Saltine Toffee (aka Christmas Crack Recipe) — They don’t call this stuff ‘Christmas Crack’ for nothing. It’s easy to make, extremely addictive, and combines salty, sweet, crunchy, and chewy into a holiday favorite.
Christmas Crack Recipe
I’ve heard this saltine cracker toffee called Christmas Crack. I think that name is most fitting, but others have more P.C. names for it and some variations on the recipe.
Debbie made Matzoh Caramel Buttercrunch, which inspired Chocolate-Covered Caramelized Matzoh Crunch, which inspired Chocolate Caramel Crackers. They all used matzoh, whereas I used saltines.
Paula Deen also uses saltines and she calls it Pine Bark. Really, Paula? With all that butter, sugar, and chocolate, and the best name you could come up with is Pine Bark?
I call it easy and amazing.
This Christmas crack recipe looks a little long, but I am just being extra thorough explaining the steps. It’s very easy: Boil sugar and butter, pour over saltines, bake, add chocolate chips. Done. But I want to make sure no one messes up their Christmas crack candy so I’m being very detailed.
I recommend making this for a holiday party or as a Homemade Holiday Food Gift for folks on your to-buy-for (or to-make-for) list. You may not necessarily want it all around your house. Because it’s really, really addictive. As the name would imply.
Note that there is no saltine cracker taste, despite its being saltine cracker bark. The crackers make for the perfect toffee base that holds all the gooey, caramely, wonderfulness together. But you definitely don’t bite into the toffee and say oh, this tastes like saltines.
Below is an iPhone picture taken in a very hot Aruba kitchen at about 11:17pm the other night as the chocolate chips were poured over the almost finished crack saltine toffee. Between the 86F degree evening, no A/C in the kitchen, the stovetop that I had on to boil the butter and sugar, and then the 350F oven that was on, I’m pretty sure you could have fried an egg on my forehead I was so hot.
Same thing when I was trying to take the pictures the next day. The Christmas candy crack was literally melting before my eyes.
The brown sugar + butter base and the chocolate top? Not exactly Caribbean heatproof. Best to keep this stuff chilled or at normal (wintertime in the U.S.) room temperatures
But this saltine toffee was well worth every hot, melty moment.
What’s in This Christmas Crack Recipe?
To make this saltine toffee recipe, you’ll need:
- Saltine crackers
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to Make Christmas Crack
Before making the saltine cracker toffee, line a 9×13-inch baking dish with aluminum foil. Do NOT try making this Christmas crack recipe without the foil — you’ll hate yourself later if you skip this step.
Place the Saltine crackers in a single layer in the baking dish. Then, add the butter and sugar to a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture has thickened some.
Stir the vanilla extract into the thickened butter mixture, then pour over the Saltines in the baking dish. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the toffee topping is bubbly.
Once out of the oven, sprinkle the saltine cracker toffee with chocolate chips and wait for 3 to 5 minutes, letting them soften and melt a bit, and then spread and smooth them into an even layer with a spatula.
Let the Christmas crack cool completely on your countertop, then break into pieces and enjoy!
Why Won’t My Chocolate Chips Melt?
Chocolate chips are designed to resist melting, and some are less prone to melting than others. If your chocolate chips don’t seem to be melting, pop the saltine toffee back into the oven after it’s been turned off. Let the toffee sit in the oven for a couple minutes to speed up the melting process.
What Brand of Chocolate Chips Do You Recommend?
I like to bake with Trader Joe’s semi-sweet morsels. You could also use a chopped up chocolate bar.
Can I Make This Christmas Crack Gluten-Free?
Yes, you can easily make this saltine cracker toffee by using gluten-free Saltines.
Tips for Making This Christmas Crack Recipe
When boiling the butter and sugar, take care that your simmer is not too fast or too high because the mixture is prone to bubbling over or scorching. Stir the mixture frequently while it simmers to avoid either from happening.
After you’ve smoothed the chocolate over the saltine toffee, you’re welcome to add nuts, seeds, graham cracker crumbs, toffee bits, dried fruit, candy bits, or swirl in some peanut butter or other nut butter.
You can also use other types of baking chips — such as butterscotch, white chocolate, or peanut butter — either in addition to or in a half-and-half combination with the dark chocolate chips for your top layer.
How Long Does Christmas Crack Last?
If stored in an airtight container, this saltine toffee will last for up to 2 weeks at room temperature or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
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Chocolate Saltine Toffee
Ingredients
- 30 to 40 saltine crackers, I used about 32 crackers
- 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed (I used half light and half dark because that’s what I had)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ to 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, I used one 12-ounce bag of TJ’s semi sweet morsels
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9 x 13 pan or similar with aluminum foil and spray it very well with cooking spray. Do not try to make this without using foil; you will hate yourself.
- Place saltine crackers in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Some recipes suggest using a jelly roll pan which may allow for a slightly bigger batch, i.e. 40 crackers, but it’s a bit too shallow for my comfort zone and didn’t want any bubble-overs.
- In a saucepan on the stovetop, combine butter and sugar and bring to a boil while stirring constantly.
- Once a boil is reached, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture has thickened some. Take care not that your simmer is not too fast/too high because it will be prone to bubbling over or scorching. Stir mixture frequently while it simmers to avoid bubbling over or scorching. The taste of burnt butter and sugar is awful so don’t burn it.
- After mixture has thickened a bit, remove it from the heat, wait 30 seconds, add the vanilla extract and stir.
- Pour mixture over the prepared pan with the saltine crackers.
- Bake in for 5- 7 minutes, or until toffee/liquid becomes bubbly.
- After removing the pan from the oven, let it rest for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle on the chocolate chips and wait for 3 to 5 minutes, letting them soften and melt a bit, and then spread and smooth them into an even layer with a spatula. * (see note below)
- Let cool very well and if desired for expediting purposes, refrigerate or freeze until hardened. Break into pieces the size of your choice.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Notes
- *Optional: After smoothing the chocolate, add nuts, seeds, graham cracker crumbs, toffee bits, dried fruit, candy bits, or swirl in some peanut butter or other nut butter. Or use other types of chips, such as butterscotch, white, peanut butter, etc. either in addition to or in a half-and-half combination with the dark chocolate chips for your top layer.
- To keep this recipe gluten-free, use GF crackers or make your own GF saltine crackers. To keep vegan, use margarine/Earth Balance and use a vegan cracker.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Edited to add: This Chocolate Saltine Toffee was featured on FoodGawker where the editors of Martha Stewart and Martha’s Circle noticed it and featured it on Martha Stewart’s site. See this post for more info. The news and feature made for one of my happiest and proudest blogging moments. To say I was shocked, but incredibly honored, is an understatement.
Im so bummed. I made these to give as gifts to neighbors for Valentine’s day and they turned out HORRIBLE. I followed the directions EXACTLY and the toffee part was gooey and not even severable. What a wast of money.
Making toffee and candy can sometimes be a little tricky and you don’t always want to follow the directions ‘exactly’ because what works in my kitchen and environment with my pots and pans may change slightly for you. It sounds like based on what you said you simply didn’t boil the mixture long enough or with enough gusto. I would recommend increasing the boiling time slightly next time to avoid gooeyness and it’ll set up much better.
Have you ever tried using margin instead of butter? I have everything else to make it. or would that be a big mistake?
I haven’t tried margarine and don’t think it will work the best….you could try it and see what happens. LMK how it goes!
can you us margin instead of butter?
I, unfortunately had no butter and tried margarine. Â Um, it never got thick! Â So I’d have to say no! Â ??
You CANNOT use anything but real butter or the recipe won’t work!
Don’t use margarine unless you really have to. You can really taste the difference. Salted or unsalted butter is fine.
So excited to see how mine turned out, cooling now. My question is can you use salted butter? I only had 2 sticks of unsalted and have enough ingredients for another batch but with salted.
I’m sorry but mine came out grainy too. I’ve made these before, using a different recipe, and made caramel before with no problems. After a little searching I found that over – stirring after it boils can cause graininess. Also, most other recipes boiled for less time and baked for less/cooler over. Maybe it’s over – cooking slightly, causing graininess
Stirring *can* cause graininess because you are possibly interjecting the molecules on the side of the pan into the mixture and those may not be the same ‘texture’ per se as the main mixture in the pan. I’ve read a lot about graininess with candy-making and it seems that is really what is happening and one way to counter act that is to wipe down the side of the pan with a paper towel or damp pastry brush; I have never had to do that in this recipe but everyone’s kitchen equipment and set up is a bit different. Over-cooking wouldn’t necessarily cause graininess but would cause the caramel to turn more rock-like. Sometimes with recipes like these there is a trial and error component – thanks for trying it and sounds like a few tweaks next time and you’ll be all set!
Wondering if this can be made using graham crackers in place of saltines
There are recipe online for using graham crackers and maybe even in the comments some people have used graham crackers, can’t quite remember…but yes, I know it’s possible. I just never have.
Made these last night – with the exception of almost starting a small kitchen fire (eek) they were incredibly easy! Thank you for sharing this will be a new holiday go- to in our house!
xo Rachel
Glad it will be a new holiday go-to and eek about the almost fire…that sounds like something I would do :)
Has anyone thought of trying wavy lays? I always had a craving back when I was pregnant and everyone thought I was crazy. Do you think it will hold up the same? Im kinda thinking my chips will go soggy :(
I don’t think they are thick enough and would get soggy and not hold up under the steaming hot caramely mixture that gets poured over them. Less of a soggy issue than just a support issue – too flimsy I fear. But it’s a great thought.
I tweeked the recipe a bit. I boiled sugar and butter til hard ball stage. Poured it over wavy lays, then drizzled melted chocolate in top and put it in the freezer. I cut out a few steps and it still tasted yummy! I think next time I’ll add almonds to the toffee! Thanks for your recipe, ill definitely try it with crackers too! :)
Glad things came out great for you despite many tweaks and the almonds sound wonderful!
I added the vanilla while it was cooking , will that affect the taste?
I don’t think it will matter much.
Is it possible to use almond bark instead of chocolate chips? I have 6 pkgs of it on hand and need to use it up. Thanks for the recipe, I can’t wait to try it.
Yes, go for it!
Do i need to use the saltines in your picture or can i use any brand?
Any brand.