Description
Christmas Crack, also known as Cracker Toffee, is a delightful holiday treat combining crunchy saltine crackers with rich buttery toffee, melted chocolate, and festive sprinkles. This easy-to-make dessert is perfect for sharing during the festive season and offers a perfect balance of salty and sweet flavors with a crisp, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Cracker Base
- 40-48 saltine crackers (about 1 1/2 sleeves)
Toffee
- 1 cup butter (salted or unsalted, 2 sticks)
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed, dark brown sugar preferred)
Topping
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or a combination)
- ½ cup sprinkles (or M&M’s, crushed candy canes, or candies of choice for decoration)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350℉ to prepare for baking the toffee layer on the crackers.
- Prepare Baking Pan: Line a 15″×10″ rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray, or use a nonstick silicone baking mat to prevent sticking.
- Arrange Crackers: Lay the saltine crackers in a single, even layer covering the entire bottom of the lined baking tray. Break a few crackers as needed to fill in gaps along the edges.
- Make Toffee: In a medium pot over medium-low heat, combine the butter and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Continue boiling for 3 minutes until bubbly and amber colored. Optionally, use a candy thermometer to ensure the mixture reaches 270℉-290℉. Remove from heat promptly.
- Pour Toffee Over Crackers: Carefully pour the hot toffee evenly over the arranged saltine crackers. Quickly spread the toffee with a spatula to cover all crackers.
- Bake Toffee Layer: Place the sheet pan in the preheated oven and bake for 3-5 minutes until the toffee begins bubbling, which helps it set.
- Add Chocolate: Remove pan from oven and immediately scatter the chocolate chips evenly over the hot toffee. Let sit 1-2 minutes to soften the chocolate, then spread evenly with a spatula. If needed, return to oven for 1-2 minutes to melt the chocolate fully before spreading.
- Decorate: Sprinkle your choice of sprinkles, M&M’s, crushed candy canes, or other candies over the melted chocolate to decorate evenly.
- Cool and Set: Allow the Christmas Crack to cool completely at room temperature or refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour until the chocolate and toffee harden.
- Break into Pieces: Once set, flip the tray over to remove the toffee from the tray and peel off the parchment or foil. Break into pieces using your hands or cut with a sharp knife.
- Serve and Store: Serve immediately and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Use dark brown sugar for a richer, deeper toffee flavor.
- If you don’t have a candy thermometer, boil the toffee for the full 3 minutes to reach the right consistency.
- Customize toppings with different chocolates or festive candies to suit your taste or holiday theme.
- Ensure an even layer of crackers to get uniform toffee coverage and texture.
- Allow the toffee to cool completely before breaking to get crisp, clean pieces.
- Store in a cool, dry place to prevent chocolate from melting or toffee from becoming sticky.
