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Don’t let the name scare ya.
There are saltine crackers in my favorite toffee recipe and I’m not afraid to admit it.
So, what on earth is this stuff?
A bubbly toffee syrup poured over a single layer of saltine crackers, topped with peanut butter (oh yeah) and melted chocolate (YES!), covered with crushed M&Ms & sprinkles, chilled to sweet & salty perfection and broken into dozens of sticky pieces.
This stuff has been known as “Christmas Crack” because it’s quite addicting.
I first had this toffee a few years ago when a coworker brought it in for a holiday potluck. I was definitely hesitant to try it when I learned that crackers are the base layer. Never one to pass up a sweet & salty treat, I had my first bite and was in sticky toffee bliss. It’s completely irresistible – the chewy toffee sticks to your teeth and the salty crunchy saltines provide the most wonderful contrast to the sugar and chocolate.
Think of this as a salty, sweet, peanut butter-y Heath bar - but better.
Averie has made a version, Lindsay has made a version, and Christy has made a version.
It was time I revisited this luxurious holiday treat, so I whipped up a quick batch Saturday morning and have been knee deep in salty toffee bliss ever since.
If you’ve never made this stuff, you are in for a real treat. It is SO simple to make. First, spray your sheet pan generously with non-stick spray. Emphasis on “generous” here.
Start with a sleeve of saltine crackers. The salted variety, of course. Line them up on the sheet pan in one even layer, leaving some room between each cracker.
Take 2 sticks of butter and 1 cup of dark brown sugar – and boil them down into a thick caramel syrup for about 3 minutes. Clearly, we’re not dealing with diet food today. You may want to put on fat pants as the butter/sugar boils and carmelizes. 
Pour that buttery brown sugar caramelized glaze all over your crackers and stick in the oven at 400F for about 5 minutes. As the caramel glaze melts down into the crackers, get your melted peanut butter and chocolate chips ready to go. You’re going to layer these two on top of the toffee.
More often than not, I’ve seen this cracker toffee made without the peanut butter layer. Feel free to leave the peanut butter layer out, because the toffee is plenty good without it. However… if there’s chocolate involved, you better believe I’m adding peanut butter. 
At the 5 minute mark, remove the toffee from the oven and spread the melted peanut butter over top. Just WAIT until you smell the peanut butter melted all over the bubbling toffee. Uh-mazing.
Top the peanut butter with chocolate chips and return to the oven for about 1 minute. During this step, get your crushed M&Ms and sprinkles ready.
Remove the toffee from the oven and spread the melty chocolate chips around to form one solid, thick chocolate layer. You could also use Hershey’s bars or even white chocolate chips for the chocolate layer – go with what you have on hand.
Likewise, you may top the toffee with just about anything you have in your pantry. Or even leave the toffee plain. Mama Baking Addiction loves to buy me festive M&Ms for nearly every holiday, so I crushed up my abundance of green and red candy coated chocolates and used them as the final layer over the melty chocolate.
Oh, and a plethora of sprinkles go on top as well. Obviously.
The next part is the hardest part of all. Waiting. Make room in the freezer and chill the toffee for at least one hour. You could also chill in the refrigerator, but that will take a bit longer than 1 hour. I clearly have no patience for such an inconvenience, so into the freezer the toffee went.
The chilling is when all the magic happens. The layers adhere together, creating one sticky, crunchy, toffee oblivion.
Once the toffee is all set up after the chill time, break it into pieces – large or small. Nothing fancy or neat here; get your hands dirty!
Mmmm. The underside is nearly as pretty as the top.
The peanut butter slips through the cracks and hardens on the bottoms with the toffee.
I can’t even handle this stuff!
A simple ingredient list with practically no-baking involved and the end result is something THIS addicting? I truly wonder why I’ve never made it myself before.
PLUS – you probably already have all of these ingredient in your pantry right now. Have I convinced you yet? Go make this now. I promise you won’t regret it.
…your waistline might, but your tastebuds won’t.
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Ingredients
- One sleeve salted Saltine crackers
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (or light)
- 1 cup butter (salted or unsalted - go by preference)
- 2 and ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 6 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter, melted
- 1 cup crushed M&Ms
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Generously spray a half-sheet pan with cooking spray; set aside.
- Line saltines in the pan, leaving a little bit of room between each. Over medium heat, bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a large sauce pan. As it begins to boil, leave it alone without stirring for 3 minutes. Pour the boiling mixture over the crackers and bake for 5 minutes.
- As the toffee bakes, melt the peanut butter. Remove toffee from oven and pour the peanut butter over top, smoothing it in one even layer. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and return to the oven for 1 minute. Remove from the oven and smooth down the chocolate chips into one melted chocolate layer. Top with crushed M&Ms and sprinkles.
- Make room in the freezer and chill the toffee for at least 1 hour OR refrigerate for 2 hours. Once the toffee is set, break into pieces.
- Store toffee in an airtight container either in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Notes
*Recipe source: sallysbakingaddiction.com
© Sally’s Baking Addiction. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.
Go see the toffee on a few other blogs!
Here is Averie’s version & Lindsay’s version:
More easy, no-bake treats for the holidays? I got ya covered:
Cookies n Cream Peanut Butter Bark
Sweet & salty fiend? Same here:
Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Candied Nuts
Gooey Snickers Rice Krispie Treats with Salted Caramel
Sweet & Salty Potato Chip Toffee Cookies – the epitome of salty/sweet.
What are your initial thoughts on crackers in toffee?
Sounded crazy to me at first – but not much crazier than potato chips in cookies. (see above!) Between the sticky toffee, hardened peanut butter, sweet chocolate, and crunchy salty crackers – this stuff just “works!”
{ 92 comments… read them below or add one }
Ok I have a tiny story to tell you:
A few years ago I went through a phase where I ate saltines like…all the time. My boyfriend started to tease me and call them “Miracle Food”
That is no longer a joke. You made crazy amazing toffee with saltines, so obv. they are miracle food.
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) recently posted..Kristina and Kayle’s Cookie Exchange SILPAT GIVEAWAY!
That is TOO funny Kayle. To be 100% honest, I just went through like a 2 month stint were all my snacks were peanut butter and saltines. It started when I was sick in October and then I just couldn’t stop snacking on them when I was hungry! I adore saltines as well and yes… they are totally a miracle food. I honest-to-goodness think they go with everything!
Sally your toffee looks divine! The pics are tack sharp and love the sprinkles
It’s amazing what a nice, cool, normal room temperature type room will do for chocolate. Every.time.I.look at my saltine toffee pics I am reminded of the hot day in my Aruba house that I shot those pics. It was a good 90F that day…one year ago right now, actually. I am envious of how pretty your pics (and your toffee!) turned out!
Peanut butter is a welcome addition to anything, and so are saltines!
Averie @ Averie Cooks recently posted..Marshmallow Caramel Oreo Cookie S’Mores Bars
stop being so hard on yourself Averie, before you mentioned those photos earlier this year to me in an email, I honestly NEVER noticed the condensation when I silently stalked your blog. Honestly. I was not happy with these photos – I do feel they could have been better but given the lighting situation this week (read: NO lighting) – they took some editing to look normal again. I appreciate ALL of this though and I am glad they turned out clear.
I love Saltine crackers. Like, for a long time in high school, it was pretty much all I snacked on. And when I’m sick, I eat those instead of chicken noodle soup–it’s totally comforting! As a kid, I even ate them with butter and peanut butter as a dessert
haha you can say I’m obsessed! Anyway, I have a version of this toffee recipe given to me from a friend’s mom and while I’ve made it, I’ve never posted it! However, I think I’ll need to alter her recipe to add the PEANUT BUTTER. Buttery caramelized toffee + pb + chocolate–you better believe I’m all over this bad boy!
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel recently posted..Peppermint White Trash Candy
Holy cow! Christmas crack AMAZINGNESS!
Cassie | Bake Your Day recently posted..Mushroon & Feta Quinoa Cakes
Yes! I made this last year and nearly died. So. Stinkin. Good.
Karly recently posted..Chocolate Pecan Pie
The first time I trued this Karly, I literally could speak for a minute or two haha. It’s SO crazy how such simple ingredient can make something SO darn good.
Looks delicious. I have to cracker/toffee snacks I make. One we call brickle bars and it’s almost identical to your recipe except it uses graham crackers instead of saltines. The second is layers of Ritz or Club cracker with caramel, topped with chocolate. OMG YUM. Now I need to try this version too!!! DELISH.
Aimee @ ShugarySweets recently posted..Gingerbread Cupcakes and a Sweets & Treats Boutique Giveaway
i like sounds of the graham cracker “brickle bar” recipe Aimee! And the club crackers with caramel and chocolate – so simple and yet, sounds like the ultimate sweet/salty caramel indulgence. Yum!
I made a similar version of this over the weekend and it’s like CRACK!! I love it! I really like that you added peanut butter with yours – seriously, saltines and peanut butter are the best snacks ever, but then when you top with chocolate and caramel – it’s crack, I tell ya!
nice!! we are on the same wavelength Julie. I totally want some of your chocolate peppermint cookies from last week right about now.
These look easy and delicious. I can imagine they would be addictive. I’ve just opened up the mint chocolate chip brownies that have caught my eye too. There are too many treats to handle on here.
Sally – only gluten free baking recently posted..Hazelnut & Maple Christmas Cookies & Chocolate Cookies – Gluten Free
dangerously addicting Sally!! the salty/sweet gets me every time. You would love that Andes Mint Fudge. It’s not even that difficult to make!
Saltine crackers are a stable in my house. Always have them. Now I have one more thing to make with them!
The Witch’s Kitchen recently posted..Colder than a Witch’s…
I was just telling another reader that I’ve sort of been on a saltine cracker kick lately – snacking on them with peanut butter spread on top. They are a staple in my pantry too – didn’t even have to go to the store to buy them when I wanted to make this toffee.
Oh my goodness – major amazingness happening here. I actually haven’t had saltines in ages so this here is the perfect excuse to gobble them up during the holidays!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious recently posted..Clean-Out-The-Fridge Vegetable Frittata
I LOVE toffee!! I remember looking for a good recipe for it last year around Christmas. I’m so glad you shared yours – adding it to my list!!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet recently posted..Chocolate Drizzled Salted Caramel Popcorn {microwave style}
Anna, I think you’re going to find a winner with this toffee. I feel like we have the same tastebuds and I knwo you’d flip for this stuff. And it’s SO easy!
I love this bark SO much. Your pics are way better than mine though, lol. (As usual!)
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust recently posted..Crazy Sweet Tuesday {Sponsored by KICMount} & Giveaway
Dorothy, stop! Your photography is gorgeous, everyone has their own style! And I can see how hard you are working on yours. I look back on photos from just last month and cringe – it’s a constant “improvement journey”!
Ooooh, I’ve seen recipes for the saltine toffee before and I have been curious about trying it…I’m not one to pass up any kind of toffee!
This looks amazing, Sally. Your pics are fab, and your description of this toffee makes me want to head right upstairs to my kitchen and make some NOW.
Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl recently posted..Slow Cooker French Dip
I’m glad my description helps show off this toffee – I didn’t really know how to describe it besides sweet/salty/addicting.
YUM! I love me some toffee! I love how yours has sprinkles and peanut butter, it screams Sally!
Elizabeth @ Confessions of a Baking Queen recently posted..Andes Chocolate Chip Cookies
oh my goodness, thank you Elizabeth! I think you know me too well. Hand me peanut butter + sprinkles and I’m all set. Maybe some running shoes too, since I have no self control around either!!
I made Averie’s toffee last year and named it Christmas Crack because it was so addicting! I also made a white chocolate cranberry version yesterday which I am looking forwrad to sharing. But, I had a major problem with my foil sticking to the bottom. Does this ever happen to you? Suggestions?
Ps I also love your decorations!
luv what you do recently posted..Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
I do NOT suggest using foil. you do not have to line the baking pan – just spray generously with non-stick spray! Try that next time and let me know how it turns out!
I have all these ingredients yeah! Typically no saltines in the house but the flu just went through (ok tmi) but I have saltines and I just bought the Christmas M&M –so yeah can not wait for another Christmas treat addiction!!! I love the picture where you have the saltines layered in between – cute!
angela @ anotherbiteplease recently posted..{meatfree monday} kale chips
Thanks Angela! Have I overloaded your inbox yet today? I’m glad you like that little cracker/toffee layered picture. I was being corny with the photo shoot.
I hope you’re feeling better!
lol…I think I’ve kept you busy! haha I like “corny” pictures…
Angela @ AnotherBitePlease recently posted..oatmeal creme pie cookies
You’re not kidding on the fat pants with this one, Sally. I’ll admit I’m a little nervous to try these because I’m afraid I won’t be able to put them down! It will sadly have to wait until I have more mouths to feed!
Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen recently posted..Giant Peppermint Oreos
I made this toffee for Kevin to bring into work and for a get-together. Of course, after I saved a huge ziplock bag of it for the apartment! And now, I can’t stop breaking off little pieces when I open the fridge. Oh well.
We are so on the same page right now! I just made toffee last night… although I made it too late to try any… booo. Is it bad that I am already thinking about it this morning and haven’t even had breakfast yet? Clearly I have my priorities : )
Ashley recently posted..Baked Goat Cheese with Cranberries and Pistachios
I won’t judge you if you have a piece before breakfast. Or if you have a piece FOR breakfast. On Sunday, I had a piece with my coffee. And then was all sugared up for the morning lol!
I have totally made something similar to this before, and boy, is it good! Yours looks just perfect!!!!! What an amazing flavor combo
Colleen @ What’s Baking in the Barbershop?! recently posted..Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon, Egg, and Tomato
Hey Colleen!! I agree – the flavors of salty crackers, creamy peanut butter, melty chocolate, and sticky caramel – unbeatable. I cannot resist this stuff!!
Oh my goodness, these are too pretty! Great pictures, as always, but I love the festive look to them! Maybe you need to get yourself a blast chiller since you often mention the difficulty of waiting for things to chill before or after baking…heck, maybe we ALL need blast chillers!
A blast chiller!!! YES! Caley, you read my mind. I hate hate HATE waiting around for my fudge, toffee, etc etc to set up as it chills! I clearly have no patience.
I’ve had these without the peanut butter and they were to die for…. can’t wait to try it with the PB! I love how you suggest other recipese at the end of your post. It reminds me of the treats I still want to try. Love your blog!
thank you for the sweet comment Meredith! I love this toffee with or without peanut butter. But I prefer the latter.
Let me know if you make any of the goodies I linked up to!
I made this last year and I almost died. I have to physically remove myself from it!! So dang good!
Katrina @ In Katrina’s Kitchen recently posted..Easy Peppermint Buttercream Cake Mix Cookies
I love the peanut butter and chocolate twist! And I’m all about easy recipes this time of year. And the sprinkles…so festive and pretty. Perfect recipe, Sally!
Elaine @ Cooking to Perfection recently posted..Blueberry Orange Muffins
easy, festive, pb & chocolate – yep that meets all of my preferred holiday baking requirements too. Thanks Elaine!
Love it love it love it! This actually reminds me of a peppermint bark recipe I tried last year where the base is chocolate graham crackers. I bet you would love it, too!
http://threemanycooks.com/recipes/sweet-treats/new-and-improved-peppermint-bark/
mmm Lizzie, that sounds SO good! I have to check that out and try it!
I have a feeling I shouldn’t have visited your blog today, ha! Evey little treat looks amazing! Pretty sure I need to try a few out prior to Christmas…
http://lyndajanecakes.blogspot.co.uk/
x
Lynda recently posted..Festive Fondant Fancies
well, I am glad you visited any way.
Let me know which treats you make, if any! Happy Baking!
I love salty & sweet snacks, they are the BEST! Love the holiday sprinkles on top, very festive.
Herbivore Triathlete recently posted..Tabatas and How They Can Be Used for Swim Workouts
I have a ton of holiday sprinkles to use up and this toffee seemed like the perfect landing spot for them.
yes. yes!
Katie @ Oh Shine On recently posted..Candy Cane Peppermint Brownies
I think this may be a Baltimore or Maryland thing, because I had never heard of these until my family moved here and a friend of mine made these. (Although sadly without the addition of peanut butter and sprinkles. But they were still good, albeit a bit too sugary.)
I had it before when I lived in a different state, but the popularity of this recipe is really hit or miss. I have people saying “of course I know what that is!” and others saying they have never heard of such a thing! The salty crackers counteracted the sweetness for me, but yes.. they are high in sugar!
The only way saltine toffee could’ve been better is with peanut butter!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie recently posted..Creamy Ricotta Spinach & Shells
It really is like Christmas Crack! Salty saltines with melty chocolate. Yours looks so great, especially love the sprinkles!
Meghan @ After the Ivy League recently posted..Fall Bucket List – Revisited
This looks so yummy
Salt & sweet is amazing (I guess that’s why I like salted popcorn with chocolate buttons sprinkled over!) This is going on the list as well, will now have to hunt out the UK version of saltines!
Joy @ Baking-Joy recently posted..Apple crumble cinnamon muffins
salted popcorn with chocolate buttons???? MUST MAKE. Thanks for that amazing idea Joy!! You could use any salty cracker in this recipe, really!
i love this stuff! but i’ve usually only had it with chocolate. love that you used both chocolate & pb!
sarah k @ the pajama chef recently posted..Streuseled Cran-Apple Sweet Potato Casserole
chocolate and peanut butter – would you expect anything less? Glad you like the sounds of it Sarah!
Literally salivating reading this recipe! This toffee looks so festive and fun and I can’t believe how easy it seems to make! I am adding it to my list to make!
Mercedes recently posted..Peanut Butter Cup Fudge
This is insane but i am going to try it. Yum.
Give it a try, Kelly… I think you may be surprised
Whoa, Sally! This is brilliant!!! I think this would be perfect for my holiday party dessert table this weekend! xx
Ashley recently posted..Big Breakfast Latkes & Espresso Dark Chocolate Covered Matzo
can i come to your holiday party? and plop myself next to the dessert table?!?! Noone will know I’m there. But the desserts may disappear…
Saw you post these on Instagram last night and knew I needed to check it out! It’s funny, as you described all the crazy stuff going on in this toffee, I was thinking “kitchen sink toffee” but I much prefer the name Christmas Crack, ha! Love that it is no bake, too! I’m actually thinking of doing a no-bake Christmas treats week!
Liz (Little Bitty Bakes) recently posted..Soft Sugar Cookie Bars
Just realized it isn’t no bake… you made it look so easy!
Liz (Little Bitty Bakes) recently posted..Soft Sugar Cookie Bars
lol! well, it is practically no-bake! only a few short mins in the oven! most of the magic happens in the freezer
kitchen sink toffee- i love that name!
So festive and fun Sally! I’ve had something like this with saltines and it was INSTANT love. The salty crunch with all those sweet flavors is nothing short of amazing!
Reeni recently posted..Chicken Pot Pie Soup
I’d normally be skeptical about saltines in dessert but your pics and words have convinced me that this would be awesome even without the chocolate.
Laura Dembowski recently posted..Pecan Pie Cookies
Maybe try it with white chocolate, Laura? That sounds yummy! Or even with no chocolate – that’s good in my book too
Hi, did/could you make this on top of a silpat for easy cleanup or is that not recommended? Thanks!
A silpat will work, Susan – but toffee may get stuck to the sides of the baking pan (just a warning!). I just used non-stick spray (very generous amount) which was quite simple.
It’s currently sitting in my fridge till I get off work. *crosses fingers that it doesn’t stick too much*
Susan, how’d it turn out? Hope you’re enjoying it!
Very sweet, and I accidentally put in double the peanut butter by mistake because I forgot to halve it halved the recipe. but delicious nonetheless
It also didn’t stick too much:D
i’ve made these before, but without peanut butter. your addition of peanut butter puts these over the top!! love them, sally!`
Hey Katie! Thanks so much – I’ve had it without peanut butter too (sooo good).. but PB definitely is like the cherry on top
I made a basic version of these, yours look wayyyy better though! The addition of peanut butter…duh. Why didn’t I think of that?!
it’s not the prettiest dessert, so don’t feel bad about yours not looking so great Maddie! Thanks so much for saying that though – and peanut butter… i mean… can you really go wrong adding it?!
OMG!!! I just made this and after tasting them, I was texting/calling friends and family to tell them how amazing they are! I made a similar version from a Trader Joe’s sample last month, but it has nothing on this! I love how versatile it is. I’m already thinking a mixture of chocolate peanut butter chips and halloween sprinkles! You could really put anything on top. Also, my son has braces and is so sad he can’t eat toffee this year. He’s going to be thrilled that these are crunchy, but not “hard”, (if that makes sense), so he can eat them. There should really be a warning on your recipe though….they are highly addictive!
oh my goodness kimberly, thank you so so much for the sweet comment! It means a ton to me and I am SO glad you and your son can enjoy this. You’re right – this stuff is SO versatile. Any and all kinds of toppings like reese’s pieces, sprinkles, candy bars, butterscotch chips – anything! And yes, it is SO addicting. Hard to stop at just one bite. Thank you for writing in and let me know if you make any other recipes
Hi Sally! What type of Peanut Butter do you use?
Hi Susie! I use Jif Creamy for this recipe.
I made these today and they were sooo yummy! My husband was eating them out of the pan as I was breaking them apart! Thanks for sharing.
Nicole recently posted..White Christmas Painted Wood Sign
That’s what we did too – stealing pieces off as we broke it all apart. This will be a recipe we’ll make each year and I’m happy you both loved it too!
Man… I hate recipes like this because I can. not. stop. eating.
Getting out of here before I can no longer resist the urge to get up from bed and go to the kitchen…
Erin @ Texanerin Baking recently posted..Soft and Chewy Grain- and Gluten-free Gingerbread Men
If its sweet and sticky I am in. I’m crazy about peanut butter too. I absolutely love your recipes, two thumbs up!
Ben Coors recently posted..Mental Illness • Are carbs bad for my mental health?
Hi Ben! Thanks so much – you are so sweet. Glad you like this recipe too!
Love, love, LOVE these! I made them at Christmas and again at Valentines day. So easy, so yummy! My sister made me send her the recipe after she and her daughter ate half of my tray! I will have to see what odds n ends I have laying around…pretzels, m&ms, PB cups, caramel chocolate…I’m good!
So good – I love this toffee too Tasha!
I tried these this yesterday. They were delicious! The only trouble that I had was melting the chocolate chips on top of the rest of the ingredients. It did not melt enough in 1 min to spread around. I had to put it back in for a couple more minutes. I did finally get it to spread and added the M&M’s and sprinkles. LOVED IT! I will definitely make these again!
Hi Jennifer! So glad you loved this toffee. It’s so good, especially considering how easy it is!
a little too much peanut butter never hurt anyone.
Glad it didn’t stick!