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CHRISTMAS CRACK starts out with saltine crackers and an easy homemade toffee that gets topped off with colorful m&m candies! This one is perfect for adding to your cookie trays during the holiday season.
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There are some recipes that we make every. single. Christmas. No matter what.
I’m sure your family is the same way! We all have our favorites and it’s just not the holidays until you’ve made everything on that list, you know?
This Christmas crack candy is one of those recipes for us. I first started making this when my kiddos were little and it’s been a staple on every holiday cookie tray I’ve put together since then.
If you’re not a fan of the name ‘Christmas Crack’ you can definitely just call this saltine cracker toffee. Not everyone likes to refer to their desserts as crack, but I feel like this one really is addicting. 😉
Ingredient Notes:
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Crackers – This simple recipe starts with saltine crackers! They make for an easy bottom layer that’ll hold the toffee and chocolate well. The salt will also help cut some of the sweetness and it’s a perfect combination!
Peanut Butter Toffee Layer – You’ll prepare an easy homemade toffee for these Christmas Crack treats. You will need: butter, brown sugar, and peanut butter! I feel like most things can be improved with peanut butter and that includes toffee!
Chocolate Layer – We like to use semi-sweet chocolate chips to help keep things from getting too sweet, but you can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate if those are your preference.
Candies – We love to top these Christmas Crack treats with lots of chopped up m&m candies! Chopped pecans are also a good option.
What Readers are Saying!
“I love this! You’ve covered all the bases here – sweet, salty, crunchy, smooth! Sounds like heaven! Pinning!” -Laura
How to Make Christmas Crack:
This is one of those super easy recipes that takes no time at all to make! The hardest part is waiting for the toffee to cool and harden. Promise.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and then fill it with a single layer of saltine crackers. This should be just about a sleeve of crackers, but you may need a couple of extras.
Melt butter in a saucepan.
After the butter is melted, stir in some brown sugar and peanut butter and bring that a full boil. You can stir up until it’s boiling, but once it starts boiling, let it go for 3 minutes without touching it.
Very carefully pour that toffee mixture over the crackers. Boiling sugar can really burn you, so be careful here.
Once your toffee is evenly poured over your crackers, carefully place this in a hot oven for 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cover with a layer of chocolate chips.
Pop it back in the oven for one more minute to melt the chocolate chips.
Helpful Tip!
Don’t Burn the Chocolate!
Did you know that chocolate chips hold their shape as they melt? You won’t know they’re melted until you use an off-set spatula or butter knife to spread the chocolate chips over the cracker toffee. Leave them in the oven for just 1 minute – don’t wait for them to change shape!
Next comes the red and green m&m’s. I like to pop mine in a baggie and then go at them with a mallet to break them up a bit. I like the way it looks with broken pieces of m&m’s and I prefer smaller pieces on my toffee to whole pieces. You do you, though.
Just sprinkle the candy over the Christmas crack and let it cool on the counter to room temperature and then pop it all in the fridge or freezer to harden up.
Helpful Tip!
Personalize this recipe with your own subsitutions!
- You can swap Ritz for the saltines
- Replace the red and green M&M’s with the holiday candy of your choice or use pecans instead!
- You can also use any variety of chocolate chips.
FAQs:
The nice thing about all the ingredients in this recipe is that they are simple and they store well. You can keep these in an airtight container at room temperature for at least a week if they somehow last that long.
Because it’s addictive! Once you start eating it, you can’t stop. You can switch the name to Cracker Toffee, if that makes you more comfortable.
MORE CHRISTMAS DESSERT RECIPES!
- White Chocolate Chip Cookies: With red and green sprinkles!
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge: Layers of goodness and it’s made in the microwave!
- Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge: Everyone should get to enjoy this treat!
- Christmas Oatmeal Cookie Bars: They’re thick, chewy, and loaded with m&ms!
- Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies: Obsessed.
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake: Two desserts in one!
- No Bake Cookies: I dressed them up with Christmas sprinkles!
Christmas Crack
Ingredients
- 1/4 pound salted saltine crackers (about one sleeve)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup m&m candies chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 18×13 baking sheet with parchment paper. Place all of the saltines salt side up on the baking sheet in an even layer.
- Add the sugar, butter, and peanut butter to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the mixture is fully boiling, stop stirring and allow to boil for three minutes.
- Carefully pour the boiling mixture over the crackers and put in the oven for five minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Return to the oven for 1 minute.
- Spread the chocolate chips out into an even layer and sprinkle the m&ms over the chocolate.
- Let cool on the counter for about 20 minutes. Place in the freezer for an hour and then break apart into small pieces.
DANIELLE BAILEY says
I make this recipe every year, any idea if its freezable?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Danielle! This freezes great! Break or cut into pieces and then freeze in freezer bags for up to 3 months. 🙂
Lisa Trent says
My husband & I made this recipe so far our problem is the butter,brown sugar, peanut butter mixture stuck to the bottom of the pan. Any suggestions on how to get that not to happen. Right now it is in the oven for 5 minutes I will come back & make another post after we eat some. Thanks
Karly says
Hi Lisa! You’re supposed to line the pan with parchment paper to prevent that. Hopefully you were able to remove them from the pan pretty easily.
Susan Oakes says
This is absolutely delicious! I’ve made it over the past few years and it’s always a hit!
Karly says
Love to hear that! Thanks, Susan!
linda h says
It would have been great except the parchment paper was so totally stuck to the bottom. I tried everything to get it off, but it only came off in tiny bits. I am going to have to discard the whole thing Unless there is a suggestion how to get it off? Thank you
P.L. says
Absolutely delicious. I literally could not stop eating this. Loved the look of it as well!
Karly says
So glad you gave it a try! 🙂
Lori says
Very rich, good flavor, but it does not look appetizing. I made it for a party and apologized many times because of this. I will not make this again.
Karly says
Hi Lori! I’m not sure what would look unappetizing about it – did it not look like the photos here?
Carla Penny-Skidmore says
Those recipes looked fabulous, except that they were not Gluten Free, which I need for my husband.
Karly says
Hi Carla,
I know you need gluten free recipes for your husband. Your best bet would be to find a blog that focuses on gluten free recipes. I do not focus on gluten free and the only gluten free recipes you’ll find here are ones that are naturally gluten free. Please stop rating all of our recipes without trying them and based on whether or not they are gluten free. I’ve asked you this multiple times, please respect it.
Carla says
Dear Karly.
Please realize that I am well into my 80s and just do not have the energy to make two separate meals, one for my husband who is GF, and one for myself, as I am not gluten intolerant.
Why would I do that when I can create easy-to-prepare meals that are gluten-free..
I am not disparaging you. I wish that since your son is GF that you would feature a few GF recipes.
I simply gave the recipes a “1” as they may be delicious, but they are not feasible for me. Please do not take this personally.
Karly says
Hi Carla,
I’m not asking you to make two separate meals – I’m asking you to only use the star rating system on the recipes that you have cooked. It’s easy to scroll right past that star without hitting it.
My son is not gluten-free and neither are the vast majority of my audience here. While there are some naturally gluten free recipes here, it will never be a feature of the site as it’s not what my family or the majority of my readers are interested in. This is why I recommended you find a blog that focuses on gluten free – it will be less frustrating for you if you’re specifically seeking out recipes that you can use rather than getting upset that the recipes I create are not for your special diet.
I’m not taking anything personally, I’m just asking that you please stop using the star rating system on recipes that you did not cook.
Their momma says
This is a great recipe to make gluten free by simply using gluten free crackers. My local Walmart sales a few good gluten free options. I’m doing the gluten free Graham crackers and topping the chocolate with a little sea salt flake to cut the added sweetness.
I know it’s frustrating having to cook gluten free in a gluten full world but so many recipes can be made gluten free with swapping your ingredients
.
Thanks to this recipe creator for giving a great simple recipe I can make gluten free easily so my family and myself can enjoy!!
Kim Taylor says
I’ve also made this using Graham crackers
Never lasts long ?
Karly says
So good with graham crackers! 🙂
Cynthia E Armstrong says
I don’t have any chocolate chips. What can I use instead? I’ve got coco powder.
Karly says
Finely chopped chocolate should also work. I don’t think you’ll get by with cocoa powder.
Loni says
Crunchy and delicious! Definitely difficult to not eat all in one sitting. I used mint m&ms and I think I would have benefited by using red regular ones as well for colour. Will be making this again!
Ansley Evans says
Why did my toffee burn on the stove? I followed directions exactly.
Karly says
Hi Ansley! Sounds like maybe your heat was too high.