Saltine Cracker Toffee
by Sommer Collier — on Oct 3, 2025 It’s no wonder saltine cracker toffee with chocolate and chopped nuts is also fondly known as Christmas Crack… This classic salty-sweet recipe is amazingly addictive! So while it makes a fabulous holiday gift, don’t be surprised if you find yourself eating the entire pan!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
There are certain treats I crave every holiday season. First and foremost… shortbread cookies. Then, a really close second is homemade toffee. We have created many variations of toffee treats over the years, such as these Christmas crack candy, brownie cookies with toffee, and toffee chocolate chip cookies. However, this simple saltine cracker toffee is so easy to make, it’s an absolute favorite around our house.
The saltine crackers act as the base for the toffee candy. When you pour the liquid toffee over the saltines, it is partially absorbed into the crackers, but also leaves some nice air bubbles that create a lovely light crackly texture. Top with melted chocolate and chopped nuts for a nice crunch, and you are talking about a treat that you simply must make every year!
Why You’ll Love This Saltine Cracker Toffee Recipe
- Simple recipe for beginners – If you’re new to candy making, this is the recipe for you. Anyone can make this brilliant saltine toffee with just 6 pantry ingredients!
- Addictive flavor – Christmas crack is sweet but not too sweet, sticky but crisp, lightly salty and rich… In a word, irresistible!
- Delightful holiday gift – Make large batches of cracker toffee, and package pieces in cookie tins or candy gift bags with a bow.
Give our recipe a try this winter, and I’m sure it’ll instantly become one of your family’s favorite holiday traditions!
Ingredients and Tips
- Saltine crackers – This is the classic name brand often used to make cracker toffee. But you can use any thin salted square cracker that’s similar to classic saltines.
- Butter – I prefer unsalted butter, so you have total control over the amount of salt in the candy.
- Brown sugar – Light brown sugar provides sweetness and depth, without being overly sweet, unlike dark brown sugar, which can sometimes be too sweet.
- Chocolate chips – We’re using classic semi-sweet chocolate, but you can mix things up and make this Christmas crack recipe with milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or even white chocolate chips.
- Chopped nuts – Use your choice of chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds. We are using chopped walnuts here.
- Salt – A sprinkle of sea salt or kosher salt helps the chocolate stand out and balances the sweetness.
How to Make Saltine Crackers Toffee (AKA Christmas Crack)
Tip for Success – Once assembled, leave the chocolate toffee to dry completely at room temperature. Or if you’re in a hurry, you can pop the pan in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to harden.
Find the full Saltine Cracker Toffee recipe with detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Storage Notes
Transfer the pieces of candy to an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place for up to two weeks.
More Old Fashioned Christmas Candy Gifts
Pieces of Christmas crack are perfect to package in pretty holiday tins, or plastic treat bags with a festive bow.
Consider skipping the stores this year, and instead make this saltine cracker toffee recipe as part of a full lineup of edible holiday gifts with other goodies like:
Frequently Asked Questions
Chewy toffee is usually the result of the butter and sugar mixture not cooking quite long enough on the stovetop, or not reaching the high temperature needed.
I definitely recommend using salted Saltine crackers. The salt balances the intense sweetness of toffee and chocolate, and the crackers themselves just taste better. However, you certainly can use unsalted crackers if you prefer to lower the amount of sodium in the recipe.
Yes, you can experiment with butter crackers, such as Ritz crackers, graham crackers, or even thin pretzel crackers.
Saltine Cracker Toffee Recipe (Christmas Crack)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 sleeve saltine crackers 35-40 crackers
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 11-12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped nuts pecans, walnuts, almonds
- ½ teaspoon flake salt or kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Set out a 10 x 15-inch rimmed "jelly roll" pan. Line the pan with foil, then spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Lay the saltine crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Place the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan. Set over medium heat. Allow the butter and sugar to melt and then bring to a boil. Boil the sugar mixture for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Carefully pour the liquid toffee mixture over the saltine crackers. Use a spatula to spread it over every inch of the crackers.
- Place the toffee crackers in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, until you see lots of bubbles and crackly sections around the edges.
- Take the baking sheet out of the oven, and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the toffee. Allow the chocolate to sit on the hot crackers for 3-5 minutes to melt, then take a spatula and spread the chocolate into a thin even layer.
- While the chocolate is still melty, sprinkle the top with chopped nuts. Then sprinkle the top with flake salt. Allow the candy to dry completely. If you’re in a hurry, you can pop the pan in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to harden. Then break, or cut, the toffee into pieces.
