If you’re looking for an addictingly good Christmas treat, look no further than these wonderfully colorful Christmas Crack chocolate and toffee crackers.
What first drew me to this recipe was the name. I chuckled at the idea of Christmas Crack and instantly knew that these little delights were going to be addictingly (is that a word…?..?…?… well, it is now…) delicious.
Was that the reason behind the name? Or did it have more to do with the use of Saltine crackers as the base? Or maybe the little “crack” these treats make when you break one in half.
I’m not sure if the original naming convention was being innocent or devilish, but I think I prefer to think the latter. Or is it the former? I always get those mixed up!
But no matter what the intention of the name, these Christmas Crack cookies really do live up to the hype. That is, of course, you like sweet chocolate and toffee Christmas treats. If you don’t, then you may not be as pleased by this recipe as I am.
Another great thing about this recipe is that they are really easy to make, but make quite the impression on friends, family, unexpected company, that dude at the office who is always looking for free food, and even that judgey Aunt of yours who never likes anything you cook…. except these.
As a fan of Christmas Cookies, I am always looking for new treats to bake up during the holiday season. I like to think of Christmas Cookies as edible Christmas Decorations!
So, of course, I had to try this… several times, making tweaks along the way. First, I started with your very basic Christmas Crack, which is just the crackers, toffee, and chocolate.
But I decided that it wasn’t quite Christmassy enough (yes, I’m making up more words, it must be the sugar high). So I added some red & green M&Ms. But even that didn’t quite cut it, so I topped it off with some pretty Christmas sprinkles. It wasn’t until the addition of the white chocolate chips that I managed to achieve my own, final, very colorful version of these delicious Christmas Crack desserts.
Of course, you don’t have to take my word for it. Bake up a batch of these for yourself and you’ll see what I mean.
Baking Up a Batch of Christmas Crack
What you’ll need:
- Approximately 36-40 Saltine Crackers (enough to cover the bottom of your 10×15” Jelly Roll Pan)
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 Cup unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- ¼ cup red & green M&Ms’
- ¼ cup Christmas sprinkles
The purest base of Christmas crack is the cracker, butter, and brown sugar base smothered with dark chocolate. The toppings just make them more colorful and add a little bit more sweetness to this delightful Christmas treat.
But I like the mix of the white chocolate chips along with the red & green M&Ms as it gives it a classic Christmas feel.
Alternatively, you can use mini marshmallows instead of the white chocolate chips, if you so desire.
You’ll want to carefully lay out the saltine crackers on a greased Jelly Roll pan (which is basically a cookie sheet but with slightly higher sides). If you prefer, you can also use a nonstick silicone baking mat instead of the tin foil.
Melt together the butter and brown sugar and then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low(ish) and continue to let it bubble for 3 minutes. This will help thicken the mixture into a loose caramel.
Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and then pour the caramel mixture over the crackers and spread it out evenly. You want to make sure every single cracker gets a nice coating of the toffee mixture.
Pop that right into your preheated oven (400° F) for 3-5 minutes and let it bake and bubble for a bit.
Your base is now done and it’s time to add the chocolate. Instead of pre-melting the chocolate as many do, I find it easier to simply pour the chocolate chips evenly over the cracker base and then pop it back into the oven for another 3 minutes… just long enough for the chocolate chips to melt.
Take it out of the oven and spread the melted chocolate evenly over the sweetened cracker based and then add the colorful toppings of the white chocolate chips, M&Ms, and Christmas sprinkles.
I like to premix them in a measuring cup first so that I can just spoon the colorful mixture on top of the melted chocolate. This is also helpful if you want to follow the optional next step.
One thing I like to do, but this is completely optional, is let the toppings sit for a few minutes until the white chocolate chips have softened and then take a spoon to gently spread the white chocolate into little swirls of white on top of the dark chocolate. But this is completely optional.
And that’s it… you’re done! All you need to do now is wait for it to cool before you can cut into pieces and serve it up on a platter for your guests.
Something that I like to do with some of the Christmas Crack (other than eating it while watching cheesy Christmas movies) is putting some into one of those wonderful Corelle Soup Mugs with Lids and wrapping it up as a delicious – and practical – DIY Christmas gift.
Of course, that’s assuming you have any left after that cheesy Christmas movie marathon!
Very Best Christmas Crack Recipe
Equipment
- Jelly Roll Pan
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Tin Foil & Cooking Spray or a Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat
Ingredients
- 36 -40 Saltine Crackers
- 1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar Packed
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 Cup White Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 Cup Red & Green M&Ms
- 1/4 Cup Christmas Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F
- Line a Jelly Roll pan with foil and grease with a liberal dose of cooking spray. If you prefer, you can also use a non-stick silicone baking mat.
- Place the crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and then fold in the brown sugar. Bring to a low boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly so that it does not burn.
- Stir in the vanilla extract
- Layer the brown sugar mixture on top of the crackers. Use a spatulate to make sure all of the crackers have equal coating.
- Place the base mixture in the oven and bake for 3-5 minutes, or until you can see the brown sugar mixture bubbling.
- Gently remove the pan from the oven, add the chocolate chips on top, and then place the pan back in the oven for another 3 minutes to melt the chocolate.
- Remove from the oven and use a spatulate to spread the chocolate evenly across the top of the cracker base.
- Before the melted chocolate has a chance to cool, liberally sprinkle the white chocolate chips, red & green M&Ms, and Christmas sprinkles across the top.
- Set aside and allow to cool, either on the kitchen counter or you can place it right into the refrigerator (although I find sometimes that cooling in the refrigerator causes the chocolate to form white spots).
- Optional: Wait a few minutes then take a spoon to gently spread the softened white chocolate into little swirls.
- Once it has fully cooled, you can cut into pieces and serve on a plate, or pack some away in gift boxes as a lovely DIY Christmas gift.
Still Hungry for More Christmas Cookies?
Take a look at our stunning collection of 50 Amazing Christmas Cookie Recipes.
Incredible! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a totally different subject but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Great choice of colors!