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.
Lol! Congrats on being featured on Martha Stewart, but I think she needs some older editors! I’ve been making this candy since the late 70’s.
BTW, the original name of “Pine Bark”, given by Paula Deen, referred to the addition of sliced almonds to the top of the chocolate, resembling a pine cone. Not in the original recipe, but perhaps a new twist, just to change it up a bit.
Again, congrats on bringing an oldie, but goodie, to a new light.
is it normal to have caramel/toffee underneath the crackers, as well as on the top, once these are done?
Sometimes some will seep through the holes of the saltines, so yes, it can happen.
I did a batch that turned out fine using Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips, but when I tried to do a second batch using white chocolate ships and crushed peppermint candy for the the topping, it didn’t work at all. The white Nestle’s chocolate chips would not melt like the other ones and it was impossible to spread it.
White chocolate chips can be very finicky to melt in general. If you have access to a Trader Joe’s, their white chocolate chips melt much easier I’ve found than many other brands. Glad it worked like a charm with semi-sweet!
I can’t eat chocolate so after I pour mixture over saltines, I add chopped pecans. Taste just like pecan pie to me.
Sounds like a great idea!!
Not sure if it’s the south ga heat but spreading the chocolate chips wasn’t very fun ,,, any advice ?
Maybe the chocolate chips weren’t getting quite as much carryover heat as they needed from the pan and were a bit resistant to melting?
Some brands of chips are also just more resistant to melting and I’ve learned over the years which brands work better for me. But it sounds like things worked out in the end for you.
You don’t actually have to go the extra step of boiling on the stove. Pop your sugar and butter in the microwave until the butter is melted. Stir till sugar is dissolved and follow all the other normal steps. SOOOO much easier. I’ve been making this for more than 20 years!
When you use this method,is the toffee crisp or a little soft??
Definitely more crisp than soft.