Saltine Cracker Candy. Toffee Bark. Crack Candy. Christmas Crack. Saltine Toffee. This salty/sweet treat goes by many aliases. Whatever you call it, today’s recipe is the easiest candy I’ve shared yet. Just 5 simple ingredients, under 15 minutes to prepare, and no candy thermometer required.
If this recipe looks familiar to you, it’s because I originally shared it over 2 years ago and it’s been one of the most popular holiday recipes on my blog ever since. Today I’ve added a video and some helpful tips to the recipe. If you haven’t tried it yet, here’s your chance!
Another day in our week of candy! Just two more to go! As promised, today I’m giving you a break from the candy thermometer with this easy Saltine cracker candy (or whichever of its many monikers you prefer to use).
So far we’ve made our way through a classic Toffee recipe, Honeycomb, a snappy Peanut Brittle, and a smooth and creamy Peanut Butter Fudge. Which one are you trying first?
For those of you who don’t have a candy thermometer, this Saltine Cracker Candy might be your preferred choice. It’s been a favorite in my house ever since a friend introduced me to it years ago. We make it all year, but it’s especially popular around the holidays.
Let’s walk through this process in way more pictures than you probably really need, shall we?
How to Make Saltine Cracker Candy
The trickiest part of this whole candy-making business is preparing the toffee. Look at that sweet, caramel-colored, bubbling beauty.
The toffee is made with just two ingredients: butter and brown sugar. Melt the two together on the stovetop and allow it to come to a boil.
Do not, under any circumstances, disturb this toffee while it is working its magic during the boiling process. This was a hard lesson for me to learn, I always tend to worry about my sauces burning so if your natural inclination is to toss in a few stirs or scrape the sides, just don’t. The toffee knows what it’s doing.
Let it boil for 3 minutes (use a timer), and then immediately pour/ spread it over your crackers.
After you’ve doused your saltine crackers with toffee, bake them in the oven at a high temp for a few minutes until that golden toffee blanket becomes nice and bubbly.
Don’t panic if some of them look like they’re trying to float away — it’s OK to have some space between your crackers, just let them do their thing.
Now my favorite part.
Sprinkle your toffee layer with plenty of chocolate chips and return them to the oven for just two more minutes. This makes the chips nice and melt-y and easy to spread.
I know that some people make saltine cracker candy without chocolate (and you can certainly skip the chocolate, if that’s your preference), but that doesn’t fly in my house.
When I used to make Saltine Cracker Candy in the past, I never added any topping on top of the chocolate. Recently I’ve been using chopped pecans, but you can use pretty much any topping you’d like. Walnuts, peanuts, homemade sprinkles, candy pieces, pretty much anything goes well with saltine cracker candy.
If you’re one of those people I mentioned above and are trying to make this without chocolate, just skip this step and sprinkle any toppings you’d like to use directly on the toffee as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Since the chocolate topping is made with melted chocolate chips, it would take a while to set at room temperature, so I usually slide it into the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Then remove it and break (or cut) into pieces. They don’t cut very evenly but the jagged pieces are all part of its rustic character 😉
Saltine cracker candy doesn’t have to stay refrigerated, but because the chocolate can melt in your hands pretty quickly I personally prefer to keep it chilled in the fridge.
Personal preference!
Enjoy!
More Candy Recipes You May Enjoy
- Potato Candy
- Chocolate Fudge
- Peppermint Bark Fudge (no candy thermometer)
Have you made any of my candy recipes so far? Be sure to tag me on Instagram or share a picture over in my free Baker’s Club on Facebook!
Saltine Cracker Candy
Ingredients
- 1 ½ sleeves salted saltine crackers about 45 crackers
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar tightly packed
- 2 cups (350 g) semisweet chocolate chips¹
- ½ cup (50 g) chopped pecans or other topping
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F (205C) and line a standard-sized cookie sheet with foil. Lightly spray with cooking spray or grease lightly with butter.
- Layer crackers evenly over the foil (salted side up); it's alright if there are spaces between the crackers and not every edge is completely filled in.1 ½ sleeves salted saltine crackers
- Prepare your toffee by combining butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar
- Allow mixture to come to a boil and allow it to boil for three minutes -- do not stir while it boils.
- Immediately remove from heat and pour over crackers (it's ok if some of them start to float, just try to keep them in an even layer), spread with a heatproof spatula to completely coat crackers.
- Place in 400F (205C) oven for 5 minutes -- toffee will begin to bubble.
- ²Remove from oven (turn off the oven) and evenly sprinkle chocolate chips over toffee. Return to oven for two minutes, then remove and use a spatula or knife to spread chocolate evenly over crackers.2 cups (350 g) semisweet chocolate chips¹
- Sprinkle evenly with chopped pecans (or preferred topping -- or no topping!) and a scant amount of flaky sea salt.½ cup (50 g) chopped pecans, flaky sea salt for sprinkling
- Allow to chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until chocolate hardens. Cut into pieces using a large knife and serve.
Notes
Cleanup Tip!
Did the toffee harden to your saucepan, rendering it virtually impossible to clean? Fill it about halfway with water and return it to the stovetop. Bring the water to a boil and the toffee should melt away from the sides -- then just pour everything down the drain (scrape the sides while it's hot, if there's still some toffee stuck) and allow the pot to cool and clean as you would normally.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This Saltine Toffee recipe was originally published 12/05/2016, post updated to include more tips and a video on 12/07/2018
Rhonda Clukey
Burned after the 5 minutes in the oven per recipe.
Sam
Make sure to place in the center rack (not too close to the heating element of the oven) and I would double check that the oven temperature is accurate.
Carol Henderson
I wish I had read the reviews before making this recipe. My chocolate chips did not melt in the oven.
I feel I have wasted a lot of money between the cost of the chocolate chips and butter.
May I suggest you amend your recipe to using melted chocolate poured over the crackers so this does not happen to anyone else.
Other than that, great recipe,
Tip: For anyone that may have experienced floating crackers when pouring the toffee, if you pour it out over a large spoon, the crackers will not move.
Sam
Hi Carol, I’ve only ever made this as written with melting the chocolate chips in the oven as indicated. What brand chocolate chips did you use? I’m wondering if that might have been the issue.
Carol
I used Hershey brand .
Lee
Just made 2 pans and the Nestle brand and wouldn’t melt for me either so now throwing it all away . I’m really upset about the money spent since on a fix income.
Carol
I used Hershey brand and it did not melt.
The only foolproof way to do this is to melt the chocolate first and then pour it on and spread it. Do not return to the oven.
I let the toffee layer cool for 10 minutes before adding the chocolate layer.
I too, had to throw mine out.
Tip: You can line your pan with parchment instead of foil and it does not need greasing. Lifts off super easy.
Angeline Yarch
Nestle chip won’t melt. i use hershey and there great in melting But have trouble with the nestle brand so i never buy that brand any more …..
Sarah
I use Nestle every time and never had a problem with them not melting? Only white chocolate had given me problems
Jen
I topped with maple roasted pecans and dusted bittersweet chocolate shavings and salt.
Sam
OOoo that sounds delicious! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Mary
I made it so delicious, just wondering how to store it?
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Mary! I recommend storing it in airtight container. 🙂
Becky Bandy
Can I keep in air tight container for a month in fridg?
Sam
I’m worried it might get stale after a month, I think if you froze it it could probably last that long.
Mayte
LOVED THIS RECIPE!!!
Short sweet & simple steps to make this taste perfectly.
I could never find this recipe on making it the “right taste” until now. I haven’t had this taste in years, since my grandmother stopped making it & finally I could have it again!
Thank you Sam!❤️
Will definitely be making this ALL the time.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Mayte! 🙂
Trudy Crawford
hi I could not find the recipe that I normally used for this candy; si I used yours. My chocolate melted just fine however the bottom of the crackers were super gooey and sticky. I never noticed that before. The only difference with your recipe and my old one was baking time. I also boiled the butter and brown sugar for 3 minutes and did not during boiling. I normally used margarine but used butter this time. Comments????
Sam
Hi, Trudy. My best guess would be that the toffee needed to cook just a little longer. Hope that helps. 🙂
Linda H
I made this for church and the kids really liked it. It turned out great and two teachers took some home with them.
Sam
I am so glade everyone enjoyed it, Linda! 🙂
Emily Long
Loved it! I only had salted butter so I used that, light brown sugar, and Nesle semisweet morsels that seemed to take forever to melt so I may try the mini morsels in the future.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Emily! 🙂
Wendy Marshall
Happy Holidays!!! I’m going to make this recipe for Christmas. How long do they stay fresh for? It’s Friday and Christmas is Tuesday…will they still stay fresh by then??
Wendy
Sam
Hi, Wendy! Yes the saltine cracker candy will last until Tuesday. Just keep it in an air tight container. Enjoy! 🙂
Julie
I make this every year, and this is the first year the chocolate chips seized and wouldn’t melt. I buy Nestle every year. Something has changed…
I am so disappointed.
Sam
Ugh, I’m disappointed to hear this, too! I’m going to have to troubleshoot with their chips, I’ve only made it with the older ones (from before they changed their packaging), and have always had success with them in the past, too.
Lisa
You did something wrong then or used something different. I’ve been using this same procedure since 2014 Consistently never a issue.
Jenn
I recently had the same experience with nestle semi sweet chips. They would not melt! They worked great in chocolate chip cookies though- kept great chip shape. Wonder if the recipe is different??
Roserthat
That happened to me also! The chips just won’t melt
Properly and I’m quite used to melting chocolate. I’m testing out some other chips because of it.
Kristine
I too had issues with the chocolate not wanting to melt. I used both chips and a chocolate bar. I also used Ghiradeli so perrhaps the brand simply does not like a 400 degree oven for melting properly. I have made these before and melted the chocolate and just poured it on top. I think I will just go back to doing that. No need for a double broiler, just out the chocolate in a cup in top of the oven and the heat radiating up will melt the chocolate.
Thank you 🙂
Alice
I had the same issue with chocolate not melting with half of my batches this year. No problems last year. Both pans that didn’t melt were name brand. The store brand melted like it was suppose to.
Sam
Interesting! I’ve used Ghirardelli and Nestle and so far haven’t had any problems, but I have noticed that Nestle recently changed their packaging and I’m still using bags that I bought months ago (I stockpile chocolate chips and use the oldest first), so maybe I”ll have to try with a newer bag… Thanks for mentioning this!
Carol
Hi Sam,
I made this recipe for first time; a strange thing happened with my Ghirardelli white chocolate chips (I used 1/2 white and 1/2 semisweet) in that the white chocolate didn’t melt and when I tried to spread them, lots of them turned powdery! The sell by date was 2019, so that wasn’t the problem. With that, half was ruined, but the chocolate half was great. Needless to say that it all tasted great!
Any thoughts? Yes, I followed directions, timer, and my oven is fine. I’m perplexed..😔
Sam
Hi Carol! White chocolate can be very finicky, and unfortunately it sounds like the heat actually seized the chocolate and ruined it. In my experience white chocolate is much more sensitive to seizing (turning into that crumbly/powdery mixture) than regular chocolate 😞
Angie
So I snare this Christmas 2017, turned out beautiful and yummy. I made it again this year and the same as others have complained about their chocolate not melting. I think some are getting a bad batch of chocolate that may have come in contact with moisture!
Sam
Good point, I wonder if that might be the problem! Thanks for chiming in, Angie!
Diane
I used a store brand chips and they didn’t melt well at all. I think a person should use a good name brand chocolate chip when making.
Kelli
I use the mini chocolate chips. Work out beautifully!!