With just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes, this Christmas crack recipe is the best sweet and salty treat made with a layer of saltine crackers, sweet toffee and chocolate!
Grandma’s Saltine Cracker Toffee
This delicious Christmas crack is one of my favorite Christmas desserts at the holidays and it only takes about 15 minutes to make, much easier even than my toffee recipe or toffee cookies.
I have shared my grandma’s saltine cracker toffee before and this is a glorified version with chocolate and M&Ms on top. You could also top Christmas candy crack with crushed saltines, sea salt, toasted coconut, slivered almonds, pecans or Heath bits.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Sweet and salty. Two of my favorite flavors come together in this chewy and crunchy saltine cracker candy treat.
- Holiday tradition. Christmas crack toffee is always the first homemade treat to disappear on the cookie plate along with divinity candy and chocolate fudge!
Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Saltines: The saltiness of this beloved cracker works perfectly with the caramel and chocolate.
- Butter: I use salted butter to add a salty balance to the sweet. Real butter is key not margarine!
- Brown sugar: The deep flavor brown sugar provides is key to making this toffee really shine.
- Chocolate chips: I use milk chocolate chips to make the melted chocolate layer, but you can opt for white chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or even chopped chocolate bar.
- Toppings: I choose red and green M&Ms to keep the candy festive, but nuts, candy canes, toffee bits, pretzels or sprinkles are also really great!
How to Make Christmas Crack
Beware…this candy crack toffee is seriously addicting! You may want to make two batches as it will disappear fast.
- Prepare: Line a pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Then spread saltine crackers out in an even single layer.
- Make the caramel: Boil the brown sugar and butter for 3 minutes.
- Bake: Pour evenly over crackers and bake for 8 minutes.
- Spread: Once it’s done cooking sprinkle chocolate chips on top and let melt. Spread out until smooth and top with M&M’s or nuts. Then try not to eat all in one sitting.
Expert Tips
- Candy thermometer. Though it isn’t necessary, if you are worried about getting the caramel right and avoid chewy Christmas crack, you can use a candy thermometer to make sure it reaches a temperature of 270°F to 290°F.
- Pan size. A large jelly roll pan works best for this recipe, but any type of large, rimmed baking sheet will work.
- Prevent separation. If your caramel layer has cooled down when adding the chocolate, it will separate into layers. Ensure the caramel is still warm.
- Melting chocolate chips. If your chocolate doesn’t melt once you place it on the caramel layer, place back in the oven for a few minutes just until they start to melt.
Christmas Crack Flavor Variations
This Christmas crack is so versatile and can be modified so many different ways! Below are a few of my favorite ways to make it.
- Peppermint graham cracker: Graham crackers with white chocolate and crushed candy canes.
- Chocolate Ritz Christmas crack: Ritz crackers with chocolate and sliced almonds.
- White chocolate pretzel: Pretzels crisps with white chocolate and Rudolph candies or sprinkles.
- Graham cracker toffee: Graham crackers with chocolate and chopped almonds.
- Vanilla: If you would like to add vanilla extract to the caramel layer it would add even more depth of flavor to the brown sugar.
Storage
- Room temperature storage: Store saltine cracker candy in an airtight container at on the counter for about a week. Just ensure your house isn’t too hot or the chocolate will start to melt.
- In the refrigerator: If your house is warm, store Christmas crack in the refrigerator for up two weeks. If you live in a colder climate, you could also just keep it in the garage or covered porch!
- Freeze: Break into pieces and store in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag in the freezer up to 3 months. Place parchment paper between layers so they don’t stick.
More classic holiday cookie recipes include my soft molasses cookies, traditional Christmas sugar cookies and peanut butter blossoms.
More Holiday Candy Recipes
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Christmas Crack Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 48 saltine crackers , 1 1/2 sleeves
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter , cubed
- 1 cup light brown sugar , packed
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ – 1 cup M&M’s , or chopped nuts or sliced almonds
Optional toppings: m&ms, sprinkles, chopped nuts or sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large jelly roll pan (15×10) with parchment paper or foil (spray foil with non stick spray).
- Line the bottom of the pan evenly with 48 saltine crackers. You may need a break a few on the sides to fill in the gaps.
- In a medium pot, combine 2 sticks butter and 1 cup sugar over medium-low heat. Stirring occasionally, bring to a rolling boil and cook 3 minutes, or until bubbling and amber in color. Remove pan from heat and pour evenly over saltine crackers. Spread brown sugar mixture quickly with a spatula.
- Bake 8 minutes (caramel should be bubbling). Remove pan from oven and sprinkle 2 cups chocolate chips evenly over the top and let sit until chocolate chips are shiny (you can turn off oven and place inside for 30-60 seconds to speed up, but don't leave in long or it will burn). Remove and let sit a minute. Once the chips are soft, spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle desired toppings over the top and place in the freezer 15 minutes, or until hardened.
- Let sit 15 minutes on the counter. Flip over onto a cutting board and remove the foil. Break into pieces.
Notes
- Use ritz or graham crackers as the base
- Use a white chocolate or drizzle white chocolate over the top of the chocolate
- Add chopped nuts
- Add sprinkles for holidays or color
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: 5 Ingredients Or Less, American, Candy + Fudge, Chocolate, Christmas, Desserts, Freezer-Friendly, Kid-Friendly, Nut-Free, Reader Favorites, Sheet Pan, Stovetop, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
As for the m&m’s loosing their sheen – I don’t know the science behind it, but the extreme and quick temp change (going from hot/warm to FREEZER) and for too long will cause them to become dull. So my suggestion would be to leave the toffee with the m&m’s at room temp for a few minutes and then use the fridge. If you use the freezer ( need quick turn-around time), be careful not to leave them too long (recipe says 30 mins, try not to exceed that) and the m&m’s *should* keep thier gloss.
Thanks for the tip!
Ok these don’t need to stay fresh 1-2 weeks because they don’t last that long! The only thing I did differently was to put the pan back into the oven after pouring the choc chips – this helped them melt more quickly and made spreading a breeze (I turned the oven off – be careful not to overheat or the choc will seize). About 45 secs was perfect. I topped mine with pecans as I didn’t want to add more chocolate – YUM!
I made these today, they were so good! My only question is for some reason the m and m’s faded a lot in color, so they look like Easter colors! Any idea what I did wrong?
I’ve heard from a few people that the m&ms are fading in the freezer, and I’m really not certain why. :(
I thought it might have to do with the age of the m&ms (it’s difficult to find their “best by date” on the packaging), but I’m not really certain. Did you cover it in the freezer then bring it to room temperature still covered? If so, maybe the condensation of coming to room temp did it?
I am currently making these and my toffee did not harden! Did I do something wrong? I have flipped the pan and peeled off the foil and threw it back in the freezer with hopes that this will help! Also the toffee seems to be a bit salty. Did you use unsalted butter?
The toffee shouldn’t be too hard – it is breakable but when you bit into it, it’s more soft than you’d think.
Regarding the saltiness, some butters have more salt than others, so I’d try unsalted. :)
hi! would you say that this makes roughly 50 pieces per batch? making for a cookie exchange and just want to make sure i have enough!
It depends on what size you break them into – I think you could make 50 work!
This is yummy ! Should you keep it in the refrigerator after it is made? Will not serve until next week Thanks. Kathie
I probably would! Then take it out the day before. :)
“Stays fresh 1-2 weeks”… As if it actually goes uneaten that long! Lol!
Awesome Recipe. I topped one batch with crushed Starlight mints (green & white spearmint candies); deLISH!!! It was fun and festive with the green & white color contrast to the chocolate which also added a bright fresh punch to a sweet, rich treat.
Can you make these with a buttery cracker like Ritz?
Yes, that would be delicious!
Could gluten free crackers, vegan butter, and coconut palm sugar be substituted?
Hi! I’m Laura, the Community Manager, and my family and I have a lot of food allergies – so I can definitely say YES! to the gluten-free crackers (I added a sprinkle more of salt when I made it) and YES! to the coconut palm sugar.
As for the vegan butter – that I don’t know. Fake butters have water and oil, and don’t function like butter when cooked. I think coconut oil would be a better substitute but even that might not work out properly. I cannot think of any substitute that I can definitely say “try this instead of the butter and it will work.”
What size is a Large jelly roll pan?
Mine is 10.5 x 17.5 inches :)
Thanks so much for this. I have been stressing over what to bring to meeting and now I have one. I guess that you can tell that I don’t do much baking.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Did you try it with white chocolate chips yet? I can’t eat chocolate, so usually I swap out regular chocolate for white chocolate when making recipes. Wonder if I will need to melt the white chocolate a little to spread it…thanks for sharing!
That would be delicious! I think you could follow the instructions just substituting white chocolate chips. :)
I have just tried this…….I’m in Australia, so for those of you playing at home….I used Saladas as the biscuit.
I think I was transported to some sort of other dimension with the taste!!!! These won’t last 3 minutes!!!
I told my husband we can’t keep them in the house, because I’ll eat them all….trouble is, if I give them to someone, I may slap them and snatch them back (kidding of course)….but seriously, I may snatch them back!!!!
Made Christmas crack & used m&m on top. Place in freezer for 30 minutes & the m&m lost their gloss. How do I keep that from happening?
I’m not sure – I haven’t had that happen before. I would think either the m&ms were a bit old (it’s so hard to find the “best by” dates on those packages!) or your freezer temperature is off (but if you aren’t having any issues with ice or frozen foods, then I wouldn’t think it’s that).
Hi Jamielyn…quick question. Should the caramel firm up completely like a brittle or will it still be soft? I refrigerated/froze mine and while it tastes AMAZING, I wasn’t sure if the toffee layer should be firm or pliable. Thanks so much for the recipe and taking the time to respond!
It should be firm, but not hurt your teeth firm. :)
I’ve made this using waffle pretzels. Yummy
Silly question but, salted or unsalted butter? I can never remember for this recipe.
Either will work!