Also known as Christmas crack, this quick and easy toffee made with crackers is the perfect salty and sweet combination! This Saltine Toffee recipe is made without nuts, and comes together in just minutes in the oven. It only has 4 ingredients, and if you're scared of melting chocolate, this recipe makes it fool-proof!
If you've had Saltine toffee before, this recipe needs no explanation. Maybe you're already nodding your head in agreement that this candy recipe, if any candy recipe ever, needed to be slightly scaled down to prevent over-consumption. Personally, I can eat a whole pan of this stuff. I start chipping away at it shortly after breakfast, and before dinner, it's gone. I'm the same way with my easy fudge recipe, since it's made with only 2 ingredients.
It is commonly referred to as 'crack toffee,' a sentiment that I fully understand after one bite. It's salty, sweet, and it's chocolatey. What's not to love? Plus, it's so simple and a great recipe to bake with kids.
Besides the addictive qualities of this saltine toffee, another slippery slope is the ease with which you can whip it up. Got 10 minutes plus 20 minutes of chill time? You have toffee--a toffee made without nuts, even.
I always seem to have the ingredients laying around to make this saltine toffee. I love to make pork schnitzel with crushed Saltines before frying, so I've always got a few boxes on hand. And chocolate chips, hand-to-mouth, will always and forever be a favorite snack in this house. Add butter and brown sugar (even the hard stuff you forgot about in the back of your pantry), and you're on your way!
How to Make Saltine Toffee
You can top the toffee with anything you like--pecans, peanuts, heath bar bits, anything crunchy, really. I'm usually giving this as a holiday gift, so I err on the side of caution with nut allergies and just crush extra saltines on top. Plus, I like the even more salt. Plus, extra crushed saltines on top is the best way to keep this nut-free.
Ingredients
- Saltine Crackers. You need 28 saltine crackers, and please do not use the low-salt version. I just don't think it tastes right here.
- Unsalted Butter. It's unsalted because we're using salty crackers here, but if all you have is salted butter, it will still work.
- Chocolate Chips. I recommend semisweet or dark chocolate chips here, because this saltine toffee recipe is super sweet. Milk chocolate chips might be too sweet for most palates.
- Brown Sugar. Light or dark brown sugar, whatever you have, really. I usually always bake with dark, because I love the molasses flavor so much. If you do too, you would love my brown sugar chocolate chip cookies.
- Optional toppings: You can sprinkle anything you want on top of this toffee: extra crackers (crushed), crushed candy canes, Christmas sprinkles, or finely chopped nuts.
Directions
If you've never had Saltine toffee before, I'm going to recommend that you never try it. It will wreck you and your waist line. You should make this small batch recipe, divide it in two for holiday gifts, and delivery it immediately.
Gather your ingredients (go ahead and pre-measure everything to make it easy), and preheat the oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit. Line a quarter sheet pan (the same one I use for my Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake) with aluminum foil. A quarter sheet pan measures 9 x 13 x 1-inch.
Place the crackers on the prepared sheet pan in a neat row. Place them salted-side down on the sheet.
Next, in a small 1-quart sauce pan, add the butter and brown sugar. Bring this mixture to a FULL ROLLING BOIL over medium high heat. A full rolling boil is when the entire surface of the mixture boils, not just the edges. See the photo above, please.
Immediately pour the mixture over the surface of the crackers. Try to pour it evenly over the surface of the crackers. Don't attempt to spread it with a spatula or spoon Slide the crackers and brown sugar mixture into the oven for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, open the oven to check. If the saltine toffee is bubbling, you can remove it from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. If it's not bubbling, slide it back into the oven until it is, for about 3-5 extra minutes. Let the chocolate chips sit on the surface of the toffee for 1 whole minute without touching them. Then, use an offset spatula to smooth the chocolate chips evenly over the surface.
While the chocolate is still melty, sprinkle over your topping of choice. I used 4 extra crushed up crackers here in the photos for another salty hit. You can use sprinkles, nuts, or crushed candy. Refrigerate the candy for 20 minutes until set, and then break into pieces and serve.
How to Store Saltine Toffee:
Once the chocolate hardens, this Christmas crack can be stored at room temperature, as long as it's slightly cool in your house. Warm temperatures will obviously melt the chocolate and make it soggy. I don't recommend storing this candy in the fridge, because it will soften the crackers. Just leave it in a cool, dry place, like the pantry.
Equipment to Make Saltine Toffee:
- This Quarter Sheet Pan is my favorite, and it comes in a two-pack, in case you want to double the recipe for gift-giving.
- An Offset Spatula is such a simple but highly effective tool to add to your baking equipment.
- A small One-Quart Sauce Pan for boiling the butter and sugar is helpful, too.
The graininess you taste in toffee is always whole sugar crystals that did not fully dissolve when heated. To prevent this, stir the butter and brown sugar together while it melts. Then, make sure the entire mixture comes to a rolling boil, not just the edges of the pan.
If your saltine toffee, or Christmas crack, is chewy, it's because the chocolate hasn't fully set yet. Try popping it in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm it up. Do not store it in the fridge for any longer than 15 minutes, however.
Saltine Toffee Variations:
-Saltine toffee with crushed peppermint or candy canes on top
-Cracker toffee with Christmas sprinkles
-Christmas Crack with Pretzels instead of extra crushed saltines on top
Saltine Toffee
This sweet and salty Christmas Crack is loved by everyone!
Ingredients
- 28 Saltine crackers (do not use the low-salt version)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a quarter sheet pan that measures 6 crackers by 4 crackers with aluminum foil. Gather the ingredients to make the saltine toffee, and have everything measured and ready to go.
- Line up 24 of the crackers on the pan, salted side down.
- In a small 1-quart saucepan, add the butter and brown sugar. Bring to a rolling boil--the entire pot will boil, not just the edges.
- Immediately pour the brown sugar mixture over the crackers. Try to pour it evenly, but know that it will spread some in the oven. Place the pan in the oven for 5 minutes. Check on it after 5 minutes to ensure that the toffee is bubbling. If so, remove it from the oven and scatter the chocolate chips on top. If it's not bubbling, return it to the oven for another 3-5 minutes, until it is.
- Let the chocolate chips set for 1 minute, then use an off-set spatula or knife to spread the melted mixture over the top of all of the crackers. Sprinkle over your topping of choice while the chocolate is still melty.
- Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set. Break into pieces and serve.
Notes
Storage: Once the chocolate hardens, this Christmas crack can be stored at room temperature, as long as it's slightly cool in your house. Warm temperatures will obviously melt the chocolate and make it soggy. I don't recommend storing this candy in the fridge, because it will soften the crackers. Just leave it in a cool, dry place, like the pantry.
Optional toppings: You can sprinkle anything you want on top of this toffee: extra crackers (crushed), crushed candy canes, Christmas sprinkles, finely chopped nuts, or crushed pretzel pieces.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 128Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 53mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 1g
Crystal says
So, this is really, really popular here in the South, especially with pecans and no chocolate...ok so we are equally divided on the chocolate part! Haha! I have to tell you a funny story about this recipe and a lady that made this in an office I worked on years ago. So, it was Christmas and we were getting tons of candy and goodies in the office, and we'll call her Flo, brought in this treat of toffee. Everyone fell in love with it, told her it was to die for, it was like crack, etc, etc...we all know how this stuff is...well, you know what happens when you bring in a treat or food that is exceptional, everyone wants the recipe. This is something, that for me is an honor, and I know it is really good, and I gladly share my recipes, that's how they live on, get passed to the next generation. I make up pretty little recipe cards, with my name, or mine and who I orginally got it from, like a mini history, we have a big family cookbook that I'm putting together. Anyway, she would not share the recipe, she said she would, but the next day, instead of the recipe for the "crack" Toffee, she gave everyone a different recipe. When she came into my office and handed me the recipe, I looked at it and said this isn't the recipe...she said"I know, that's a family secret recipe. I can't give it out". I busted out laughing! Like it's a state secret or something. So, I went home that night to the original cookbook it is printed in, copied the recipe and handed it out to everyone the next day...and put one on her desk. She looked at me shocked. I said "you aren't the only one with secret family recipes, but my family shares!" It's funny because I make certain treats every year, and give the recipes out when my family and friends ask, and even though they have them, whenever I'm coming...they still ask me to make them. It's like it somehow tastes better if I make it
Christina Lane says
Haha! I love this story. I have a plea in my cookbook about how important it is to share recipes. No secrets in the kitchen :)
Mary Ann says
Christina, I do love this toffee. What do you think about using graham crackers and adding a small amount of salt? Do you think that would work?
Christina Lane says
I think it's a fantastic idea! I'll test it out soon. Let me know if you make it :)
Happy baking!
Christina
Brighid says
Graham crackers work just fine. My family is divided between Saltines and graham crackers so I usually make two sheet pans of the candy. I don't have to eat too much of it; I just plan on making it when my boys are hanging out with friends. By the way, I know it as "Christmas Crack".
Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet says
I have actually never had saltine toffee! I must change this immediately!
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy says
(Un)fortunately, I hopped on the saltine-toffee crack train loooong ago and it has, in fact, ruined me. In the best way possible ;)
Cheryl says
Yes, yes, yes.. a thousand times yes! My business advisor made these a couple years ago and I was just bllllooooown away by how truly incredible they were. I think I actually bought a box of saltines for the very purpose of recreating the straight-up crack but never did, so naturally the box is still in our pantry. It's on, tonight!
Cindy says
I have seen this toffee for years and have never made it because I KNOW it's danger. For sure. I has to be. I might make this when my family is here for Christmas. I can totally see my mom, sister-in-law, and myself killing a pan of this.
Amanda says
I need to make this right now, looks so delicious!!!
Julia @ Sprinkled With Jules says
Totally guilty of being red-neckity and eating a whooooole lot of this stuff.
Matea says
Love this sweet and salty combination!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
must....listen. must...not....try....saltine toffee...
BUT IT LOOKS SO DANGED DELICIOUUUUS