This Christmas Crack recipe is so easy to make and only takes 30 minutes! This candy is called "Christmas crack," because it cracks in your mouth when you bite it! It's just a simple caramel poured over saltine crackers and topped with melted chocolate and sprinkles! Follow this recipe for the perfect caramel that's hard enough to crack but not so hard it breaks your teeth!
The first time I made Christmas crack I didn't use a candy thermometer. I just kind of eyeballed it. This resulted in a slightly runny caramel and not so much "crack". The next time I used my handy candy thermometer and it was a lot easier! So if you have one, you should def use it for this! Takes all the guesswork out of it.
What this Christmas cracker recipe actually reminds me of is a homemade TWIX candy. The saltine cracker turns into a wonderfully crisp, almost cookie layer. The caramel is firm but not so firm that it hurts to bite into. The chocolate and salty cracker really sends this candy into the next dimension and is TRULY hard to stop eating! This was the first Christmas candy I made with my family and now it's officially a tradition.
What's in this blog post?
Christmas Crack Ingredients
With only five ingredients (including sprinkles) this recipe is hard to mess up! The true hero is using a candy thermometer to cook your caramel so you get the perfect crack! If you don't have a candy thermometer then make sure you boil the caramel for a full 5 minutes.
If you don't have any chocolate chips on hand, you can chop up a bar of chocolate, and that works just as well! Experiment with flavored chocolates to make your Christmas crack recipe your own!
How To Make The Toffee
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF (204ºC) and line your pan with a silicone mat, tinfoil, or parchment paper coated with pan spray or cake goop. I used cake goop around the edges of my pan and silicone mat.
- Line the bottom of your pan with crackers in an even layer. I had to trim my last layer to make it all fit. Set the pan with crackers aside.
- Place the brown sugar, butter, and salt into a medium saucepan on medium heat and stir it until the butter is melted. Use a silicone or wooden spoon to prevent your sugar from crystalizing.
- Increase the temperature to medium-high and continue to cook the caramel. You will want to cook it until the temperature reads 280ºF (138ºC) on your candy thermometer which takes about 5 minutes. Watch the sugar cook and stir regularly to keep the butter from separating from the sugar. While a candy thermometer isn't required, it will help ensure the success of your Christmas cracker recipe.
- Once the toffee reaches the desired temperature, remove it from the heat.
- Pour the toffee over the crackers and spread it with a spatula to coat the crackers evenly.
- Place the crackers into the oven for 3-5 minutes or until they start to bubble again. Then, remove them from the oven.
Christmas Cracker Recipe Assembly Instructions
- Spread the chocolate chips evenly over the hot cracker toffee.
- Place them back in the oven for 1 minute to melt the chocolate. Or let sit on the countertop for 5 minutes until the chocolate gets soft and looks glossy.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and slowly spread the chocolate chips evenly over the toffee with your offset spatula.
- Dust the sprinkles over the top or add any kind of toppings you want like chopped nuts, toasted coconut flakes, pretzels, or even candy!
- Put the Christmas crackers into the freezer for at least 20 minutes or let them sit at room temperature overnight to harden.
- Since you used a silicone mat and/or goop, the crackers will lift out of the pan easily and then you can crack the bar into pieces! This is the fun part!
What is Christmas Crack?
Christmas Crack, which is also referred to as Christmas cracker candy, is a type of candy made up of saltine crackers coated in caramel or toffee and topped with melted chocolate. This tasty treat has many nicknames including Christmas Crack, cracker candy, and even caramel bark.
Christmas Crack has a nice crunch to it, and the ingredients you will need to make it may already be in your pantry!
The perfect bite of salty and sweet, Christmas Crack is a festive holiday treat the whole family can enjoy. It's also a delicious, homemade gift you can prepare in large quantities to wrap and give to your coworkers, friends, and family around the holidays. Did someone say holiday cookie exchange?
FAQ
Being a little chewy is normal and makes for a better mouthfeel than super hard, break your tooth caramel but if it's TOO chewy it can be a bit sticky. Make sure you heat your brown sugar mixture to 280ºF (138ºC) or let it boil for 5 minutes before removing it from the heat.
No saltine crackers? No problem! You can use any kind of cracker you want or even pretzels! The best part about Christmas Crack is every family can make it their own. You could use graham crackers, water biscuits, Ritz, Club crackers, or even pretzels.
Yes! If you want to freeze your leftover Christmas crack for later, you can store it in a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to 3 months.
If you don't cook your sugar at a high enough temperature or if you use a metal spoon to mix, you can shock your sugar and cause it to crystalize. Always use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to mix sugar.
Don't be tempted to let your toffee boil for too long or you can end up with a very hard candy that will not be easy on the teeth.
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Recipe
Equipment
- 18"x13" ½ sheet pan
- candy thermometer (optional)
Ingredients
- 1-2 sleeves saltine crackers (about 45) make sure they are salted
- 12 ounces dark brown sugar (packed) (1.5 cup packed)
- 12 ounces unsalted butter (1.5 cup)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (2 cups)
- ½ cup decorative sprinkles or alternative topping
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF (204ºC) and line your pan with a silicone mat or parchment paper coated with pan spray or cake goop. I used cake goop around the edges of my pan and silicone mat.
- Line the bottom of your pan with crackers in an even layer and set it aside.
Toffee
- Place the brown sugar, butter, and salt into a medium sauce pan on medium-high heat and stir it until the butter is melted.
- Next, cook the caramel. You will want to cook it until the temperature reads 280ºF (138ºC) on your candy thermometer which takes about 5 minutes. Watch the sugar cook and stir regularly to keep the butter from separating from the sugar. While a candy thermometer isn’t required, it will help ensure the success of your Christmas cracker recipe.
- Once the toffee reaches the desired temperature, remove it from heat.
- Then, pour the toffee over the crackers and spread it with a spatula to coat the crackers evenly.
- Place the crackers into the oven for 3-5 minutes or until they start to bubble again. Then, remove them from the oven.
Christmas Cracker Assembly
- Spread the choocolate chips evenly over the hot cracker toffee.
- Place them back in the oven for 1 minute to melt the chocolate. Or let it sit on the countertop for 5 minutes until the chocolate melts.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and slowly spread the chocolate chips evenly over the toffee with an offset spatula.
- Add sprinkles over the top or any kind of toppings you want like chopped nuts, toasted coconut flakes, pretzels, or even candy!
- Put the Christmas crackers into the freezer for at least 20 minutes. You can also let them sit overnight at room temperature.
- Since you used a silicone mat and/or goop, the crackers will lift out of the pan easily. You will just lift and crack into them into your desired pieces.
Video
Notes
- Use a scale to weigh your ingredients (including liquids) unless otherwise instructed (Tablespoons, teaspoons, pinch, etc). Metric measurements are available in the recipe card. Scaled ingredients are much more accurate than using cups and help ensure the success of your recipe.
- Practice Mise en Place (everything in its place). Measure out your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready before you start mixing to reduce the chances of accidentally leaving something out.
- While it isn't required, a candy thermometer will help you ensure the success of your recipe.
- You will be working with hot sugar, so please make sure you are working safely.
- There are so many ways to personalize this candy, have fun with the toppings and cracker combinations. Have everything ready to go before you start. Once the sugar starts cooking you don't want to walk away. It also cools pretty quickly, so it's best to be prepared to get through every step.
- If you are using salted butter, then you can omit the added salt. If you are using unsalted crackers then use more salt, ½ tsp. You could also use flakey salt on top.
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