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    🏠Home » Recipes » Candy Recipes

    Christmas Crack Candy

    Dec 11, 2018 · Modified: Nov 28, 2022 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 2 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    5 from 6 votes

    Super easy Christmas Crack Candy to take to those holiday gatherings. Just follow these simple step-by-step photo instructions, then top as you want.

    image of Christmas Crack on white chocolate almond clusters

    Jump To:
    • Toffee vs. Brittle
    • 👨‍🍳Method
    • The Tray
    • 📋Ingredients and Toppings
    • ✔️Tips
    • 📖Candy Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Introduction

    Last week was candy week here at 101 Cooking for Two, but then my daughter in Raleigh suggest I messed a southern favorite.

    I never miss a regional favorite and especially southern. But the term "Christmas Crack" was new to me. After I saw a recipe, it was one I know as "Saltine Toffee Candy." So it is time for the fourth candy post in a row.

    My Rating

    My rating system of a 4 out of 5 so very nice.

    A solid 4 plus and a 5 rating if you have good memories.

    Toffee vs. Brittle

    The difference between toffee and a brittle is mainly butter. Toffee is sugar with butter, and brittle is usually without butter.

    Also, brittles are cooked to a higher temperature to reach a "hard-crack" state while toffees are cooked to slightly lower temperature and are softer.

    👨‍🍳Method

    This is a simple recipe in concept and process.

    1. A tray of saltine crackers
    2. Topped with some toffee candy (just butter and sugar).
    3. Bake for a few minutes to firm up the toffee.
    4. Top with chocolate chips and let the heat melt them.
    5. Smooth and top as desired.

    The Tray

    Most recipes call for 10X 18 trays. All mine and probably yours are 12 X 18 which is the normal size of half sheet pans.

    Not too big of an issue. No reason to buy new. Just add another row of crackers.  It will increase the surface are to be covered by 20%, but it will be fine.

    Preparing the Tray

    Toffee sticks to everything. According to some recipes, you can use a baking mat or non-stick aluminum foil.

    I suggest a large sheet of parchment paper.  Crease the edges to fit your tray and use a bit of butter in each corner to hold it down.

    📋Ingredients and Toppings

    Like a lot of things in cooking, quality matters. Use ingredients you trust and like.

    For the topping, you will need about a cup to a cup and a half of toppings. Also, you will have a large surface area to cover so mix it up some so your friends will have some variety of choices.

    I used mostly chopped pecans but added some holiday M&Ms and sprinkles. Other nuts, toffee chips, crushed Oreos, or my favorite suggestion of crushed candy canes.

    ✔️Tips

    I read a lot of recipes, and there are lots of variations. Here is a summary.

    Oven Temperature: Lowest 300° Highest 425° Most are 325° or 375°. Almost all are for 5 minutes. Why? You are just trying to get the toffee above 300° to make it "hard-crack". I picked a middle ground.

    How Long to Cook the Toffee: Most say three minutes. A few 4-5 and a few needed a candy thermometer. I picked three since the oven will finish it off.

    The Toppings: Most are only suggesting one type. Really, just do what you want.

    Other Things: A few added 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the toffee when it came off the stovetop. Fine if you want. And a few melted the chocolate chips in the microwave before spreading. A useless step since there is plenty of heat in the toffee to melt the chocolate.

    📖Candy Recipes

    Pretzel Candies

    Easy Oreo Fudge

    Chocolate Peanut Clusters

    Crock Pot White Chocolate Almond Clusters

    Easy Fudge

    This recipe is part of Christmas Candy Recipes. Check out other easy candy recipes.

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    Appetizer and Party Recipes, Candy Recipes, Holiday Recipes
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    image of ingredients for christmas crack

    Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare  12 X 18 half sheet tray using a large sheet of parchment paper. Cover with a single layer of saltine crackers, 48 for me.

    image of butter and brown sugar in a sauce pan

    In a non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat, place 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of brown sugar.

    image of boiling carmel in a sauce pan

    Bring to a boil then cook for 3 minutes while mixing well. It will get a little darker if you have good eyes. It will pull away from the edge of the pot with stirring.

    image of adding the carmel to the crackers

    Pour over the toffee over the saltines.

    image of spreading the carmel over the crackers with a spatula

    Smooth to cover rapidly. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.

    image of chocolate chips spread over the hot pan

    Remove from oven and sprinkle with 12 oz of chocolate chips. Allow to set for 5 minutes then smooth the melted chocolate.

    image of christmas crack topped with nuts

    Top with 1 cup of chopped pecans or toppings of your choice.

    image of add other toppings like M and M's or sprinkles

    There is plenty of room for multiple variations. Cool in the refrigerator for a few hours.

    image of a pile of Christmas crack candy with various toppings

    "Crack" into serving size pieces.

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    📝Recipe

    Christmas crack candy on white chocolate almond clusters

    Christmas Crack Candy

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Super easy Christmas Crack Candy to take to those holiday gatherings. Just follow these simple step-by-step photo instructions, then top as you want.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 12 minutes
    Total Time: 22 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 48

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 48 saltine crackers
    • 1 cup butter
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • 12 oz chocolate chips
    • Toppings of choice.
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    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350°.
    • Prepare 12 X 18 half sheet tray using a large sheet of parchment paper. Cover with a single layer of saltine crackers, 48 for me.
    • In a non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat, place 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of brown sugar.
    • Bring to a boil then cook for 3 minutes while mixing well. It will get a little darker if you have good eyes. It will pull away from the edge of the pot with stirring.
    • Pour over the toffee over the saltines and smooth to cover rapidly. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.
    • Remove from oven and sprinkle with 12 oz of chocolate chips. Allow to set for 5 minutes then smooth the melted chocolate.
    • Top with 1 cup of chopped pecans or toppings of your choice. There is plenty of room for multiple variations.
    • Cool in the refrigerator for a few hours then "crack" into serving size pieces.
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    Your Own Private Notes

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
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    Recipe Notes

    Tips for Christmas Crack

    1. The tray can be 10X18 or 12X18
    2. You may vary the chocolate by using half peanut butter chips or all white chocolate chips.
    3. Use topping of your choice. I suggest a cup of chopped pecans. Or use some M&Ms, sprinkles, marshmallows, different nuts, crushed Oreos, or my favorite crushed candy canes.
    4. There is lots of room for toppings so pick a variety, so your guests have a variety of choices.
    Nutrition Note: Calculate on a 2-inch square piece and with no toppings added.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Nutrition Facts
    Christmas Crack Candy
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 99 Calories from Fat 54
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 6g9%
    Saturated Fat 4g20%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 0.1g
    Cholesterol 11mg4%
    Sodium 64mg3%
    Potassium 16mg0%
    Carbohydrates 12g4%
    Fiber 0.1g0%
    Sugar 8g9%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 150IU3%
    Calcium 4mg0%
    Iron 0.4mg2%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Appetizer
    Cuisine : American

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Originally Published December 11, 2018.

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    More Candy Recipes

    • Easy Oreo Fudge
    • Candied Almonds or Other Nuts
    • Spicy Candied Bacon
    • Easy Homemade Christmas Candy Recipes

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    1. kjill

      December 11, 2018 at 12:00 pm

      We love this with a very light sprinkle of chunky salt on top though I am also always a sucker for nuts.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        December 11, 2018 at 9:52 pm

        Hi kjill,

        I can see a little sea salt on this. It would be nice. Along the same line, broken up pretzels. Somehow this screams pecans for me but other nuts would be good also.
        Thanks for the note.

        Dan

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