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This highly addictive saltine toffee is dubbed ‘Christmas Crack’ as it’s easy to make around the holidays for a crowd (or for gifting) and it will have you hooked from the very first bite.
This Should Come With a Warning: Saltine Toffee
I posted this recipe back in 2012 and I had no idea what ‘Christmas Crack’ was other than the fact that I loved the name (although it’s probably politically incorrect and offensive to some people now). Come to find out, it is a very popular treat during the holidays and it’s essentially saltine toffee. I am a HUGE fan of sweet and salty flavor combinations and this saltine toffee is literally the poster child for sweet and salty.
Christmas Crack (or saltine toffee – which ever you want to call it) is popular because it requires no candy thermometer, is easy to make, mail, and even easier to eat. Since it’s already a bit rustic in the way you break it apart into pieces, when you send it in the mail, unlike cookies or other treats, it’s okay that this treat is not perfect.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Make sure you are buying salted saltine crackers, not the no-salt kind!
- For an even more buttery and rich treat, swap out the saltine crackers for club crackers or Ritz crackers.
- Use sprinkles, mini M&M’s, or crushed peppermint candy canes to decorate the tops of these for an even more festive flair!
Storage and Gifting Instructions
Saltine toffee can be stored in a container for up to 2 weeks. This is perfect for gifting in metal containers or mailing them in sturdy cookie boxes.
Add some maple cinnamon spiced nuts along with frosted sugar cookies, linzer cookies, and gingerbread men cookies to give your holiday cookie box the perfect touch!
Saltine Toffee (Christmas Crack)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 40 saltine crackers, approx. 1 sleeve
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (220 g) dark brown sugar
- 2 cups (473 g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups (164 g) chopped pecans
- Flakey sea salt, for topping (if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 °F (204 °C)
- On a 9×13" rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, line the saltine crackers side by side until the entire pan is filled.40 saltine crackers
- In a saucepot, melt butter and sugar together. Stir together then bring to boil then let boil for 5-7 minutes, do not stir while it's boiling, but also make sure it doesn't burn.1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (220 g) dark brown sugar
- CAREFULLY pour the contents of the pot evenly over the saltines then place in oven to bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
- In the meantime, in a microwave safe bowl, gently melt the chocolate, stirring in 30 second intervals until it's melted through and no clumps remain.2 cups (473 g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Pour chocolate evenly on top of the caramel, spreading it evenly and smoothing it out.
- Immediately sprinkle chopped pecans (or whatever toppings) all over the top.1 ½ cups (164 g) chopped pecans, Flakey sea salt
- Allow the sugar mixture and chocolate cool completely. I popped mine in the fridge for about an hour. Once cool, break into pieces – doesn't have to be uniform in shape.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks!
Nutrition
Photographs by Jess Gaertner Creative
Delicious! I make these every christmas, but with a graham cracker as the base!
Yum!
I’m in trouble… I’ve never really been a dessert person, but this sounded good to me. I made it just before Christmas and used the mint chocolate squares that are around seasonally. I ate it all. I made another batch with marked down peppermint squares. Gave a bit away, but ate most of it myself. Banned it from my house… but couldn’t resist making another batch yesterday.Is there a Christmas Crack Anonymous???
Another alternate is trying with graham crackers
I’ve been making this for years & still love it! I have to force myself not to make it. Now, thanks to you, you have reminded me that it’s been a while. I have to try it with the club crackers & sea salt on top. Thanks for the extra pounds!! lol
This stuff is so awesome! Keep sharing the recipe! Everyone should know how to make this! If you are looking at this page wondering if it’s worth making, YES it is!
This year I tried it with Club crackers, makes it extra buttery tasting.
Someone asked about the light brown sugar. I ran out of dark and I had to make half my batches with light and I thought the ones with the dark sugar tasted a bit better, and seemed to harden up better than the light. Anyone else notice this?
Dark brown sugar has more molasses content in it so that’s probably why it hardened up a bit better than the light brown sugar. Glad you liked it :) I like the Club crackers modification, they’re so addicting.
I make this with matzo… it is so addicting. One question for you though. Have you tried to make it with vegan butter?
Thanks,
Reba
No, can’t say I have. Sorry!
plz update your recipes….especially if YOU made the mistake of leaving out ingreidents! I will not read through the comments to find out what you left out, otherwise your site is less than worth visiting. after reading a few of your recipes……I find your instructions with things left out. I hope you read over your posts and go step by step (rather than assume the reader will figure it out)…. I love your recipes, but frustrating at times.
Hi J or K, whomever you are, I do NOT appreciate being scolded over what you do not understand or what you don’t read correctly. The brown sugar and butter MAKE the caramel which is poured over the saltines, baked, then the chocolate goes on top. Why would I tell you to melt butter and brown sugar together and then not do anything with it? In step 3, that is what makes the ingredient for step 4.
It is not clear and those who don’t know sugar and brown sugar makes caramel your steps say add caramel not what was made in the pot. Just be more clear.
4.Pour the caramel evenly over the saltines then place in oven to bake for 5 minutes.
?????? not in ingreidents?????? how much, what kind
Julie – these look so good! I love your photos and how the deep browns make them stand out beautifully against the white, just stunning. I love how it’s so close too, I want to reach through the screen and bite right into it. I can’t believe I’ve never tried this stuff!
To the gals who thought the author left out ingredients…butter and brown sugar IS caramel. You can also find a simplier version of this recipe in Trisha Yearwood’s cookbook (instead of melting the chocolate, you sprinkle chocolate chips over the crackers after they come out of the oven, wait a couple minutes and the heat from the crackers will melt the chips (they won’t look like they are) then you can just spread the chips like frosting. My husband is literally addicted to this stuff!
It is really addicting, huh? Love it! :)
I prefer to spread the chocolate chips over the crackers and caramel after they come out of the oven simply because it’sone less dish to wash. The cchips melt quickly. I also like to add a little sprinkle of sea salt. I think one reason this recipe is so popular is because there are so many super sweet things to eat around the holidays and the saltiness from the crackers is a nice change.
Woah, sweet and salty and everything good! Merry Christmas Julie xo