Melt in your mouth, sweet and salty, this Christmas Crack Candy recipe is perfect for the holidays. Made from saltine crackers, this easy candy is delicious, easy, and makes a great gift.
Love homemade candy? Try my delicious Divinity candy, peanut butter fudge, and turtles candy next!
Christmas Crack with Saltines
Saltine Toffee. Otherwise known as Christmas Cracker Candy. Or Christmas Crack for short.
The first time I tried Christmas Crack, I was hooked by how different it was from traditional English toffee. Since then, I’ve made more batches of Saltine Toffee over the past 30 years, and even experimented with flavor variations. This simple recipe is the version I come back to when I want that classic sweet, salty, buttery crunch without pulling out a candy thermometer.
After making so many variations, I’ve learned that the most important part isn’t the clock, it’s watching the toffee. I bake mine until the crackers are lightly browned and caramelized. Using good quality ingredients makes all the difference in delicious flavor!
Ingredients for this Recipe for Christmas Crack
One of the reasons I make Christmas Crack every holiday season is how such a short ingredient list turns into something so ridiculously good. Scroll down to the recipe card below to get measurements!
- Saltine Crackers- The salty, crisp crackers give this candy its signature sweet-and-salty flavor. You’ll need about 40 crackers to cover the baking sheet. While saltines would be my first choice, Ritz, Club, and graham crackers can also be used.
- Granulated Sugar– the sugar combines with the melted butter to create the caramelized toffee layer. Be sure to bring the mixture to a full rolling boil before pouring it over the crackers.
- White Chocolate– I love using Ghirardelli white chocolate melting wafers because they melt smoothly and create a creamy layer that sets nicely when cooled. You can swap the white chocolate for milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate.
Aimee’s Tip- This is one recipe where the quality of the chocolate really does make a difference. There are only a handful of ingredients, so stick with good quality melting wafers for a smooth finish with delicious flavor.
How to Make Christmas Crack with Saltines
Making this holiday saltine cracker toffee recipe is incredibly easy. From starting to finishing you’ll need less than one hour!
- Prep the Pan. Line pan with 40 saltine crackers in a single layer. This is about 1 sleeve of crackers. Set it aside.
- Make toffee. Melt unsalted butter in a small pan, over medium heat, then add granulated sugar. Bring this mixture to a rolling boil. Remove from heat once boiling. Pour the melted butter and sugar mixture over the saltine crackers, slowly, making sure that all the crackers have been covered in butter.
- Bake. Bake toffee for about 13 to 15 minutes. Make sure that the crackers look lightly browned and caramelized.
- Melt White Chocolate. Remove from oven. In a small bowl, melt the chocolate (I use Ghirardelli white chocolate wafers for best results). Using an offset spatula spread over warm toffee and immediately add sprinkles.
Set and Store. Allow the toffee to set up and harden (about 30 minutes) then use a sharp knife to break into pieces.
PRO TIP: Store Christmas Crack in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days (if it lasts that long). ENJOY!
Tips for this Recipe for Christmas Crack
These little details in making Christmas Crack make the biggest difference between crisp, buttery cracker toffee and a batch that doesn’t quite set.
- Have everything ready before you start. Arrange the saltine crackers before making the toffee. Once the butter and sugar are hot, you’ll want to be able to work quickly.
- Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan. This distributes heat more evenly and helps prevent hot spots that can cause the butter and sugar to separate.
- Wait for a true rolling boil. Don’t start counting bubbling around the edges as boiling. You want the butter and sugar mixture bubbling vigorously across the surface before removing it from the heat.
- Look for caramelization. Oven temperatures vary, so use the baking time as a guide. The crackers and toffee should look bubbly, lightly browned, and caramelized before you remove the pan.
Recipe for Christmas Crack Variations
So many great varieties of Christmas Crack exist. Choose one of your favorites! Or bake a whole bunch and serve the assortment on a large tray. You can even make Christmas crack with pretzels or ritz crackers as the base!
- This Peppermint Cracker Toffee is easy and delicious. Crisp, buttery toffee topped with white chocolate and peppermint candy! Make the toffee the same way as above, except instead of sprinkles, top with crushed candy canes.
- Another easy recipe variation would be this White Chocolate Pecan Saltine Toffee recipe. Using the same saltine toffee recipe as your base, top this cracker toffee with melted white chocolate and chopped pecans. So buttery and nutty, you’ll love the sweet and salty combo!
- Love Cookies and Cream desserts? Oreo Toffee is topped with a combo of semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. Once you’ve swirled your chocolates, add your crushed Oreo cookies for a finishing touch!
- This Peanut Butter Cracker Toffee recipe is downright delicious. Add some peanut butter to your butter and sugar mixture and you’ll have a new melt in your mouth treat. Top with melted white chocolate and enjoy!
- Another holiday Christmas Crack recipe: Cranberry Pistachio Saltine Toffee. Salty and sweet, tart and delicious.
- These Brickle Bars (graham cracker toffee) were actually the first cracker toffee recipe I ever ate…and then made for the blog!
Storing Christmas Crack with Saltines
Once the Christmas Crack candy has cooled completely and the chocolate is firm, break it into pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Keep the container somewhere cool and dry, away from sunlight or a warm stove. Heat and humidity aren’t friends of chocolate or crisp toffee.
To freeze: Place cooled candy in a freezer-safe airtight container with parchment paper between the layers and freeze for up to one month.
Easy Christmas Crack Recipe FAQs
I don’t recommend margarine for making this homemade candy. Real butter gives the toffee its rich flavor and crisp texture. Margarine has a different water and fat content that can affect how the toffee sets.
Grainy toffee usually means the sugar didn’t dissolve properly or sugar crystals formed while the mixture was cooking. Make sure the butter is completely melted, stir in the sugar, and bring to a full rolling boil. Don’t scrape the candy crystals while stirring.
If you’re seeing a whitish or dull coating on the chocolate that is called chocolate bloom. Temperature changes and moisture are common causes, which is why I recommend storing Christmas Crack in a cool, dry place. If the chocolate is pulling away from the toffee layer, excess butter on the surface can sometimes be the culprit. Wipe with a paper towel before adding chocolate to prevent this.
First, make sure you baked the toffee long enough. Undercooked toffee may remain soft or chewy instead of developing that crisp snap. Humidity can soften toffee after it’s made, so don’t leave it uncovered on the counter after it has cooled.
One of the reasons I love making Christmas Crack is because you can make it days before you need it. You can even freeze it!
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How to Make Christmas Crack
Ingredients
- 40 saltine crackers
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 10 oz Ghirardelli white chocolate wafers
- sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Line a 15x10x1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper then with the saltine crackers. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add in sugar and bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Once it begins to boil, remove from heat.
- Pour over saltine crackers. Place in a 375°F oven for about 13-15 minutes, until crackers are browned and caramelized.
- Remove from oven. Melt white chocolate and spread over the top of warm toffee. Add sprinkles immediately (if desired).
- Allow chocolate to set and break into pieces. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Check your oven temperature. Cracker toffee can go from not ready to burnt in a minutes. Keep your eye on the toffee and remove when lightly browned.
- Instead of removing individual pieces of crackers to cool, instead allow to cool as a whole on baking sheet. When set, crack into bite sized pieces.
- Don’t worry about melting chocolate separately. Instead, put white chocolate on hot toffee and place in oven for one minute. Use an offset spatula to smooth evenly.
- See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.
Video
Nutrition
Melt in your mouth, sweet and salty, this Christmas Crack Candy recipe is perfect for the holidays. If you haven’t tried Saltine toffee yet, what are you waiting for?
These are SO decadent and absolutely delicious too! This is a new favorite!
Can you just use salted butter
I made the christmas crack. This is an easy recipe and delicious.
Delicious but I use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar!!!? yummy in the tummy
This is a perfect Christmas treat!! I love that it is so easy to make!
Festive and addictive!! What a great recipe.
I’m in love with Christmas Crack too! If it’s in the house it definitely won’t last more than 5 days! This is a great recipe and so foolproof. I love the white chocolate topping and the Christmassy sprinkles. Still have to make mine this year.
My favorite! Love this pretty version, can’t wait to try it with white chocolate!
Can you just use salted butter
Sure can.
This is, by far, my favorite Christmas treat!!!
What a pretty treat perfect for any cookie exchange. I’m definitely a sprinkle girl and don’t know how to pick which toffee recipe I’ll make first! I love how adorable it looks stacked in that Christmas cup. That gives me the inspiration to set several treats around for our Christmas party so no one has to wrestle to get to the goodies that they want.