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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.
Kim says
Oh, but use Graham Crackers instead of Saltines!
Jen C says
Salted or Unsalted Butter?
Karly says
I use salted.
Maggie Martin says
Made this this afternoon and will store them til next Saturday when we have our Christmas get together, Of course I can’t let Hubs or son in law know they are here yet.
Will let you know how they gobbled them down.
Thanks Karly!
Maggie
Karly says
Good luck keeping them hidden!
Maggie Martin says
Actually kept them hidden! In my garden shed outside where it is COLD. Ha!
They gobbled these up, I had to make more for New Ywars, they gobbled those too!
Thanks again Karly.
Hope you have a great New Year!
Maggie
Joanne says
Could you use coconut instead of peanut butter?
Karly says
I don’t think so, but I’ve never tried it.
Tammy Cupp says
I have done something like this but haven’t use the chocolate m&Ms yet. But we do a Christmas party at work and I have told everybody that I am making them for the party and everybody said they can’t wait to try these. So I will let u know how they turn out. I love these little recipe s for a group of friends. They really enjoy them and so does my husband.
Karen A Umphery says
I love this recipe.
Tonia says
Hi!!! These are awesome. Have you ever mailed them overnight at this time of year? Will the chocolate melt? I mean it is cold outside. Lol
Karly says
I haven’t, but I think they’d hold up fine during the winter. 🙂
Rose says
I am thinking about making these on a Saturday and freezing them to serve on Monday. Would they be ok in the freezer or should I freeze for a hour, tear in pieces and put in airtight container and store in fridge?
Karly says
They’ll last just fine in the fridge or freezer. I’d just keep them in the fridge myself since it’s such a short time.
Huguette says
How long can I store them?
Karly says
They should be fine in airtight container for a week or so. Longer than that and I would freeze them.
Amy Mettes says
Mine did not turn out!!!! I am an experienced baker/cook. I don’t know if it’s because I used chunky peanut butty (all I had). The no stirring during the last 3 minutes did not allow my carmel to set up. Also the spreading of the chocolate chips did not work at all. I’m really bummed. Any suggestions?
Karly says
I wouldn’t think the chunky peanut butter would hurt anything. Was the mixture at a good strong boil (not just the edges) for the full 3 minutes? The mixture finishes off in the oven so it would still be liquid when you pour it over the crackers and it’s still liquid when it comes out of the oven. It needs to set for a bit before it hardens. What did your chocolate chips do? If they weren’t melted, perhaps your oven wasn’t hot enough? A minute at 400 degrees after being sprinkled on hot toffee should have melted them, but if not you could pop them back in for another minute. You just don’t want to overdo it because they’ll burn.
Karl says
My kids will love this 🙂
Debra says
Does anyone know how long the candy can last in the freezer
Nancy says
My mom and I used to make a similar recipe, minus the peanut butter and M & Ms. Simple and delicious!
Laura says
I love this! You’ve covered all the bases here – sweet, salty, crunchy, smooth! Sounds like heaven! Pinning!
carol says
Hi, this looks yummy. Do you have to use the peanut butter. My kids are allergic.
Karly says
Nope, you can leave it out without any other adjustments. 🙂
Baby Bleu says
Just toss it in the freezer afterwards and you have a dangerously delicious snack anytime! Yum!