Christmas Crack (Saltine Cracker Toffee)
This Christmas Crack candy (aka Saltine Cracker Toffee) is crispy, chocolaty, and unbelievably delicious. With just four simple ingredients and under 30 minutes to make, this classic holiday treat is fool-proof, festive, and always a crowd-pleaser.
Why this recipe is so great:
- Just 4 ingredients. All you need to make this Christmas Crack is butter, brown sugar, saltine crackers, and chocolate – that’s it! Who would have thought to add saltine crackers to toffee, but it’s brilliant. The crackers are what give the toffee its light and crispy texture.
- No candy thermometer required. You just need to boil the butter and brown sugar mixture for 5 minutes exactly. You don’t need to concern yourself with the temperature of the toffee in this recipe, especially since you’ll be baking it in the oven as well.
- Sweet-and-salty magic. The contrast of buttery toffee, crunchy crackers, and melted chocolate makes this treat irresistible — you probably can’t stop at one piece.
- Here is what some of my readers have to say:
“Best Christmas Dessert EVER!!!! I make this every year and it’s amazing and oh so easy! It usually goes in 10 min:)” – Violet
“Love this recipe! I made it for my office Christmas party and it was the first thing gone. People were raving about it and asking for more! I guess I’ll have to make a double batch next year, lol.” – Amanda
If you are looking for more Christmas candy recipes, try my White Chocolate Christmas Crack, Homemade Chocolate Truffles, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls.
How to make Christmas Crack:
(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Spread the saltine crackers out in a single layer and fold up the edges of the foil to box in the crackers. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat on the stovetop. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and let it continue to boil for exactly 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Quickly pour over the crackers and spread to cover evenly.
- Bake for 5 minutes (minimum) in the oven or until bubbling. The crackers will expand slightly and shift around a little.
- Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Let stand for 1-2 minutes until about half of the chocolate chips look shiny (see picture above).
- Once the chocolate begins to look shiny, it is soft enough to start spreading over the toffee.
- Top with any additional toppings if desired and place in the refrigerator for about 2 hours for the candy to harden.
- Once it has set, peel away the foil. Break the candy by hand or use a sharp knife to cut into pieces.
🌟 Expert tips:
- Pan size – A 10×15″ jelly roll pan works best for this recipe. However, any type of baking sheet this size or larger will work. My pan is actually 11×17″ so I just fold up the edges of the foil to keep the crackers in place and prevent the toffee from spilling out onto the pan.
- Lining the pan – Heavy-duty foil works best because it’s easy to peel away. You can use regular foil – just lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray to make it easy to remove. You can also use parchment paper. There is no greasing required if you’re using parchment paper, but just make sure to completely cover the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Cooking the toffee. Once the butter and brown sugar reaches a boil, set a timer, and let it boil for 5 minutes. You want it to be a rolling boil to evaporate some of the moisture, so it becomes like caramel.
- Baking the cracker candy. Bake the saltine toffee in a 350F oven for a minimum of 5 minutes or until bubbling so that the toffee reaches its second boiling point and absorbs into the crackers.
- Melting the chocolate chips. As soon as you remove the tray from the oven, immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. The bubbling toffee should be hot enough to melt the chocolate. Once about half the chocolate chips look shiny, you can start spreading the chocolate to cover the saltine toffee. If you have trouble with this, you can use mini chocolate chips or melt the chocolate in the microwave then spread it on top.
Substitutions:
- Saltine crackers – Salted saltine crackers are best. You can use unsalted saltine crackers, but I would suggest sprinkling some salt on top to balance the sweetness. You can substitute with Ritz crackers or even graham crackers (add salt) if you wish.
- Brown sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar. I personally prefer dark for more flavor.
- Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter. You can also use vegan butter sticks like Earth Balance, Miyoko’s, or Country Crock’s avocado plant butter sticks.
- Chocolate – I like to use milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can use dark chocolate chips, but don’t go any higher than 60% cacao or it might separate from the saltine toffee layer.
- Toppings – Christmas Crack is great on its own, but I usually do add additional toppings like chopped nuts, candy, or sprinkles. Some of my favorite toppings are chopped pecans, shredded coconut, crushed candy canes, and festive sprinkles.
How to store:
Store the candy in an airtight container to keep it fresh and crisp. It can sit at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. If stacking the pieces, place parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking.
How to freeze:
Christmas Crack freezes beautifully, making it a great make-ahead treat for the holidays.
- Place pieces in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag.
- Separate layers with parchment paper.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
To serve, let it thaw for about 10–15 minutes at room temperature — just until the chocolate softens slightly for easy biting.
Recipe FAQs:
Butter works best because it creates a richer, more stable toffee. Margarine contains more water, which can cause the toffee to separate or not harden correctly.
Graininess usually happens when the butter and brown sugar don’t fully melt together. Make sure to boil the mixture for the full 5 minutes, stirring often so it emulsifies into a smooth toffee.
This can happen if the chocolate gets too hot. Let the chocolate chips sit for 1–2 minutes on the hot toffee before spreading so they melt gently instead of overheating.
Chewy toffee usually means the butter–sugar mixture didn’t boil long enough. Be sure it reaches a steady bubble and cook it for the full 5 minutes so it sets properly.
If you’ve tried this Christmas Crack Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Christmas Crack (Saltine Cracker Toffee)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted or salted butter
- 1 cup (220g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 40 salted saltine crackers, about 1 sleeve
- 1 pkg (270g-300g) milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- additional toppings like nuts, candy, or sprinkles, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil (if using regular foil, spray with non-stick cooking spray for easy removal). Spread the crackers out on the foil in a single layer and fold up the edges of the foil to box in the crackers. Set aside.40 salted saltine crackers
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat on the stovetop. Bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to boil for 5 minutes (set a timer), stirring frequently. Quickly pour over the crackers and spread to cover completely.1 cup (227g) unsalted or salted butter, 1 cup (220g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- Bake for 5 minutes in the oven. Turn off heat. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.1 pkg (270g-300g) milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Let stand for 1-2 minutes or until the chocolate starts to look shiny and is soft enough spread evenly over the toffee. If the chocolate is still not warm enough to spread after 4 minutes, place it back in the oven for a minute to help soften it.
- Top with any additional toppings if desired.
- Chill in the refrigerator for about 1-2 hours to harden. Peel away the foil and break into pieces.
Notes
This post was originally published on Dec 2nd, 2016. It has been recently updated with new photos and more information.
First time making this. It was fabulous! We did a section with crushed candy cane and one with chopped pecans and crushed Heath bar topping. So easy and festive. Crowd pleaser!
Everyone loved this treat at my family’s Christmas gathering. Very addictive and they all wanted the recipe. Quick & easy to make too. Thank you!
You’re welcome and thank you for your kind words, Diana! Enjoy and happy New Year!
Hello, this looks amazing! Can you omit the crackers and just make it with the toffee and chocolate for a gluten free dessert?
Thank you!
You can, or just use GF crackers. If you are omitting the crackers, cook the toffee for 5 mins longer on the stovetop and skip the oven. Enjoy and happy New Year!
Some of my family members have Celiac so I needed a gluten free alternative. I used Tate’s gluten free chocolate chip cookies and they came out super yummy!
This is the best and easiest recipe for Christmas Crack that I have seen and used!!
Super easy and delicious!
I tried this for the first time. It was delicious. I added pistachios and Heath toffee bits before putting in the freezer. I had trouble fitting the saltines smugly in the pan and when I poured the butter and sugar mixture over the saltines they moved out of position and I had trouble getting them to fit together. I wonder if I could use a 9 x 13 pyrex dish so as to keep the saltines in place. The bark was delicious, but I did lose a lot of the butter brown sugar mixture on the jelly roll pan. Would a pyrex dish work?
Hi Anne, thank you for your feedback:) You could use a 9×13 glass dish but would end up with less crackers. I would use your jelly roll pan and line it with foil and fold up the edges of the foil to box in your crackers. That’s what I do and it really helps keep the crackers in place.
Oh my !!!! Amazing, I did half sheet of saltines and the other half Graham crackers .
I’m addicted. So easy, quick and delicious.
Thank you👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
These are so addicting and EASY! Currently making a second batch because everyone enjoyed them so much. I would definitely keep a close eye on the toffee mixture because mine almost burnt at the 4 minute mark but luckily I pulled it off and it was still good.
Great recipe. I made it with Schar gluten free table crackers and it is delicious. It’s a perfect GF treat!
So easy to make and lives up to its name. Crack isn’t just an abbreviation for the crackers. … this stuff it’s addictive!
I like the toppings a little thicker, so I used approximately 10-13 less crackers.
Just finished making this. I made a sample piece to try. It was yummy!
Can’t wait to bring to Christmas potluck.
I make this every Xmas. Easy recipe, great images to guide you on this site. This year I used peanut butter chips for one of my 3 batches. I had some extra white chips which I melted in the microwave and drizzled on top. Looked great..and tasted great too. Today I’m making one more batch to make up for all that I ate this week! When I’m asked for the recipe I recommend this site. Good job, thanks Lily!
Aww, thank you so much for your kind words and for recommending my site to others, Arleen! Enjoy the toffee and have a very merry Christmas!
Easier to make than I expected and is absolutely scrumptious. I made mine in two trays, one with crushed nuts and the other with 100s & and 1000s. I used Salada biscuits, salted butter, rich brown sugar and milk chocolate bits. I will definitely be making it again. Thank you for the recipe 😊
You’re very welcome, Toni! Thank you for your kind words. Enjoy the toffee and have a very merry Christmas!
I made this yesterday and it came out AMAZING! I boiled the sugar/butter mixture for 5 minutes as suggested, and left it in the oven for 8 minutes, after comparing two recipes. Once the chocolate was spread, I topped it with a light sprinkling of coarse salt. The results was like a Skor bar! Totally addictive! I love the texture of the toffee and how it doesn’t break your teeth to eat it! I will make this again!
I made the recipe and it turned out good. If you use a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan, you can only fit around 27 crackers on the pan plus a row of half crackers. Very simple, easy and tasty.
This was an easy recipe to follow. Came out perfect! I used shredded coconut as a topping!
Love the sweet and salty!
So excited to try these when they cool! I added some flaky sea salt on the top of mine which I think will be perfect! My only tip is make sure to spread the Carmel mixture out because it cools and sticks to the crackers pretty fast, but other then that this is a super simple great recipe!
Can’t wait to cut this scrumptious smelling treat!!!