This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you purchase through those links (at no extra cost to you).
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.
80 Best Homemade Food Gifts for the Holidays
There is no better way to show you care than with Homemade Food Gifts this holiday season. From cookies and candy to spreads and spices, choose from 80+ DIY ideas with something for everybody on your list!
View Recipe
Most popular Christmas candy recipes
Candy Recipes
OREO Cookie Balls
Candy Recipes
Peanut Butter Balls Recipe
Candy Recipes
Rolo Pretzel Candies
Candy Recipes
Peppermint Bark
More From Culinary Hill
Join Us
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.
How does it taste with saltine crackers compared to the gram crackers?
Honestly I think they taste “mostly” the same. The strongest flavors come from the hardened candy mixture and the chocolate. I’m pretty sure you could pour that over cardboard and it would taste good (I’m kidding). If you are person who “loves” the salty/sweet combo, I’d go with saltines. If you don’t care, if salty/sweet is “meh” to you, go with graham crackers like my mom. 🙂 But the REAL question is – which cracker do you have in your cupboard? Or which one is cheaper? 😉
I am super exited to try your recipe for my Christmas party.
Parchment paper 🙂 nothing sticks
5 minutes for the chocolate chips to soften, is too long. There is a sweet spot and overheating chocolate makes it grainy.
Candy should always be prepared with a thermometer, otherwise you risk getting the wrong finished texture because it depends on how hot you are cooking it. (anywhere from soft, grainy praline to over-done toffee). It should be cooked until it reaches the soft-crack stage, just under 300°F. The time in the oven should take it over the edge to the hard crack stage, which is what toffee should be finished at.
I think you are right, Valerie. What works for me clearly isn’t working for the masses, so the only way to account for all the possible variations from ovens and extra seconds here and there is to use a thermometer. As for melting the chocolate, I’ve never had a problem with 5 minutes but other people are. I’ll have to retest and adjust my instructions. The beauty of this recipe was the idea that no thermometer was needed and that it would be fairly “easy” but I guess I was wrong on that! Thanks for your help on this.
I make this all of the time! I love it. The one thing I do, in addition to nuts, is to sprinkle with powdered sugar.
I followed the directions, it my chocolate chips didn’t melt…they crumbled to chocolate dust! What happened?
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!
You may have over heated them
Tent the pan with foil, the chocolate will melt.
IMac I make this all the time my family loves that they beg me to make it I use different kinds of chips like caramel salted caramel and the chocolate together I use a large cookie sheet and it works great one sleeve of crackers plus a few more and I just break it in pieces instead of cutting
I am going to make these….. after reading the comments, I wonder about using parchment paper instead of foil to line the pan….. I will let you know how it works out. 🙂
Oh, just noticed that the instructions include the option of using parchment paper! *blush*
Hey there’s a lot of rambling on the page (mine), no worries if you didn’t see it at first glance. 🙂 I hope it works out for you and that you love it, Alison!! Thanks.
I used small pretzel sticks, along with everything else. Amazing recipe. Crack is wack!!
Pretzel sticks!!! That’s perfect. I am going to have to add those next time, more salt is always better. 🙂
I used toffee bits. Turned out not to shabby
So glad to hear that Ryan!
These look so good and want to try them this year but I am the only one in my family that likes nuts in cookies. Can you top these with anything else? m&ms/coconut/crushed oreos?? Wondering if anyone else has left out the nuts?
Hi Michele, yes, yes, and yes! M&M’s, coconut, OREOS! All great ideas. Use whatever you want. I think the nuts add crunch, but all these flavors sound amazing. Pretty sure I’m going to make the OREO one next. Thank you for your question!