This Christmas crack is buttery brown sugar toffee baked over saltine crackers, then topped with melted chocolate and a swirl of peanut butter. It's made with just seven ingredients and takes about 20 minutes of actual work.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
👩🏻🍳 Recipe Name: Christmas Crack (aka Saltine Cracker Toffee)
⏱️ Ready In: 2 hours 20 minutes (20 minutes of work plus time to set)
🧑🧑🧒 Serves: About 40 pieces
🍴Calories: ~124 (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: Saltine crackers, butter, brown sugar, chocolate chips, peanut butter
🍲 Flavor Profile: Salty, crunchy, and sweet, with a crackly caramel toffee layer, smooth chocolate, and a ribbon of peanut butter
🎯 Difficulty: Very Easy
Christmas crack, also called saltine cracker toffee, is a holiday candy made by pouring a quick brown sugar and butter toffee over a pan of saltine crackers, baking it until it bubbles, and spreading melted chocolate over the top. Once it sets, you crack it into pieces.
I grew up making this around the holidays, and just recently added it back to my December cookie/candy lineup. It takes barely any time and is a fun one to make with kids. It's also my favorite thing to tuck onto a cookie plate, since it's crunchy and salty where everything else is soft and sweet. My version gets a little swirl of peanut butter on top, and from there you can add whatever toppings you like.
Why This Christmas Crack Earns a Spot on the Cookie Plate
- It's silly easy. The toffee boils for three minutes, bakes for five to seven, and the chocolate goes on while everything is still hot. No candy thermometer required.
- Kids can help. Lining up crackers, swirling the peanut butter and shaking on sprinkles are all perfect jobs for little helpers.
- You can make it your own. Swap in pretzels, Ritz or graham crackers, switch up the chocolate, or pile on peppermint, nuts, or dried fruit.
Key Ingredients
You only need seven ingredients for this saltine toffee, and a few of them are worth a note.
- Saltine crackers. Use a fresh sleeve. Crackers that have been sitting open in the pantry have picked up moisture and won't stay as crisp. Forty saltines fit a 10x15 jelly roll pan in a single layer.
- Unsalted butter. Real butter only. Butter substitutes have a different ratio of water to fat, and that extra water can make the toffee layer mushy.
- Light brown sugar. Pack it in well. It melts with the butter into the caramel-y toffee that holds everything together.
- Chocolate chips. Milk or semisweet both work, so go with whatever your crowd likes best.
- Creamy peanut butter. You only need 2 tablespoons, warmed until it's thin and pourable. A little goes a long way for the swirl.
How to Make Christmas Crack
Step 1: Line the pan and add the crackers
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 10x15 jelly roll pan with foil, then spray the foil with cooking spray or top it with a silicone baking mat so the toffee doesn't stick. Arrange the saltines in a single layer.
Step 2: Boil the toffee
Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a saucepan, stirring constantly. Once it reaches a full rolling boil, start a 3-minute timer and keep stirring the whole time. Take it off the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
Step 3: Pour and bake
Pour the toffee over the crackers right away and spread it evenly, since it gets harder to spread as it cools. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until it's bubbling when you pull the pan out.
Step 4: Melt the chocolate and peanut butter
While the toffee crackers bake, melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan over low to medium heat, stirring for about 2 to 3 minutes until just melted and smooth. Put the peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it on high for about 20 seconds, until it's thin and pourable. Take the pan out of the oven. The crackers like to wander a bit while they bake, so nudge them back together with a spatula if you need to. Then right away, spread the chocolate over the top with a rubber spatula.
Step 5: Swirl in the peanut butter
Drizzle the peanut butter over the chocolate with a spoon (you only need a little!), then drag a knife or skewer through it to make a marbled pattern. Add sprinkles or any other toppings now, while the chocolate is still soft.
Step 6: Let it set and crack it
Let the pan cool completely, or chill it in the fridge for about 2 hours, until the chocolate and toffee are firm. Then crack or slice it into pieces.
Tips For Making Christmas Crack
When I first started making this recipe years ago, I'd always have trouble keeping the Christmas crack from softening. Here are several tips and tricks I've picked up over the years to make the BEST Christmas Crack.
- Give the toffee its full 3 minutes. A real rolling boil is what turns butter and sugar into toffee. Pull it early, and you end up with a thin syrup that soaks right into the crackers instead of setting into a crackly layer on top.
- Don't skip the bake. Those few minutes in the oven seal the toffee around and under the crackers, which is what keeps them crunchy.
- Use real butter. Butter substitutes have a different ratio of water to fat, which can make the base mushy.
- Start with fresh crackers. Crackers from a box that's been open for a while have already absorbed moisture, so grab a new sleeve.
- Store it at room temperature. An airtight container on the counter keeps it crispier than the fridge does.
Variations and Substitutions
- Graham crackers. Christmas crack with graham crackers is a fun, sweeter take. Swap them in for the saltines and follow the same steps.
- Pretzels. Christmas crack with pretzels is a salty, extra-crunchy version. Use flat pretzel crackers, like Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps or Pretzelized Pretzel Crackers, so they lay flat in a single layer just like the saltines.
- Ritz crackers. Using Ritz crackers makes this Christmas crack buttery and a little richer. It's delicious, too.
- Peppermint. Scatter peppermint chips or crushed candy canes over the chocolate for a very festive look.
- Nuts. Chopped pecans, almonds, or peanuts add extra crunch (peanuts are especially good with the peanut butter swirl).
- Dried fruit. Dried cranberries or cherries bring a little tartness and a pop of red.
- Skip the swirl. Leave out the peanut butter for a classic chocolate-topped version.
How to Store Christmas Crack
- Store. Store Christmas crack in an airtight container at room temperature. It's best within 3 to 4 days, before the crackers start to soften.
- Freeze. Christmas crack freezes beautifully. Layer the pieces between sheets of parchment in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Let it come to room temperature before you open the container so condensation doesn't make the crackers soft.
- Make ahead. Make it a day or two before a party or cookie exchange, or make a big batch, freeze it, and pull out what you need all season.
What to Serve With Christmas Crack
- A holiday cookie plate. Pair it with traditional Mexican wedding cookies, old-fashioned soft sugar cookies, soft ginger molasses cookies, and raspberry thumbprints for a mix of textures.
- Something warm to drink. A mug of Mexican hot chocolate and a few pieces of toffee make for a very good afternoon.
- More homemade candy. Box it up with dark chocolate almond bark or dark chocolate-covered cranberries for neighbor and teacher gifts.
More Christmas Dessert Recipes
Made this Christmas crack? I want to hear what you topped yours with. Leave a star rating and a comment below (pretty please!). I love seeing how everyone makes it their own.
Recipe
Christmas Crack
Ingredients
- 40 saltine crackers
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar well packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips milk or semi-sweet
- 2 tablespoon creamy peanut butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 10x15 jelly roll pan with foil, then spray the foil with cooking spray or top it with a silicone baking mat so the toffee doesn't stick.
- Arrange the saltines in a single layer on the pan.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, stirring constantly.
- Bring to a full rolling boil, then cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Start timing once it reaches a rolling boil.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
- Pour the toffee over the crackers right away and spread it evenly, since it gets harder to spread as it cools. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until bubbling.
- While the crackers bake, melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan over low to medium heat, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes until just melted. Microwave the peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl on high for about 20 seconds, until thin and pourable.
- Remove the pan from the oven and use a spatula to push any crackers that shifted back together. Immediately spread the chocolate over the top with a rubber spatula.
- Drizzle the peanut butter over the chocolate with a spoon and swirl it with a knife or skewer to make a marbled pattern.
- Add sprinkles or other toppings if you like. Let cool completely, or chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, until the chocolate and toffee are firm.
- Crack or slice into pieces and store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Boil the toffee for the full 3 minutes. If it's undercooked, it soaks into the crackers instead of setting into a crisp layer.
- Don't skip the baking step, since it seals the toffee around the crackers and keeps them crunchy.
- Use real butter. Butter substitutes have a different ratio of water to fat and can make the base mushy.
- Use a fresh box of crackers. Older, opened crackers have absorbed moisture and won't stay crisp.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Graham crackers, Ritz crackers or flat pretzel crackers (like Pretzel Crisps) all work in place of the saltines.
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