spray for extra protection against any sticking.
To store Christmas crack in parchment paper, you can wrap it in parchment paper, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Creative Toppings
One of the things I love about this Christmas crack recipe with saltines? It’s so easy to customize! Try the toppings below.
- Sprinkles: try festive holiday sprinkles like mine which feature snowflakes, candy canes, and more. Or, do a pastel theme with pink, green, and yellow sprinkles.
- Candy: crushed candy canes, M&M’s
- Fruit: Dried fruit like cranberries, blueberries, raisins, and more.
- Nuts: I like pecans, walnuts, and cashews on top of my Christmas crack candy.
- Christmas crack with pretzels: try topping the melted chocolate with pretzel rods, sticks, and more!
- Have fun with it: marshmallows, cereal, try any of your favorite add-ins, as long as they’re okay melting a bit (don’t use gummies!).
Merry Christmas!
We wish you the merriest time of year. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. If you’ve tried this recipe, take a pic and tag us on Instagram using #beamingbaker. We can’t wait to see it!
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
more christmas treat recipes
Description
A festive treat made with just 5 ingredients, Christmas Crack features layers of candy toffee covered crackers, rich chocolate, and sprinkles! It’s salty ‘n sweet with a yummy crunch. Your soon-to-be fave Christmas Crack recipe with saltines.
Tools Needed
Ingredients
Toppings
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet (about 10″ x 15”) with parchment paper. Then, spray with cooking spray.
- Fully line the baking sheet with 1 layer of crackers.* Set aside.
- Add butter and brown sugar into a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk until well mixed, then let it sit while it comes to a boil, about 3-6 minutes. Mine took 4 ½ minutes. Don’t whisk it here since it will separate. It’s done once it reaches 270°F to 290°F.
- Working quickly, pour the toffee over the saltines, using a nonstick or an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.** Bake for 3-5 minutes, or until bubbling. Mine took 4 minutes.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top of the toffee and let it sit for about 1 minute, until the chocolate melts. Spread chocolate into an even layer.
- Sprinkle toppings, lightly pressing them into the chocolate.
- Chill in the refrigerator until hardened, about 1 hour. Or freeze for 30 minutes.
- Use a spoon to pop the corners of the Christmas Crack out and loosen it from the sheet. Peel off the parchment paper. Using your hands or a knife, crack the Christmas Crack into pieces. Enjoy!
★ Last Step: If you made this recipe, leave a comment and review. It truly helps our small business keep running and it helps readers like you!
Notes
If using a baking sheet larger than 10 x 15, expect a thinner layer of toffee. I prefer and recommend a 10 x 15 baking sheet.
*I used 35 whole saltine crackers and 5 cracker halves, for a total of 37.5 crackers. Please see photos in the “How to” section of the post for visual guidance.
**It’s important to work quickly and safely here. If you go too slow, the toffee will harden before you can spread it completely over the crackers.
Storing Instructions: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezing Instructions: Store in an airtight, freezer-friendly container in the freezer for 1-3 months.
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Candy
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links, which allow me to make a small commission for my referral, at no additional cost to you.
Like this recipe? Share it with friends!
Did you make this recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #beamingbaker & tag @beamingbaker. I’d love to see it!
