Christmas Crack is a crunchy, sweet and salty 15 minute dessert recipe. This easy to make recipe layers Saltine crackers, homemade 2 ingredient caramel, melted chocolate, and Christmas M&Ms for a treat that is a holiday staple!
Lately I've been on a kick making some old school recipes that my Grandma used to make. Sometimes I get so caught up in trying new things I forgo the old classics that have stood the test of time for a reason: enter the Christmas Crack (or Saltine toffee as Grandma more appropriately called it!)
This yummy sweet and salty "Christmas Crack" recipe is one of those classic old fashioned recipes. It's a Saltine cracker toffee that you can change up and customize so many different ways-it always turns out amazing!
Why I love this recipe
I love that you can whip this cracker toffee in about 20 minutes, making it the perfect last-minute treat. And like our Dark Chocolate Toffee, Microwave Pralines, Microwave Peanut Brittle, and Caramel Popcorn there's no need for a candy thermometer.
You probably already have all the ingredients too!
For the holidays I top this with Christmas sprinkles and M&Ms but you could also use chopped nuts or candies as well.
Ingredients
- Saltine Crackers - this cracker gives you the crispy, crunchy base and perfect amount of saltiness to balance out all that sweet chocolate and caramel
- Brown sugar and unsalted butter - we melt these together to whip up an easy stovetop caramel sauce, no candy thermometer required! Simply bring to a boil and stir constantly while it cooks and thickens for about 3 minutes. Boom! Caramel tastiness.
- Chocolate - the chocolate morsels melt over the hot caramel and take this treat over the top. We used milk chocolate morsels but you can change it up to your taste or what you have on hand: dark chocolate, white chocolate, semi-sweet, etc, all will work fine.
- Christmas M&Ms and sprinkles - Christmas crack can be topped so many ways, this version uses festive red and green sprinkles and candies but we've listed a ton of alternatives down below.
Step by step
This treat is ready in 15 minutes, just have all your ingredients measured and on hand before starting.
- Preheat oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Heat butter and sugar together and simmer 3 minutes.
- Pour mixture over the crackers and bake for 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and immediately pour chocolate chips over top, let chips sit for 2 minutes then spread with a spatula and top with candy.
- Chill and cut into pieces after candy has set.
Topping variations
- crushed or chopped nuts
- chopped pretzles
- crushed peppermint
- crumbled OREOs
- taosted coconut
- dried fruit
- drizzled melted white chocolate or peanut butter morsels
FAQs
Yes, Saltines are the most common cracker used for that crispy bottom layer but you can try Ritz crackers, club crackers, graham crackers, pretzels, or even salted matzos.
Look for a this, crisp texture and slightly salty flavor if replacing the Saltines with something else.
You can choose to replace the chocolate with a different morsel like peanut butter morsels, butterscotch chips, or caramel chips or you can omit it all together.
There are a few common reasons you would get a chewy Christmas crack:
your crackers are expired, you didn't heat the butter and brown sugar long enough, or you did not cool the assembled Christmas crack long enough. Make sure to use fresh crackers and follow the recommended times in the recipe for a nice, crisp result.
The key to keeping the layers together is to let them melt properly and meld together. The chocolate chips need to be placed on the top as soon as the caramel covered crackers are removed from the oven.
Then, spread the chocolate after letting the morsels sit for two minutes to soften. You can also lace them in the oven a minute or two to help melt them.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 1 week. I do not recommend freezing it as it can get soft upon thawing.
Did you make this recipe growing up? What are your favorite toppings?
If you try this Saltine Christmas Crack recipe, please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!
Print
Christmas Crack (aka Saltine Toffee)
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 5
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Christmas Crack is a crunchy, sweet and salty 15 minute dessert recipe. This easy to make recipe layers Saltine crackers, homemade 2 ingredient caramel, melted chocolate, and Christmas M&Ms for a treat that is a holiday staple!
Ingredients
- about 40 Saltine crackers
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips
- ⅔ cup M&Ms (optional)
- holiday sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Fill tray with crackers.
- In a small saucepan over medium high heat melt butter. Add brown sugar and heat to a boil, stirring continuously. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes.
- Pour mixture over crackers and spread evenly. Place in oven and cook for 5 minutes.
- Immediately after removing from oven pour chocolate chips over toffee. Allow to sit two minutes then use a spatula to spread. Sprinkle with candy and sprinkles while chocolate is still hot. Chill to set.
Notes
Substitute candy and sprinkles with toppings of your choice to customize.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cracker
- Calories: 282
- Sugar: 17.5 g
- Sodium: 289.5 mg
- Fat: 15.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 21.1 mg
Keywords: christmas crack, saltine toffee
Want more great recipes?
Join our community of over 20,000 everyday cooks and I'll send you an eCookbook with 13 of my favorite desserts as a welcome gift!
Hanna says
My go-to recipe every year, thanks for making it so easy!
★★★★★
Alicia says
Can you freeze the Christmas crack?
Melissa says
Unfortunately no, if you freeze them they get soggy when defrosted Alicia. ~Melissa
Melissa says
great!
★★★★★
Kassy says
Fail proof. Always a hit with crowds.
★★★★★