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My recipe for White Chocolate Christmas Crack combines salty and sweet for a light, crunchy, and delectable holiday treat everyone loves! Ready in just 15 minutes using simple ingredients, you'll want to make this saltine cracker toffee recipe both as a treat for yourself and as a holiday food gift.
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Cracker Candy
My favorite part of the holiday season is spending as much time as I can with my family and friends, and holiday baking is one of the best ways to enjoy it together! My Christmas Crack Candy makes the perfect snack for the holidays, both as a family treat and giving as a gift to friends.
This easy cracker candy is coated with notes of buttery toffee made with saltine crackers, all topped with rich and creamy vanilla white chocolate. This is a fantastic dessert to make with children, because you can decorate it any way you like! And don't worry - you won't need a candy thermometer.
Xmas crack candy is made in one large sheet, and as the name suggests, it’s cracked into rustic-looking pieces, making it perfect for holiday gift bags or as part of a dessert spread. Or, just to snack on... I know I can't help myself!
Ingredients
- Saltine crackers: These salty, airy crackers make up the base of the crack candy toffee. They add the perfect balance of salty to sweet!
- Unsalted butter: Make sure to use unsalted butter so you don't add any extra salt content.
- Light brown sugar: You can use dark brown sugar if you prefer, but it will have a deeper molasses flavor. I prefer light brown sugar in this recipe.
- White chocolate chips: This is a white chocolate cracker crack recipe. You could use other flavors of chocolate chips if you would prefer a different flavor.
- Christmas sprinkles: I love looking for Christmas sprinkles that have a mix of colors and shapes. Use whatever you like best for your Christmas cracker candy!
How to Make Christmas Crack with Saltines
- Preheat oven to 350°F, and line an 8 by 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place the saltine crackers in one layer on top of the parchment paper. This should fill the pan from side to side evenly.
- In a small sauce pan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Immediately pour the butter and brown sugar mixture over the saltine cracker layer, covering it as evenly as possible.
- Place the baking pan into the oven middle rack and bake for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven when done, and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the hot toffee.
- Wait a few minutes for the chocolate to melt, then use the back of a spoon to spread it in an even layer.
- Top with Christmas sprinkles and refrigerate to harden completely before breaking into smaller pieces.
Xmas Crack Recipe Variations
- Use another type of cracker: You can use graham crackers or even ritz crackers instead of saltines for the base. If you're making a graham cracker toffee, you'll want to add salt to balance out the sweetness.
- Make it minty: Add peppermint by sprinkling crushed candy canes over top.
- Add vanilla: A bit of vanilla extract will add a nice note of vanilla to your saltine crack candy.
- Try other chocolates: Although I use white chocolate in this recipe, you can also use milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or any of your favorites.
- Get a little nutty: Add crushed almonds, walnuts, pecans, or even peanuts to your liking.
- Make it fancy: Gold sanding sugar or sugar pearls give this candy an elegant finish!
- Festive holiday sprinkles: Browse your cake decorating section in your local supermarket for fun holiday toppings and candies.
- More ideas: M&M candies, chopped pretzels, peanut butter swirl, Oreos, finishing salt, crushed corn Chex, rice Chex, or any other favorite Chex cereal mixtures all add great flavor to this recipe.
You can also leave out the toppings and keep your cracker toffee classic! This buttery, melt-in-your-mouth white chocolate bark candy needs no extra fanfare to make it delicious.
FAQ
The crack is achieved from the hardening of the caramel-like toffee mixture of brown sugar and butter which melts together. Once the mixture is poured over the saltine crackers, as it cools, it begins to harden. When completely cooled the hardened sugar mixture forces the saltines to crack as they are broken into pieces.
Make sure the brown sugar in your toffee mixture melts completely and stays at a simmer for 5 minutes. If the sugar is not completely melted, the result could be a grainy texture.
Store saltine toffee in an airtight container at room temperature, and it should last for up to a week. You may cool candy in the refrigerator or in the freezer for a few minutes; however, these hold perfectly fine in a festive tin.
Place the white chocolate chips over the saltines and sugar mixture as soon as they come out of the oven. If they do not melt completely after a few minutes, place them back in the oven for second increments of 1-2 minutes until fully melted. Avoid the microwave, as the heat of the saltine and sugar mixture will be hot enough to melt the chocolate.
Wrap Christmas crack tightly in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container or freezer bag. Label the outside of the bag with the date. Christmas crack lasts in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Recipe Tips
- Try to use fresh saltine crackers. I know we all have a box in the pantry for rainy days, but to get the perfect crunchy texture, fresh is best!
- When making the toffee mixture, make sure the brown sugar is completely melted into the butter before pouring over the saltines.
- If you hang the parchment paper slightly over the edge of the sides of your baking sheet, it will allow for easy cleanup.
- Always makes sure your saltine crackers are in a single layer on a large cookie sheet, try to avoid doubling up the saltine crackers (break them if you need to).
- Get the kids involved! This is one of the best holiday desserts to make together, and they will love helping you decorate the candy crunch (and show off their work to others).
- Spray your large baking sheet with a little cooking spray to keep the toffee from sticking to the pan.
Christmas Recipes for Dessert
- Instant Pot Cheesecake
- Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
- Starbucks Gingerbread Loaf
- Ina Garten Apple Crisp
- Pumpkin Crunch Cake
This sweet treat makes a great Holiday Gift!
For another great Christmas treat, try my guide on How to Make Salami Roses!
White Chocolate Christmas Crack
Ingredients
- 16 saltine crackers
- 4 ounce unsalted butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup white chocolate chip
- 2 tablespoon sprinkles - Christmas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line an 8”x8” square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place the saltine crackers in one layer on top of the parchment paper, this should fill the pan from side to side evenly.
- In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes stirring frequently.
- Immediately pour the butter sugar mixture over the saltine cracker and cover it as evenly as possible.
- Place the baking pan into the oven middle rack and bake for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate chip on top of the hot toffee.
- Wait a few minutes for the chocolate to melt and use the back of a spoon to spread it in an even layer.
- Top with Christmas sprinkles and refrigerate to harden completely before breaking into smaller pieces.
Notes
- Mix things up by trying different toppings with this recipe instead of sprinkles! Nuts, chocolate candies, or colorful sugar make great toppings for Christmas cracker toffee.
thatskinnychickcanbake says
Oooh, I'd need to make a double batch! What a lovely holiday version of "crack!!!"
Trang Doan says
Thank you, I love the extra creaminess the white chocolate adds. It's so delicious!