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Christmas Crack Recipe That’s a MUST This Year!

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Christmas candy crack toffee

As soon as I see the first Christmas commercial on television, my mind is ready for the holiday season! One of the first things I always want to make is this easy Christmas Crack recipe. You might know it as Saltine Toffee Candy but we just call it Christmas Crack!

Why Christmas crack? Two reasons.

1. It’s SO easy to make. You know I like easy. It only takes 15-20 minutes to make. (Of course, you need to let it cool but in less than an hour you can be enjoying it!)
2. It’s DELICIOUS! It has the perfect sweet and salty taste combo.

So get ready to make this because Christmas is coming and you know everyone will be wanting sweet treats!

If you love chocolate, peanuts, and your Crockpot, check out our Crockpot Candy Crack recipe too!

Make this easy Christmas Crack recipe this holiday season and you'll be a hit! The secret is saltines! Check out the variations you can make with graham grackers, Ritz crackers, or even pretzels! This cracker toffee recipe only takes about 15 minutes to make! It's also great for homemade holiday gift giving!

CHRISTMAS CRACK RECIPE

If you’re looking for something easy to take to a holiday party or even to a cookie exchange (yes, I’ve done it and no one complained), then this Christmas candy crack is a safe bet.

You can make a lot of it in a short amount of time and it’s always a hit!

Plus, if you want to get creative, you can even change it up a bit. Start with the basic saltine toffee crack recipe here and then make a few changes like:

  • Ritz crackers with milk chocolate and nuts
  • Graham crackers with white chocolate and sprinkles
  • Pretzel chips with white chocolate and crushed peppermints

But make sure you always make at least one traditional batch of this mock toffee recipe because it’s a classic!

christmas bark candy recipe with saltines

HOW TO MAKE CHRISTMAS CRACK

You can scroll down to get a printable recipe for this easy recipe. But I promise it’s super simple to make!

You’ll need a few basic ingredients besides your Saltine crackers and chocolate. So be sure to see if you have brown sugar and butter before you head out to the store.

You’ll also need semi-sweet chocolate chips, Jet-Puffed marshmallow bits (or substitute mini marshmallows), red and green M&M baking chips (you can also use mini candies), and some Christmas themed sprinkles!

Once you have all your ingredients, there are just a few steps to delicious holiday crack!

christmas crack candy

CHRISTMAS TOFFEE RECIPE

Check out how easy this recipe is to make! Here’s what you do!

Heat the oven and line a jelly roll pan with foil. Then fill the pan with crackers. Don’t overlap them!

You’ll add the brown sugar and butter to a pan and heat until it begins to boil. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes until it’s a nice golden color. Then take it off the heat and pour over the crackers. (It doesn’t have to be perfect, just get the crackers covered!)

Pop the pan into the oven for 5 minutes and then pull it out and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. YES! There’s no need to melt your chocolate beforehand! How awesome is that?

Make this easy Christmas Crack recipe this holiday season and you'll be a hit! The secret is saltines! Check out the variations you can make with graham grackers, Ritz crackers, or even pretzels! This cracker toffee recipe only takes about 15 minutes to make! It's also great for homemade holiday gift giving!

Put the pan back into the oven for 4-5 more minutes or until the chocolate chips have melted. Then you can use a spatula to spread it a bit more smoothly if you like.

Top it with the mini marshmallows, candies, and sprinkles for a festive look! Then put it in the refrigerator to cool and harden. Once it’s cooled, cut or break into pieces and then try not to eat all of it! (Good luck!)

Christmas candy crack toffee
Print Recipe
4.69 from 41 votes

Christmas Crack

Cook Time10 mins
Cooling30 mins
Total Time10 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24

Ingredients

  • 24 Saltine crackers
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 cup 2 sticks butter
  • 11 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup Jet-Puffed mallow bits
  • 1/2 cup red and green M&M baking chips
  • Christmas sprinkles

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 15 x 10 jelly roll pan with aluminum foil.
  • Fill the entire bottom of the pan with crackers, placing them side by side but not overlapping. Set aside.
  • Add the brown sugar and butter to a medium saucepan. Place on medium heat, stirring continually until the butter melts, until a low boil begins. Boil for 2-3 minutes.**
  • Remove from heat and allow to cool for one minute. Pour over the top of the crackers.
  • Place pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the crackers. Return to oven and bake for an additional 4-5 minutes or until the chocolate chips have melted.
  • Immediately sprinkle with the mini marshmallow bits, M&M candies and sprinkles.
  • Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to cool and harden.
  • Before serving, cut or break into squares.

Notes

**Be sure to watch the brown sugar and butter mixture carefully as it boils to make sure that it doesn't burn!
If you own a candy thermometer you can use it to melt your butter and brown sugar. Melt your butter then add the brown sugar. Bring to a low boil without stirring and boil until a candy thermometer reads 225 degrees or a drop forms a hard ball in ice water.

saltine toffee crack

CHRISTMAS CRACK FAQs

Can I leave out the marshmallows, candy, and sprinkles?

Absolutely! You can top your Christmas crack toffee with anything you’d like! During the holidays nuts are popular, so are crushed peppermints! Or you can just roll with the chocolate on top!

This recipe is as flexible as making a Christmas bark candy recipe. You can add things as you like! It’s just almost like a candy bark with saltines actually!

Can this recipe be doubled?

It can easily be doubled if you have an event with a lot of people or you’re looking to make some homemade Christmas gifts. All you have to do is double the ingredients list and use two pans instead of one.

How long does Christmas Crack stay fresh?

If you store your toffee in an airtight container, it should stay fresh for 1-2 weeks. We’ve never had it last that long though! We eat it all WAY before then!

Can I make Ritz Cracker Candy or Graham Cracker Toffee with this recipe?

The great thing about this recipe is that you can tweak it to get some variation!

I would try white chocolate chips with graham crackers! And I love Ritz crackers with chocolate so that would be a tasty twist on the traditional saltines Christmas Crack recipe!

I’ve actually been pondering if pita chips might work for a different take on this, but I’ll probably stick to my classic Christmas Crack because I’m hooked!

Comment and tell me if you’ve tried Christmas Crack. What’s another one of your favorite holiday treats to make or enjoy?

Christmas candy crack toffee

MORE HOLIDAY RECIPES

Make this easy Christmas Crack recipe this holiday season and you'll be a hit! The secret is saltines! Check out the variations you can make with graham grackers, Ritz crackers, or even pretzels! This cracker toffee recipe only takes about 15 minutes to make! It's also great for homemade holiday gift giving!



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About Mariah

Mariah is the mom of two and a former educator (preschool - 4th grade & special education) with a degree in human development. She's also a baseball mom & dance mom. As a busy mom living in with a multi-generational family under one roof (with two dogs!), life is busy! She aims to share easy ideas that we can all use in our lives! Read more about Mariah!

Comments

  1. Tracy Shafer says

    I have never tried this but it sounds delicious!!! We make one where we take peanut butter and marshmallow fluff and mix. Put in between 2 ritz crackers and cover in melted chocolate…YUM

    Reply

    • Brigitte F says

      I love the taste of grahamcrakers and chocolate, the added goodies on top make it extra special! It is very festive with all the sprinkles in green and red, and so easy to make!
      I have always made no bak oatmeal cookies, but those are messy to make. This sounds so much better!

      Reply

  4. Kenneth Helmick says

    I haven’t tried it, but it looks great. My friends mom used to make scrapple, it was pretzels and marshmellows and butterscotch chips.

    Reply

  5. Margaret Smith says

    I never heard of this before but it sounds like something that my family and I would love. Usually we make fudge, Kahluha and Rum balls along with traditional sugar cookies.

    Reply

  7. Ellie Wright says

    I haven’t had Christmas Crack but my mother-in-law makes a lot of homemade treats for the holidays. My favorite is her chocolate covered peanut clusters.

    Reply

  24. Amber says

    I have not tried the Christmas crack but your recipe looks great and I’ll definitely try this year. I love baking dark chocolate chip cookies with sea salt!

    Reply

  27. Kathleen Tracey says

    I have not tried Christmas Crack as of yet. It looks delicious and I hope to try it soon. I like having homemade Mellow Cups at Christmas time.

    Reply

  28. Rebecca C says

    I haven’t tried it but it looks soooo good! My Christmas sweets tradition is “snowball cookies” – chocolate cookies rolled in powdered sugar. They’re so yummy.

    Reply

  30. Heidi M. says

    I haven’t tried this recipe but it looks tasty! This year I found a recipe using chocolate graham crackers, almond bark, and candy topping. Similar idea to this one!

    Reply

  33. Sheila Ritter says

    I have never tried this but definitely will be. My favorite holiday treats are peanut butter balls, homemade fudge, rock candy and divinity.

    Reply

  40. Sharon Schoepe says

    I haven’t but it looks yummy. One of our favorite holiday treats is Trifle which is made from my great Grandma’s recipe.

    Reply

  43. Barbara Montag says

    This is the first time I have heard of Christmas Crack.
    I love the food pictures here – so festive.
    For Christmas I enjoy white fudge.
    thank you

    Reply

  47. Kristen says

    This sounds amazing, but no, I haven’t tried it. I love to make gingerbread cookies….jam thumbprint cookies and cherry cheese pie.

    Reply

  49. beth shepherd says

    I have not tried it but do like to make ritz pb crackers. Take a ritz cracker swipe some pb on it and dip it in chocolate..sooooo good 🙂

    Reply

  57. Natalie says

    I have not tried Christmas crack yet but it looks delicious! One of my favorite holiday treats is chocolate dipped peanut butter ritz sandwich cookies!

    Reply

  59. Jennifer B says

    I have not tried it,looks so good. I always loved my grandmas church windows..rolled colorful marshmallows and chocolate

    Reply

  61. Terry says

    I have not tried nor have heard of Christmas Crack before reading your blog post. During the holidays, I tend to eat a bit too much of homemade Almond Roca.

    Reply

  66. Mary Gardner says

    I have tried Christmas Crack and we love it. I haven’t put the Christmas sprinkles and candy on top and yours looks so good I am wondering why I didn’t think of it myself! We also love making home made fudge and shortbread cookies for the holidays.

    Reply

  76. TIMOTHY LUSCKO says

    never made it before but will make some around Christmas when the family comes up I will make it with graham crackers.

    Reply

  77. Travis Jackson says

    Yes, someone brought it to a luncheon/dinner at work and it was fantastic. Another favorite that HAS to be made every year is the classic Rice Krispie Treats.

    Reply

  78. Penny Knowlton says

    I didn’t like the Christmas Crack, my 2 favorites treats for Christmas time are chex party mix and gourmet caramel corn. Both make big batches and are absolutely addictive.

    Reply

  79. Sarah Mathias says

    I have not tried Christmas Crack but it sounds really good. We love to make smores bars with golden grahams sprinkled with red and green candies.

    Reply

  80. Karen L says

    I make this at Christmas every year but I’ve never put the extra toppings on it. I may have to try that this year. I also make homemade chocolate covered cherries each year.

    Reply

  81. Linda G says

    I have never tried Christmas crack, but I put it on my list to make this year. We always make sugar cookies and decorate them!

    Reply

  84. Rosie says

    I haven’t tried it, but it sure looks good! I like to make (and eat) white chocolate bark with crushed peppermint!

    Reply

  98. clynsg says

    I have never tried the Christmas Crack, in fact had never heard of it before. We always make fudge for Christmas, a holdover from the days when my grandmother was the goodie maker.

    Reply

  104. Danalee Davis says

    MMMM, I have never had Christmas crack but I would love to make it. It looks fabulous. We like to make lemon sugar cookies.

    Reply

  108. Lauren Hecker says

    I’ve never had it but it looks super yummy! My favorite Christmas treat is Cinnamon Buns! I know they’re an all year snack, but I love them on Christmas day most of all.

    Reply

  109. Jennifer Reed says

    I have never tried this particular recipe for “Christmas Crack” although I do enjoy the Sweet and Saltines recipe from Trisha Yearwood every year for the holidays. It has a very similar base without all the toppings.

    Reply

  110. Michele says

    Thank you for the giveaway. I’ve tried a different version of Christmas crack, but this version looks really good! I love sugar cookies with frosting and fudge!

    Reply

  122. Lisa Ellison says

    I have never tried Christmas Crack but it sounds very good. i have made white trash for Christmas and that is good too.

    Reply

  128. Anne Higgins says

    Have never made crack. We have a tradition to have the neighbors come over and we make smores in the fireplace and have a potluck as well. Even the big kids have returned with their kids to participate – lots of fun

    Reply

  131. Derek Miller says

    I have never tried Christmas Crack before but I am all about regular toffee so I can only imagine my whole family would love this too.

    Reply

  134. jenny says

    We have not tried this yet… but I am saving this because this would be perfect for my kids to make! We made peppermint bark last year and it was great, but this Christmas crack looks amazing!

    Reply

  142. Paula Michele Hafner says

    I’ve had a something similar to that. We love to make Potato Candy at Christmas and we like making fudge.

    Reply

  146. Lisa Carr says

    I have tried Christmas Crack. It’s surprisingly delicious. I like to make Mexican Wedding cakes/cookies during the holidays. They’re my favorite Christmas cookie.

    Reply

  147. Rosey says

    I haven’t tried it but I would love to do so. I like Candy Cane Bark. I also like Amaretto chocolate cheesecake, which we only make this time of year, for the holidays.

    Reply

  151. Montana says

    I love Christmas Crack! I haven’t tried this exact kind before but I’m sure it tastes awesome. My personal favorite for the holidays are gingerbread cookies!

    Reply

  159. Christina moore says

    I’ve never tried Christmas Crack before, I bet my granddaughter would love this. I followed and tweeted on twitter as @ccmoore105

    Reply

  160. Sherry Lambing says

    Yes I have tried Christmas Crack! It’s been so long and this brought back memories! Awesome. I am going to make some very soon!

    Reply

  164. Melissa Storms says

    I have never tried Christmas Crack before but it sounds delicious. I make several cookies for the holidays, my favorite are Mexican Wedding Cookies, so good.

    Reply

  166. Carolyn Daley says

    I have never tried this Christmas recipe before. One of my favorite holiday treats is snickerdoodles. We usually add red and green sugar crystals to the cinnamon sugar mixture.

    Reply

  167. Janice B says

    I have never tried this but it looks really good. My favorite holiday treat is my dad’s cookies, especially his chocolate crinkles.

    Reply

  169. Julie Donahue says

    I’ve never tried this recipe. My favorite Christmas treat is rocky road.
    Melt three bags of chips (for example: chocolate, butterscotch, and peanut butter) with ½ cup of peanut butter. Add 2 cups of peanuts and a bag of mini marshmallows. Mix and spread into a pan. Stick in freezer to set. Cut and enjoy.

    Reply

  178. Trisha McKee says

    Yes, and I absolutely love it! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I wanted some things to make for parties and this just fits. I also used to make this one thing…. It involved pretzel sticks and m&ms and chocolate… but it was years ago.

    Reply

  179. Allison Kusel says

    I have never tried it but I want to! Looks so easy! My favorite things to make are snowballs and peanut butter blossoms!

    Reply

  180. Angela Thomas says

    I have never tried Christmas crack however I would like to. My Sister makes an amazing fudge treat that she only makes around the Holidays.

    Reply

  181. Brandy Trover says

    I haven’t tried Christmas Crack but it looks like a fun recipe to try with the kids. My favorite holiday treat to make is Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls.

    Reply

  183. Jerry Marquardt says

    Because the Christmas Crack Recipe looks as delicious as it does, I can’t wait to try this special recipe out. I only hope I will be able do as good as you did in the heartwarming photos.

    Reply

  184. Carla Sue Thompson says

    I have never tried it. For Christmas, I like to make gingerbread man cookies, a fruitcake, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, roll out sugar cookies in Christmas shapes, and sometimes fudge.

    Reply

  185. Betty Curran says

    I haven’t tried Christmas Crack but we like to make traditional toffee and divinity. My granddaughter makes an easy treat with graham crackers with a spoonful of peanut butter on top and covered with melted chocolate.

    Reply

  186. Patrice P. says

    I have never made Christmas Crack. I like to make Mock Turtle Candies, which are made with a pretzel twist, a Rolo candy and a pecan half.

    Reply

  191. Tina says

    I’ve tried crack. Do you think this recipe is anything like the real thing? I’m a recovering addict but if this is anything like the real deal, I think I’ll try it!

    Reply

  192. Bea says

    Epic fail for me. I should have known better but I was in a hurry. You really need to change this to : Bring to a low boil without stirring and boil until a candy thermometer reads 225 degrees or a drop forms a hard ball in ice water.
    I even boiled it for 4 minutes instead of your 2-3 and I’ve got grainy caramel instead of toffee.

    Reply

    • Mariah says

      Thank you for your advice. I’ve always found that as long as you stir until the butter is melted, 2-3 minutes is enough time. I will add a note about using a candy thermometer for those who might have one at home.

      Reply

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