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You’ll love this salty, sweet, crunchy, chewy saltine cracker candy, sometimes known as Christmas Crack, and you can make it in 15 minutes with just 5 ingredients!
I grew up eating Saltine Cracker Candy every Christmas. We stored the candy, and all of our holiday goodies, on the patio outside (or in the garage if it was going to be REALLY cold that night). Everything went in leftover ice cream pails or plastic tubs.
My favorite thing to do was build the cookie plate for Christmas morning. I’d choose a few of each and pile them on the large glass Christmas plate, building a collection of the best offerings from my mom’s annual baking day.
Christmas Crack always went on top and it was always the first treat to disappear. To this day, the cookie plate remains my favorite holiday tradition.
Table of Contents
Christmas Crack ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Chocolate: Sometimes chopped bar chocolate works better than chocolate chips. To melt the chocolate, you can either 1). melt it in the microwave and pour it over the top, or 2). sprinkle the chips on the hardened caramel topping, let them sit for a minute to melt, and then spread the softened chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Toppings: Try chopped pecans, pretzels, OREOs, M&Ms, toffee bits, peanut butter cups, toasted coconut, coarse sea salt, candy canes, or drizzles of white chocolate. Or, just leave it plain!
How to make Christmas Crack
I highly recommend a candy thermometer so you know when the caramel hits the right stage in hardness.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a 15” x 10” x 1” pan with parchment paper, foil, or a silicone mat. Line up crackers in a single layer in rows on prepared sheet.
- Meanwhile, using a candy thermometer, melt butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 to 3 minutes (270 to 290 degrees if using a candy thermometer).
- Immediately pour over crackers and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake 5 minutes or until the candy hardens. Remove from oven.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second increments at 50% power until melted. Spread over hardened caramel. (You can also sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hardened candy, pop it back in the oven until melted, and spread after that).
- Sprinkle nuts or other toppings and press into the chocolate using a greased spatula. Cut into squares while warm. Cool completely for at least 15 minutes and store in the refrigerator.
Do you need an instant-read thermometer?
Because you want to make sure the caramel is at the exact hardness, the best way ensure it doesn’t overheat with a good instant-read thermometer. I love my Thermapen One from ThermoWorks and it’s one of my most used cooking tools. I get nearly instant, extremely accurate results every time. In fact, we named it the top pick in our roundup of the best instant-read thermometers. You can also use it for cooking meat precisely!
It’s a bit pricey and you can get it for $99 at ThermoWorks. It does go on sale every so often, but if you want a more budget-friendly option, I also like the ThermoPop, which is only $15.99 at ThermoWorks and it makes a great gift!
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 12 servings of Christmas Crack.
- Storage: Depending on the season and the humidity, Christmas Crack should keep well in an airtight tin or container for about a week or longer at freezing temps (like on your patio or in your garage, Midwestern friends!).
- Freezer: Christmas Crack freezes well! Break or cut it into pieces and store it in freezer-safe bags for up to 3 months.
Cracker Candy FAQs
The caramel topping needs to get to the hard-crack stage or it will be chewy. This means you may have to bake it a little longer or adjust your oven temperature slightly (every oven is different). I insist on a candy thermometer.
Club crackers, graham crackers, or buttery Ritz crackers are all delicious bases for this candy.
Make sure the hardened caramel topping is still warm when you add the chocolate to prevent separation.
It might still be too hot. Let the candy cool until it’s easy to handle, then remove it from the foil or parchment.
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Christmas Crack Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 35-40 saltine crackers
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 1/2 cups chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (see note 1)
- 1 ½ cups toppings such as chopped pecans, crushed pretzels, M&Ms, or crushed OREOs (see note 2)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a 15” x 10” x 1” pan with parchment paper, foil, or a silicone mat. Line up crackers in a single layer in rows on prepared sheet.
- Meanwhile, using a candy thermometer, melt butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 to 3 minutes (270 to 290 degrees if using a candy thermometer). Immediately pour over crackers and spread evenly with a spatula.
- Bake 5 minutes or until the candy hardens. Remove from oven.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second increments at 50% power until melted. Spread over hardened caramel. (You can also sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hardened candy, pop it back in the oven until melted, and spread after that).
- Sprinkle nuts or other toppings and press into the chocolate using a greased spatula. Cut into squares while warm. Cool completely for at least 15 minutes and store in the refrigerator.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Chocolate: Sometimes chopped bar chocolate works better than chocolate chips. To melt the chocolate, you can either 1). melt it in the microwave and pour it over the top, or 2). sprinkle the chips on the hardened caramel topping, let them sit for a minute to melt, and then spread the softened chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Toppings: Try chopped pecans, pretzels, OREOs, M&Ms, toffee bits, peanut butter cups, toasted coconut, coarse sea salt, candy canes, or drizzles of white chocolate. Or, just leave it plain!
- Yield: This recipe makes about 12 servings of Christmas Crack.
- Storage: Depending on the season and the humidity, Christmas Crack should keep well in an airtight tin or container for about a week or longer at freezing temps (like on your patio or in your garage, Midwestern friends!).
- Freezer: Christmas Crack freezes well! Break or cut it into pieces and store it in freezer-safe bags for up to 3 months.
I followed these directions exactly and the chocolate chips will not melt enough to spread. Next time i will just melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and spread over the top. Any idea why the chocolate chips wouldn’t melt?? I put the pan back in the oven several times and they just wouldn’t melt enough to spread.
Hi Tam, that seems odd to me. Was the oven hot? I cannot image why chocolate chips would not melt if the oven was hot. I mean, eventually they would have to melt. Right? Did they ever take on that shiny look, appearing as if they have softened? It would definitely be easier to spread the melted chocolate if the chips were already distributed on top. Not sure what’s going on! Sorry about that.
The same thing happened to mine. Wasted a lot of ingredients.
Hi Janice, I sent you an email to try to make things right. I’ve fixed the recipe including Valerie’s suggestions for using a candy thermometer, so hopefully others will have more success. Thanks for your feedback!
Hi Tam, I sent you an email to try to make things right. I’ve fixed the recipe including Valerie’s suggestions for using a candy thermometer and lowering the oven temp so the chocolate doesn’t seize. Thanks for your feedback!
I’ve made this recipe a bunch of times in the past. You need to use high quality, newly purchased chocolate chips. If you use cheaper chocolate or chocolate chips that have been in the pantry for a while, it won’t spread. If that doesn’t work, I’m not sure.
Thanks for this, Sara! Very helpful.
Thanks for your reply. I do use a lot of foil in pan and when it cools enough to be cut I cut it. Then place in fridge till harden. I lift out by foil and turn upside down on wooden cutting board. Trying to peel foil off is easy on the first inch or so near edges but the middle sticks to foil badly and a lot of the cracker and Carmel stuff won’t peel from foil I wind up tossing foil and a lot of the Christmas crack away.
Hi Sha, I sent you an email to try to make things right on the Christmas Crack front. Thanks for your feedback so I can improve the recipe!
Thank you or your reply, I’d like to share that after talking to several people they suggested one thing I may be doin wrong is to NOT stir the butter and sugar those 3 min during boil…I was stirring like crazy afraid it might burn or stick.
Thanks for this, Sha! I will update the recipe and add the info about not stirring. I sent you an email regarding your first attempts with the recipe, please let me know if you didn’t receive it. Thanks!
Can this be made using graham crackers?
Yes, absolutely! That’s actually how my mom makes it. I will add that to the recipe notes. 🙂 Thank you for your question!
Every time I make this the middle is gooey and I have a hard time getting out of pan, I line pan with foil and the foil sticks like glue. I’ve tried boiling sugar and butter longer… Please help
Hi Sha, you should be using a baking sheet with a very small rim (not a cake pan, for example). Even if the foil sticks to the candy, you should be able to cut it and just peel the foil off. I would also say make sure you are covering the pan completely with foil, even if that requires more than one piece, so you can slide the candy off the pan to a cutting board before cutting. The middle might be gooey at first but should harden eventually. Does any of this sound like it might help, or am I just barking up the wrong tree here? So sorry you are having issues!
Its very important to remember to use PAM or some other type of non stick spray on your foil before you put the crackers down. Otherwise you will have a sticky mess!
Hey Lois, that’s a great idea. I have never actually done that, but that would probably help a lot. Come to think of it, I think the last time I made this, I used parchment paper. I wonder if that’s why it worked better. Sha, do you happen to have parchment paper? I would try that if you have it or feel like buying it. I’m so sorry for all the issues.
This recipe does not specify using unsalted butter, although that is what is shown in the photo. Is unsalted butter recommended, or is salted butter okay to use?
Hi Gwyndolyn, sorry for the confusion here. I *rarely* have unsalted butter on hand and don’t normally cook with it. I may have used it that one day when I took the photos, but if I were going to make Christmas Crack today (and I just made it two weeks ago) I would use salted butter. I know the argument about why you shouldn’t – so you can control the salt in a dish, manufacturers all use different amounts of salt, etc. But, I don’t worry about that. I really don’t. So, use whatever you want! If you are watching your salt intake or something, please feel free to use unsalted.
Can this be frozen?
How long could you stor these?
Hi Susan, I would keep these for weeks refrigerated or frozen (or on a cold, wintery patio). At room temperature, maybe 4 to 5 days depending on the temperature inside your house.
This recipes looks really good!
Hi Meggan, I am still catching up from Xmas, love these 5 ingredient beauties, Happy New Year’s to you!
Magic! What I love about these is that they seem so fancy but hide a sneaky little fact – they only use 5 ingredients and are super easy to make.
Love the Parade post too – was a nice surprise to see one of my recipes there. Thank you Meggan – and wishing a wonderful Christmas to you and the family! xxx
Can you use cocoa.
Hi Anna, without trying myself I am not sure what would happen if you did! :-/