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Christmas Crack

Christmas crack turns plain saltine crackers into buttery toffee bark topped with melted chocolate, toasted pecans, and festive sprinkles — 5 ingredients, 15 minutes of hands-on work, and the most addictive holiday candy you will ever make.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 40 pieces
Calories 115 kcal

Ingredients
  

Cracker toffee

  • 40 saltine crackers about 1 sleeve
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (226 g)
  • 1 cup light brown sugar (200 g), packed
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (340 g)

Toppings

  • 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
  • Christmas sprinkles for decorating
  • Flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Line the pan: heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 10x15-inch rimmed baking sheet with foil, then spray the foil lightly with cooking spray. Arrange the saltine crackers in a single layer, edges touching, trimming the last row to fit.
  • Make the toffee: in a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar and salt over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a full boil and boil for exactly 3 minutes without stirring, until thickened and slightly darker.
  • Add the vanilla: remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. The toffee will bubble up — that is normal.
  • Pour and spread: pour the hot toffee evenly over the crackers and spread quickly with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon so every cracker is covered edge to edge.
  • Bake: bake for 5 to 6 minutes, until the toffee is bubbling all over. Watch closely — it goes from perfect to burnt fast.
  • Add the chocolate: sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the hot toffee, then return the pan to the oven for 1 minute. Remove and spread the melted chocolate into a smooth, even layer.
  • Top it: while the chocolate is still wet, scatter the pecans and sprinkles over the top and add a pinch of flaky sea salt if you like. Press the toppings in very lightly.
  • Chill and crack: let the pan cool for 10 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour until completely firm. Lift the bark out by the foil and break it into pieces with your hands.

Notes

  • Boil the toffee for exactly 3 minutes, timed. Under-boiled toffee stays soft and sticky; over-boiled toffee turns hard and bitter. A timer is the whole trick.
  • Do not stir the toffee once it boils. Stirring splashes sugar crystals onto the pan walls and can make the toffee grainy.
  • Line the pan with foil and spray it — the toffee glues itself to an unlined pan and you will be chiseling it off.
  • Add the toppings while the chocolate is still wet, or they will not stick. Work fast — the chocolate starts setting in about a minute.
  • Store it cold. Christmas crack softens at warm room temperature; keep it in the fridge and it stays snappy for weeks.
  • One pan makes about 40 pieces, so a single batch covers a whole cookie exchange — or double it and freeze half for gifts.
Keyword christmas crack