Caramel Cracker Bars

Decadent peanut butter bars made with cracker crumbs are oozing with rich caramel and chocolate! Caramel Cracker Bars are just the treat to bring a little bit of sweetness to your day.

Have you ever made cracker bars? Not to be confused with Brickle Bars or Cracker Toffee. Both tasty but two totally different treats. Cracker Bars (or Club Cracker Bars) are layers of crispy crackers and chewy caramel, and topped with chocolate. Delish.

Club cracker candy stacked on top of each other.


Why this Recipe is Best

The Caramel Cracker Bar recipe I’m sharing today adds a little peanut butter in the mix because, why not?

You’re already putting butterscotch, caramel and chocolate into one dessert bar so you might as well go all out and get some peanut butter in there, too!

I first knew of these bars as “Club Cracker Bars” because I believe they were originally made with club crackers. You can also make these with Ritz crackers.

The taste combo of salty crispy cracker crumbs with gooey sweet caramel is a thing of beauty.

If you like peanut butter cracker toffee, you’ll love these bars. The idea is similar except these are a softer and chewier bar with layers of cracker crispiness throughout.

  • Caramel Cracker Bars are extremely rich and completely decadent tasting which makes them great for sharing.
  • Did I mention this also happens to be a no-bake club cracker dessert? Perfect for hot summer days when you don’t want to turn on your oven, or when you don’t have time to monitor a pan of bars while they bake.
  • You just layer everything in a baking pan and let it set up in the fridge until firm. I recommend making these the night before and allowing them to set in the fridge overnight.

(Yes, you’re allowed to eat dessert for breakfast in these situations. I’ve decided.)

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients needed to make club cracker bars.

Here’s what you need to make these bars:

{Ingredients at a glance; scroll down for full printable recipe with ingredient amounts}

  • Club crackers (or Ritz)
  • Graham cracker crumbs
  • Butterscotch chips
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Butter
  • Peanut Butter
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Brown Sugar
  • Milk

How to Make Club Cracker Bars

Step by step photos showing how to make club cracker candy bars.

Make Caramel. In saucepan, heat graham cracker crumbs, sugars, butter and milk. Bring to a boil and continue stirring while boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Layer Club Crackers. In foil lined (and buttered) 13×9 baking dish, layer club crackers over bottom. Pour half of caramel mixture over crackers, then lay another layer of Club crackers over caramel mixture, and remaining caramel.

More Layers. Repeat with one more layer of crackers. Refrigerate while continuing with the next step.

Melt Topping. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butterscotch and semi sweet morsels with peanut butter. Stir until smooth and creamy.

Slice and Serve. Remove the pan of crackers and caramel from the fridge. Pour the butterscotch mixture over the crackers and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or over night.

Cut into bite sized pieces and serve cold!

Cracker candy stacked on parchment paper.

Tips and Tricks

  • Make your own graham cracker crumbs by pulsing whole Graham crackers in a food processor to form sand-like crumbs.
  • Store these caramel dessert bars in the fridge in an airtight containers. They can soften quickly at room temperature so I prefer to eat them cold!
  • These treats freeze beautifully, too! After cutting into pieces, transfer to a freezer-safe container with wax paper between each layer of bars to keep them from sticking. Let thaw in the fridge when ready to serve.
  • These treats are soft in texture compared to our classic cracker toffee recipe. Those have a crispy texture.
Stacked homemade candies on parchment paper.

More Easy Desserts

Caramel Cracker Bars

4.74 from 15 votes
By: Aimee
Decadent peanut butter bars made with cracker crumbs are oozing with rich caramel and chocolate! Caramel Cracker Bars are just the treat to bring a little bit of sweetness to your day.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 64 pieces

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 box Club crackers
  • 1 cup butterscotch morsels
  • 1 cup semi-sweet morsels
  • ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
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Instructions 

  • In saucepan, heat graham cracker crumbs, sugars, butter and milk. Bring to a boil and continue stirring while boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • In foil lined (and buttered) 13×9 baking dish, layer crackers over bottom. Pour half of caramel mixture over club crackers, then lay another layer of club crackers over caramel mixture, and remaining caramel. Repeat with one more layer of club crackers. Refrigerate while continuing with next step in recipe.
  • In small saucepan, melt butterscotch and semi sweet morsels with peanut butter. Stir until smooth and creamy. Pour over crackers, refrigerate 4 hours or over night.
  • Cut into bite size pieces and enjoy cold!

Notes

  • Make your own graham cracker crumbs by pulsing whole Graham crackers in a food processor to form sand-like crumbs.
  • Store these caramel dessert bars in the fridge in an airtight containers. They can soften quickly at room temperature so I prefer to eat them cold!
  • These treats freeze beautifully, too! After cutting into pieces, transfer to a freezer-safe container with wax paper between each layer of bars to keep them from sticking. Let thaw in the fridge when ready to serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar, Calories: 93kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 43mg, Sugar: 10g
Course: Brownies and Bars
Cuisine: American
Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!

If you love cracker toffee and club cracker desserts, Caramel Cracker Bars are bound to become your new favorite treat! For a party, an after dinner dessert or a midday snack, everyone loves these heavenly caramel bars.



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About Aimee

Aimee is a dessert lover (specifically rice krispie treats), workout enthusiast, self-taught foodie, and recipe creator.

Learn more about Aimee.

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Posted on April 28, 2020

Comments & Reviews

  1. 4 stars
    I have similar recipe and have been making them for years! My recipe has way less granulated sugar….. 1/3 c. Also, less topping…. 2/3 pb, 1/2 milk chocolate chips, 1/2 butterscotch chips

  2. Love the sound and look of these but I’ve read the recipe several times and cannot figure out what to do with the gram cracker mix?

    1. They are both buttery crackers, and the recipe turns out great with either one. Typically I use Club crackers because they have square edges and fit in the pan nicely 🙂

  3. Making them but wonder what number I should be on wothy stove top, like medium heat? #4 or #5?

  4. I just pinned this recipe to one of my boards….we don’t have Graham crackers here in Australia…does anyone know an equivalent that I can use..would love to make them!

    1. I made this dessert & it’s wonderful; so easy to make. Next time I will use club crackers since they have a straight edge. The ritz crackers were good, but caramel sauce didn’t spread as well around the edges since the crackers are round. Love all your receipes!

  5. Yum! These look beautiful! And if it makes you feel any better, I didn’t know what IKR was either! 🙂

  6. I just made these and haven’t tasted them yet. Mine don’t look as tall as the ones in the photo. May need to use a slightly smaller pan for that effect

  7. Be still my beating heart…that’s my kinda dessert! Salty, sweet, chewy, crunchy…

    Thank you so much for linking up to last week’s “A Little Birdie Told Me…”. My apologies for the belated vist — with July 4 falling on a Monday, it threw my whole schedule off, and I’m just now making the rounds to visit the party-goers from that week. Best, Jenn

  8. These look so good! I can’t wait to try them! I found you via a hop (can’t remember which one, lol) and am now a follower.

    Chrystal
    www.adornonashoestring.com

  9. These look wonderful! Do you think I can make them w/o the peanut butter? Or, will they fall apart?

    I had no idea what ikr meant… thanks for the lesson 🙂

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