Who wants Christmas cracker candy?! Salty crackers coated in caramel and chocolate are a salty, crunchy holiday treat. What’s not to love?
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This classic Christmas treat involves double dipping salt crackers: first in caramel, then in chocolate.
Video: How to make Christmas candies
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How to make Christmas candies
What is Christmas Cracker Candy?
Constant stirring when making the caramel mixture results in a finished candy that’s closer in texture to pralines than English toffee. They have a deep caramel flavor but the bites are quite soft and easy to chew. The crunch comes from the crackers themselves.
Ways to top your cracker candy
You can sprinkle on fancy nuts, coconut flakes, or Christmas sprinkles if you like, but I’m a purist when it comes to my Christmas candies. I like it the way it is.
Is this the same as Christmas crack?
We used to call this delicious treat “Christmas Crack”, which is the most common name. But several readers have written to us asking us to change the name because it takes lightly what is a very real addiction for many people. We agree, hence the new name of this recipe, Christmas Cracker Candy.
This will prevent the layers from separating
The separation of the chocolate layer from the caramel layer is a common problem with Christmas cookies. Here are a few tips to prevent that from happening:
- Use chopped chocolate instead of chips, and the chocolate layer is more likely to stick. Chocolate chips have a non-melting coating to help them hold their shape. But when they melt, the coating can prevent the chocolate from sticking to the toffee.
- Avoid chocolates with a very high cocoa content. These chocolates are more prone to becoming brittle and separating from the cracker layer.
- Make sure your chocolate is completely melted So it’s ready to go when the salt and toffee layer is done.
- Allow the toffee layer to cool for 1 minute and no longer! The toffee must still be quite warm for the chocolate to stick. (If you forget and the caramel cools, just pop it back in the oven for a few minutes.
- If your chocolate doesn’t melt or spreads easily on the hot toffee (or caramel and crackers) in sheet pan, use hair dryer to re-melt chocolate until workable. Or place the pan in a 300°F oven for about a minute.
- Chill overnight in the fridge (not the freezer). Freezing means the layers are cooling rapidly, which can sometimes cause them to separate. If you must freeze them, allow the crackers to warm up for about 10 minutes before cracking open.
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, the chocolate will melt at a temperature that will shrink it as it hardens, peeling it away from the toffee layer. Try a different brand of chocolate next time.
Ways to customize this recipe
- Swap out the saltines for Ritz crackers, graham crackers, or other crackers
- Swap out the dark chocolate for another favorite chocolate. Or add a drizzle of white chocolate on top!
- While the chocolate is still melted, sprinkle 1/2 cup of chopped nuts, coconut flakes, shredded pretzels, dried fruit or anything else you like on top!
Get more ideas in this post: 5 Ways to Top Your Christmas Cracker Candy.
More easy holiday treats!
- Simple fantasy fudge
- Homemade Chocolate Truffles
- peanut brittle
- Peanut Butter Horse Chestnut Balls
- Chocolate covered pretzels
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Christmas cracker candy
Feel free to toss 1/2 cup chopped nuts or coconut flakes on top once you’ve poured the melted chocolate.
You can use darker chocolate with higher cocoa percentages, but these chocolates sometimes become brittle and separate from the cracker layer.
We recommend chilling this candy in the fridge overnight, as chilling in the freezer can cause the chocolate layer and cracker layer to separate if you break the candy. If you must freeze them, allow the crackers to warm up for about 10 minutes before cracking open.
ingredients
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28 to 35 Salt cracker (about a sleeve, enough to line your tray)
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1 Cup (220g) packed up dark brown sugar
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1 Cup (225 g or 2 sticks) unsalted butter
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1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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2 cups (10 to 12 ounces) chopped good quality Dark chocolate
method
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Preheat Oven to 400F:
Line a 10″ x 15″ jelly roll pan with non-stick aluminum foil (preferred) or regular heavy-duty foil, making sure the foil completely covers the bottom and sides of the pan. If using regular foil, spray lightly with baking spray. Lay the salt crackers on the bottom in a single layer.
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Prepare caramel sauce:
Place the brown sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until butter melts. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is simmering and beginning to darken. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
(Note: They’re not actually making real caramel here, so you don’t have to be that specific or worry about the temperature of the caramel. Just make sure it’s boiling and wait for it to darken slightly, then drive on away.)
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Pour the hot brown sugar mixture over the salt crackers:
Spread to evenly coat the crackers.
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Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 5 minutes:
The caramel will be hot and bubbly.
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Melt chocolate:
Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on full power in 30-second intervals, stirring between each cook time until chocolate is melted.
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Pour the chocolate over the baked crackers:
Once the crackers are done baking, remove from the oven and let cool 1 minute exactlyuntil the caramel stops bubbling. Then pour the melted chocolate over the crackers. Use a spatula to spread the chocolate evenly over it.
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Refrigerate the crackers overnight:
Allow the crackers to cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator and chill overnight.
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crack crackers:
The crackers will form a single sheet after cooling. Remove from the pan and carefully peel off the foil, being careful not to tear the foil. (If any pieces of foil tear and get stuck in the caramel, break off those pieces and discard them.) Using a chef’s knife, cut the candy into snack-sized pieces (you can also use your hands, but I find it easier with a knife).
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.
nutritional information (per serving) | |
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134 | calories |
9g | Fat |
14g | carbohydrates |
1g | protein |