This Christmas Candy is the perfect combination of crunchy, salty, and sweet! It pairs saltine crackers with a 2-ingredient caramel and melted chocolate — it’s the best holiday candy and makes a great gift! (Be sure to grab our FREE printable gift tags to go with it!)
During the months of November and December, we’ll be highlighting some of our favorite homemade gifts! Download our FREE Homemade Gifts Guide to get recipes to 15+ easy-to-make gifts, plus printable gift tags to go with each gift!
Cracker Toffee is the World’s Easiest Christmas Candy!
We have a yearly tradition of making this Christmas Candy. It’s so easy to make, it is inexpensive, and it’s addicting — it has the nickname “Christmas Crack” for a reason!
I originally found the recipe in the book Queen of the Castle: 52 Weeks of Encouragement for the Uninspired, Domestically Challenged or Just Plain Tired Homemaker.
It was called “Crookies” in there, but we’ve re-named it “World’s Easiest Christmas Candy.”
Gifting Saltine Cracker Candy
This Christmas candy makes an excellent frugal gift idea for almost anyone on your list. Simply package it up in fun holiday-themed bags and tie with a ribbon or twist tie.
You can make it weeks in advance and put the gift baggies in the freezer until it’s time to give the gift. Or it’s great to make last-minute when you’re short on time and need some gift ideas in a pinch!
Download your free printable gift tags!
Want to add on Christmas gift tags to gift this to someone this holiday season? Go HERE to download printable gift tags designed for this yummy homemade Christmas candy!
Cracker Toffee Recipe Ingredients
- saltine crackers (enough to cover the baking sheet)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 stick butter
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- various optional toppings (see below for ideas!)
How to Make Saltine Cracker Toffee
1. Lay one sleeve of Saltines out on a cookie sheet (you can spray or grease the pan first. I haven’t had trouble with it sticking, but some mentioned in the comments they’d recommend this.)
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt one stick of butter with 1 cup of brown sugar. Bring to a low boil for roughly 3 minutes, until a gooey mixture forms.
3. Pour this mixture over the saltines and spread with a spatula to generously coat them.
4. Stick the pan in a 350º oven for five minutes, or until the brown sugar mixture is bubbling on the crackers.
5. Remove pan from oven, sprinkle chocolate chips over the crackers, and let them sit for a few minutes until they melt.
6. Spread the melted chocolate chips evenly over the crackers and sprinkle any optional toppings while the chocolate is still soft (see below for more ideas).
7. Put pan in the freezer for around an hour (until the chocolate hardens).
8. Once the chocolate hardens, use a metal spatial to break the crackers into pieces.
Saltine Cracker Toffee Recipe Variations
There are SO many ways you can spice up this basic recipe for various holidays or events.
- Add colored sprinkles for the current season or holiday.
- Add crushed nuts or pretzels for a salty crunch.
- Add chopped candy bars or cookies (Oreos are amazing!) for a really sweet treat.
- Try toasted coconut or dried fruit for a completely new flavor combination.
- Use white chocolate and food coloring to create a specific color “candy”.
- Swap out the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips, caramel chips, Heath chips, butterscotch chips, or even mint chips for a totally different taste.
- Drizzle finished bars with another chocolate flavor (for example: dark chocolate candy with white chocolate drizzle).
- Use graham crackers instead of saltine crackers and top with chocolate chips and marshmallows.
- Make an Easter version with white chocolate and colorful sprinkles.
How to Serve Saltine Toffee
Aside from piling it into a festive bowl and grabbing a few pieces before everyone else gets their fill, you could also use Christmas Candy as part of a dessert charcuterie board with various other cookies, candies, fudge, truffles, etc.
You could also make several varieties of this Saltine Toffee and serve it buffet style with little cups or baggies so everyone can take their favorites.
How to Store Cracker Candy
Once the crackers are completely cooled and the candy is broken apart, put it in an air-tight container and refrigerate for 1 week or freeze for longer.
Saltine Cracker Toffee Recipe Troubleshooting
The issue is most likely that the sugar didn’t fully dissolve into the butter. Bring the mixture to a low boil and boil for roughly 3 minutes to assure the sugar is fully dissolved.
Possibly because of stale crackers (Saltines can go stale even in the package).
Also, the toffee will be chewy until the chocolate is fully hard, so put it back in the freezer for 15-20 minutes longer and see if it’s crunchier.
Saltine Cracker Toffee
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Ingredients
- 1 sleeve Saltine Crackers (or more if desired)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter (1 stick)
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- optional toppings
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350ºF.
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Grease an 11" x 16" jelly roll pan.
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Line entire pan with 1 layer of saltine crackers.
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In a medium sauce pan, bring butter and brown sugar to a low boil
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Simmer for 3 minutes, or until mixture is very gooey and sugar is completely disolved.
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Pour caramel mixture over crackers and spread with spatual until fully covered.
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Bake crackers in preheated oven for 5 minutes.
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Sprinkle chocolate chips over crackers immediately after removing pan from oven. Let sit for a couple of minutes until chocolate is melty.
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Spread melted chocolate over crackers with spatual.
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Sprinkle optional toppings (sprinkles, nuts, chopped candies, etc.) into melted chocolate.
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Put entire pan into the freezer for 1 hour, or until the chocolate hardens.
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Once chocolate has completely hardedn, remove pan from freezer and use a metal spatual to break up the crackers .
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Store Christmas Candy in an airtight container or freeze for later.
Get your FREE Homemade Christmas Gifts Guide!
If you’re looking for ways to simplify gift giving this year, we have just the solution for you! Download our brand new FREE Homemade Christmas Gifts Guide! When you sign up, you’ll get:
- 15+ DIY recipes for unforgettable gift ideas (we’ve included something for everyone on your list!)
- Step-by-step instructions for ridiculously easy homemade gifts that anyone can make!
- Customizable, ready-to-print gift tags to go with each homemade gift!
This FREE guide was designed to help you have a more peaceful, intentional holiday season. Our hope is that it reduces stress, helps you save more money and spend less on your gift budget, and simplifies things so you can focus on what matters most this season!