I first encountered this on a dessert table at a Christmas concert a few years ago and oh my goodness I was in love. Light and crunchy with that irresistible combination of salty and sweet this is highly addictive and so sometimes labeled as Christmas “crack”, but it is a super easy recipe you can make any time you want to have something delicious and sweet to eat while binge-watching, say, the Great British Baking Show…anyone else get sugar cravings watching that show? just me?

This is a perennial favorite for holiday eating and giving, thus the “Christmas” in the name, but really, when is it EVER a wrong time of year for salty-sweet-chocolatey-caramel yumminess?? Giving tins of this away will make you VERY popular! Toffee is my favorite candy in all the world and this has all the goodness of toffee and none of the trouble. It is essentially foolproof so no worries about it turning out too gummy or tooth-shatteringly solid.

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The cracker base gives the caramel layer a toffee-like crispy crunch without the finickiness of real caramel or toffee or the need for a candy thermometer or any familiarity with things labelled “soft ball stage, or hard crack stage” LOL. An easy-peasy and very satisfying way to get your toffee fix.

And with 4 ingredients you probably have on hand anyway, you can make it whenever the mood strikes. Just this morning the mood struck here and we happened to have an unopened sleeve of saltines just BEGGING for a higher use…They were two rows short of filling the pan so the topping was a little thicker than it otherwise would be, but that is never really a bad thing!

Christmas Cracker Candy Recipe

from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

Saltine crackers (about 48 will fill a half sheet size baking pan)

2 sticks of unsalted butter

1 cup dark brown sugar - any brown sugar will do, but I like the flavor with the dark brown sugar best

1/4 tsp salt - if you use salted butter, then skip this

1 tsp vanilla - some recipes don’t bother with this…so if you don’t have any, it’s apparently not mission critical

12 oz chocolate chips - I like to use semisweet, but you can try milk or bittersweet too - caution: I’ve read repeatedly that anything with more than 60% cacao may have trouble sticking to the caramel

Directions

Preheat oven to 400’. Line a half sheet size baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Lay a single layer of saltines fitted tightly together into the pan to form the base of the candy. Combine butter, salt and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often until melted and boiling. Continue stirring, boiling for 5 more minutes - it will thicken and darken slightly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour caramel mixture over saltine layer using a spatula to spread evenly. Bake in heated oven for 5 minutes until the caramel is bubbly. Meanwhile melt the chocolate chips in a bowl set over a pan of hot water or, if you are a lazy cook like me, in a Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave. Remove the pan from the oven and let set for 1 minute to stop bubbling (I accidentally skipped this and it made for a little messier surface, but still delicious!) . Spread melted chocolate over the entire surface evenly - an offset spatula makes this easy, but any spatula or the back of a spoon will work too. Let cool completely in the fridge, then break apart into chunks to serve, give, or eat!

Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week (if it lasts that long), or if you want to hide it, store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Variations

We like this just as is, but you can get creative with toppings - just sprinkle them over the top of the chocolate immediately after spreading. Options to try include:

• Toasted chopped nuts like almonds or pecans or macadamias

• Crushed peppermint candy pieces

• Mini M & M’s

• Holiday sprinkles

• Sea salt flakes

• A drizzle of white chocolate

• Chopped dried fruit like apricots or cranberries

• Chopped candied ginger

• Chopped candied orange peel

• Sweetened coconut flakes

Package in decorative tins, boxes, or cellophane bags tied with ribbon for Holiday Gift Giving (click on images below for links).

Enjoy!