There's a reason why it's called "Christmas Crack!"

This buttery, crispy, chocolate-covered treat is so good, you can even give it out as a gift. The best part is, you just need a handful of ingredients and a few minutes in the oven. It's highly addicting, so keep it away from anyone on a diet.

Recipe: Toffee Cracker Brittle

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup salted butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 box of saltine crackers (you will use about 1.5 sleeves per batch)
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet with a layer of non-stick or heavy-duty foil and layout your saltines in a single layer. To cover the whole sheet, you may need to break some crackers in half and fill in all the gaps. Set the cookie sheet aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and brown sugar on high—it should take about 90 seconds. Stir well to make sure that all of the sugar dissolves. Continue to microwave, 30 seconds at a time, and stir vigorously until you have a homogenous caramel with no visible layer of butter on top. Microwave one last time for 2 minutes, stir and pour over the crackers. Quickly spread the toffee mixture over the prepared cookie sheet with a spatula, being careful not to dislodge any crackers.

Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven, and sprinkle on the chocolate chips. Let the chocolate melt into the toffee for 5 minutes, then spread it evenly with a knife. You can leave it plain or top the whole thing with nuts, sprinkles, or even cracker crumbs. Be sure to add the toppings while the chocolate is still warm, or they might fall off later.

Cool for at least two hours before breaking the brittle up into rough shards. Don't worry, it doesn't break cleanly into cracker-sized squares, so it's not just you! Store leftovers (if there are any) in an airtight container. 

cracker brittle

Variations:

  • You can use any kind of chocolate you'd like: dark, white, and milk chocolate all work well in this recipe. Stay away from cheaper "candy melt" coatings and purchase the best quality chocolate you can.
  • Light brown sugar is important to get the toffee flavor just right. Don't use dark brown sugar, as it will change the taste.
  • You can make the caramel on the stovetop if you prefer to go old school. When the butter and sugar mixture comes to a rolling boil over medium heat, let it go for 3 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
  • The toffee mixture works really well with crackers, nuts, or even pretzels. The base of this brittle should be something crisp and salty, but you can use almost anything you have in the pantry.

Once you've made this classic Christmas treat, you'll be hooked. Anyone who receives it as a gift will ask about it year after year, so be prepared to keep cranking it out!

**Photos by Sarina Petrocelly

Have you ever tried making cracker brittle? What are your favorite toppings? Let us know in the comments!

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