Description
This festive Christmas Crack recipe, also known as Cracker Toffee, combines salty saltine crackers with a rich buttery caramel layer, topped with melted chocolate and crunchy pecans. Easy to make and perfect for holiday gifting or snacking, this sweet and salty treat is quick to prepare and delightfully addictive.
Ingredients
Scale
Base
- 32 saltine crackers (102 g)
Toffee Layer
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226 g, 2 sticks)
- 1 cup brown sugar (213 g)
Topping
- 2 cups chocolate chips (340 g, semi-sweet or white chocolate work as well)
- 1 cup pecans (125 g, or substitute with pretzels or your favorite nuts)
- Sprinkles (optional, for decoration)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) to prepare for baking the toffee on the crackers.
- Prepare Baking Sheet: Line a 9×13-inch baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange saltine crackers in rows to completely cover the bottom of the baking sheet. Set aside.
- Make Toffee Mixture: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter and add the brown sugar. Stir continuously and bring the mixture to a boil. Continue cooking until the temperature reaches 275°F (135°C) to achieve the proper toffee consistency.
- Pour Toffee Over Crackers: Carefully pour the hot toffee mixture evenly over the saltine crackers in the baking sheet, ensuring they are well coated.
- Bake Crackers: Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 4 minutes. Then turn off the oven.
- Add Chocolate Chips: Remove the pan from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the hot toffee layer.
- Melt Chocolate: Return the pan to the warm oven (with the heat off) for about 1 minute to allow the chocolate to soften and melt.
- Smooth Chocolate: Use a spatula to spread and smooth out the melted chocolate across the toffee and cracker surface evenly.
- Add Toppings: Sprinkle chopped pecans and optional sprinkles over the melted chocolate layer for texture and decoration.
- Cool and Harden: Let the entire cracker toffee cool completely at room temperature or in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens.
- Serve: Once hardened, break into roughly 16 pieces and enjoy this sweet and salty holiday treat.
Notes
- Use unsalted butter to control the saltiness of the toffee layer carefully.
- Cooking the sugar mixture to 275°F ensures a perfect hard crack stage for the toffee.
- Allow the chocolate to fully harden before breaking to prevent melting or sticky pieces.
- For a variation, try using pretzels instead of pecans for an extra salty crunch.
- This recipe can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
