Chocolate Toffee Christmas Crack Recipe
Chocolate Toffee Christmas Crack Recipe – Called by its other name, Christmas Crack Candy, is an irresistible edible gift for the holidays!
The Gift of Candy Crack
Gift-making season is the absolute best… Who’s with me?
This Chocolate Toffee Christmas Crack Recipe makes the best sweet addicting present.
The holidays give us an excuse to spoil our friends, stir up our creative mojo, and get in some much needed therapy cooking/baking all at the same time.
Therapy Baking: The slow relaxed process of baking (or cooking) because you want to; not because you have to. It’s chill, anxiety-free, and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.
But I digress, edible gifts are my favorite kind of homemade gift because they can be enjoyed by the entire family.
When you give someone a box of homemade peppermint fudge or soft bourbon caramels, you know that they are going to share the wealth with those they love.
So when I give gifts I know are going to be shared, I secretly feel like a kindly puppet master, perpetuating good will and generosity to all.
I’m pulling the strings, but in a spirit of love. *wink*
“Christmas Crack”
Today’s Chocolate Toffee Christmas Crack Recipe is the ultimate edible gift.
It’s rich, salty-sweet, crunchy, chocolatey, nutty, and totally irresistible. In fact, it’s as addictive as crack, some might say.
I realize drugs of any kind are not a joking matter, but “Christmas Crack” does seem to be the dedicated name to this particular type of treat. So please forgive that fact that I’m going along with the trend.
What is Christmas Crack?
Traditional Christmas Crack (or saltine cracker toffee) consists of toffee poured over saltine crackers, then baked. The result is a devilishly addictive treat, both salty and sweet!
We decided we wanted to revamp the traditional method, making it a finger-popping snack you can munch in small pieces.
Therefore, we made our Chocolate Toffee Christmas Crack Recipe with small oyster crackers, instead of saltines. And we made it entirely on the stovetop for quality control of the candy coating.
Cracker Toffee Coating
You see, when you try to create a candy coating by baking you can either
- A) Set the temperature of the oven on the exact temperature in which you want your sugar coating to boil, or you can…
- B) Crank the heat up and wing it.
The problem with a lower “boiling-point” oven temperature is that sometimes it takes so long for the candy coating to get where it needs to be, that you over-bake the crackers, nuts, or anything else you are candying in the process.
Whereas, when you turn the heat up high, trying to “candy” faster and not over bake, you risk missing the mark entirely.
Therefore candy coatings are best made on the stovetop with a candy thermometer.
Toffee Temperature Control
That way, you can create the exact sheen and texture you desire.
If you like hard shiny toffee coatings, make sure your toffee reaches between 300 – 305 degrees F.
If you like a less-glossy crumbly toffee texture shoot for 290 – 295 degrees F.
Toffee boiled to 290 degrees F.
Toffee boiled to 300 degrees F.
Oyster Crackers, Chocolate, and Nuts
Once the toffee coating reaches the proper boiling temperature, stir in the oyster crackers, and dump them out on parchment paper to dry.
Then drizzle melted chocolate over the top and sprinkle the munch with your favorite nuts.
After the chocolate dries, break the Chocolate Toffee Christmas Crack Recipe into pieces and package it up for friends and family!
I’d bet money they’ll come around asking for more!
How Quickly Can I Make Christmas Crack?
Pretty fast! About 25-30 minutes, plus dry time.
If you need the chocolate to dry faster, you can place the munch on baking sheets before drizzling it with chocolate, then place the baking sheets in the refrigerator.
Can I Stir The Nuts Into The Candy Mixture With The Crackers?
Absolutely! I’ve actually done that before. I just like the way the munch looks when you can see the nuts on top.
Check Out The Recipe Card Below For The Chocolate Toffee Christmas Crack Recipe. Enjoy!
Other Holiday Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Baked Cranberry Brie Bites
- The Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe
- Holiday Wine Punch Cocktails
- Oven Roasted Vegetables with Maple Glaze
- Eggnog Pancakes – Cooking Classy
- Bacon Pecan Brittle
- Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Toffee Christmas Crack Recipe
Ingredients
- 10-12 ounces oyster crackers
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts, any variety
Instructions
- Lay a large piece of parchment or wax paper on the counter. Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Attach a candy thermometer to the side, making sure the tip reaches the bottom of the pot. Add the butter, sugar, and salt.
- Bring the sugar mixture to a rolling simmer, stirring the entire time. Continue gently stirring as it boils to keep the butter and sugar from separating, until the temperature reaches between 300-305 degreed F. If the butter and sugar separate, the candy will not have the proper texture. *Be careful; boiling sugar can be dangerous!
- Once you reach the desired temperature, immediately turn off the heat. Stir in the vanilla. Then gently pour in the oyster crackers and stir to coat well.
- Carefully, pour the crackers out on the parchment paper. Use a spatula to quickly separate the pieces, so they dry individually. **If your candy thermometer is accurate you reached the proper temperature, the candy will dry and harden on its own. It will have a light glossy sheen. If it stays sticky or looks crystalized, your candy thermometer is probably inaccurate. You can fix this by moving the candy onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in a single layer at 450 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Once the candy is completely cool, melt the chocolate chips. Either place them in a double-boiler over low heat, stirring until melted, or place in a microwave-safe boil, and nuke in one minute increments, stirring in between until completely melted.
- Place the melted chocolate in a plastic zip bag. Snip a tiny piece off one corner to create a piping bag. Then use the bag to drizzle chocolate over all the candy. While the chocolate is still soft, sprinkle the chopped nuts over the top. Let the chocolate dry until hard.
- Once the chocolate is hard, break the candy apart and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
How far in advance can this be made and how long does it keep? Thinking of making and mailing but do not know how it holds up over a period of time. Looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it!!
Hi There!
This is a great recipe to make and ship! It will last 3-4 weeks in a dry climate. :)
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OH My Goodness!!! So I made it and WOW! 5 Stars! This baby will go in my recipes to hand down because once the kids get a hold of this with their Christmas goodies I KNOW they will want it every year. But me…I will have a secret stash of this on hand often or at least the ingredients in case I get a hankerin ;) Thank you for such a great recipe!
Your recipe has no sugar in it. I saw on the video that brown sugar was used, but there was no amount.
I was all ready to make this and saw there was no sugar in the recipe instructions. Upset I got everything ready to make and no proper instruction
It’s one cup Merideth! :)
This is an easy recipe and it tastes delicious. I took it to a party and it was a hit.
This is good. Have you ever tried it with popcorn?
I could have used another hand or two with getting the crackers separated before they cooled. But chunks are okay, too.
The kids loved it!
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Easy to make and very tasty caramel. I made several batches then melted and drizzled the chocolate all at once.
Did you wash your pot between batches? I wanting to make several as well and don’t like the idea of washing in between😬
Have you ever made this with puff corn.?
So easy, so tasty! Thanks for a great recipe!
This was so easy! I found I really needed to keep stirring as it got close to 300 so it didn’t burn. I’d like to try with a bit or white chocolate drizzle too. Thanks for a great recipe!
I literally just made this candy…..love, love, LOVE!!!!! So much easier than the oven baked crackers. I guarantee this will be made again, again, and again💜
Happy Holidays! Do you mean 10 to 12 ounces of crackers? Sounds yummy 😋
Thanks,
Patricia
Hi Patricia!
Yes, I found various brands offer 10, 11, and 12 ounce bags that all look about the same size. Any of these will work! :)
I’ve seen this made with saltines, but the oyster crackers make so much more sense! Thanks for sharing this.
Oh my god this looks absolutely amazing! I think calling it “Christmas crack” is entirely necessary, because I’m assuming I could eat an entire batch without stopping for breath. Bookmarking this for sure! I too love giving out edible gifts, because they’re fun for me to make AND people love them. This is definitely being added to my “gift baking ideas”. And love your comment about “therapy baking”; I do that all the time!
Your photos are absolutely gorgeous btw, love every single one and all the different perspectives and action shots you included!
Heavenly!! I truly need this “crack” in my life!! Thanks for sharing the recipe, Sommer!
I’m wondering if you could stir the nuts into the candy mixture with the crackers. I think that would be super delicious.
Hi Rachel,
Absolutely! I’ve actually done that before. I just like the way the munch looks when you can see the nuts on top. :)
Om my goodness! This must be the most addictive candy I’ve ever seen. How fast can I get this made up? The idea of the oyster crackers is mind-blowing! Thank you for sharing.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda
Hi Linda,
Pretty fast! About 25-30 minutes, plus dry time.
If you need the chocolate to dry faster, you can place the munch on baking sheets before drizzling it with chocolate, then place the baking sheets in the refrigerator. :)