Fire up your pellet grill to make a batch (or two) of Christmas crack saltine toffee. The buttery, crispy, chocolatey treat is great any time of year.
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Table of Contents
What is Christmas crack?
Christmas crack is a holiday candy popular in the U.S. Some people also call it saltine cracker toffee because it’s basically saltine crackers layered with crunchy toffee and chocolate.
It’s the perfect sweet and salty treat.
This Christmas crack recipe is a little different because I make it on the pellet grill to add a touch of smoky flavor.
It shouldn’t be mistaken with British Christmas crackers, which are paper tubes filled with small toys or sayings.
Ingredients
- Saltines: One sleeve usually has 35-40 crackers, depending on the brand.
- Salted Butter: Use real butter cut into pieces. Don’t use the stuff you scrape out of a tub. While I like salted butter, you can also use unsalted butter and then add a pinch of salt.
- Chocolate Chips: You can use bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips. Just be sure to grab a high-quality brand so they melt well. I used Ghirardelli bittersweet (dark chocolate chips) for everything pictured in this post.
- Brown Sugar: You can use dark brown sugar or light brown sugar. I prefer dark brown sugar because it’s richer with molasses.
See the full recipe card below for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to make Christmas crack on a pellet grill
It’s important to cook this recipe at a high heat, because the toffee needs to reach a high temperature to reach the hard-crack stage in candy making.
Set your pellet grill to 400F degrees with an indirect heat zone. Hickory or cherry wood pellets taste great with this easy recipe.
You can also smoke this on any other style grill. Just make sure you set it up with an indirect heat zone so you don’t burn the toffee. Or bake this in a 400-degree oven.
- STEP ONE: Line a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner. You can also use aluminum foil coated with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange a single layer of saltine crackers in seven rows of five, centering them on the pan.
- STEP TWO: Place the sugar and butter in a medium saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat. Stir it occasionally so the butter melts and mixes in with the sugar. It should come to a rolling boil and turn amber. This will take about 7 minutes.
PRO TIP: To make sure your toffee is ready, you can check the temperature with a candy thermometer or instant-read meat thermometer. You want the temperature to be between 235-240F degrees, which is soft-ball stage.
- STEP THREE: Pour the buttery toffee mixture over the crackers and spread it evenly with a spatula. There is no need to spread it to the sides of the pan. You just need it to cover the crackers.
- STEP FOUR: Place the pan on your pre-heated grill and close the lid. Cook for 5 minutes.
The candy should start to bubble around the edges. This is how you know it’s getting hot enough.
- STEP FIVE: After the five minutes, sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the toffee. It may look like you don’t have enough, but you do. Close the lid and smoke for 3 more minutes.
- STEP SIX: Remove the pan from the grill. Using an offset spatula or back of a spoon, spread the melted chocolate across the top, covering the crackers.
- STEP SEVEN: Sprinkle the chocolate layer with your favorite toppings. Let the pan rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Then, place it in the fridge until the chocolate has hardened.
PRO TIP: Some great toppings include crushed candy canes, nuts, holiday sprinkles and sea salt.
How to serve Christmas crack
Christmas crack gets its name because it’s made with crackers, and when you break it, it cracks because of the toffee candy.
To serve this saltine cracker candy recipe, break it into pieces.
This Christmas crack toffee makes great holiday gifts. Simply break a few pieces, place them in a decorative bag and tie with a pretty bow. Or add them to a holiday treat box with other Christmas candy and cookies.
Storage
Store leftover Christmas crack in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up a week. For best results, layer the pieces between sheets of wax paper or parchment so it doesn’t melt together.
GCG Pro Pitmaster Tips
- Line your baking sheet before adding crackers
- Be sure to cook the toffee to soft-ball stage (235-240F degrees)
- You want the toffee to bubble when it’s in the smoker
- Don’t leave the chocolate chips on the smoker too long
Frequently Asked Questions
Christmas crack is made with saltine crackers, toffee and chocolate. The toffee is made by melting together brown sugar and butter. You can also add a variety of toppings to the candy.
No. It should crack like hard candy. If your Christmas crack candy is chewy, it’s because the toffee didn’t cook long enough. It needs to reach the soft-ball stage in the pot and then the hard-crack stage when it’s on the smoker.
No. You can leave Christmas crack at room temperature; however, the chocolate may start to melt. To keep it extra crispy, store it in the refrigerator.
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Christmas Crack Saltine Toffee
Ingredients
- 35 saltine crackers
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, semi-sweet or bittersweet
Topping Options
- crushed candy canes
- nuts
- holiday sprinkles
- coconut
- sea salt
Instructions
- Heat Smoker: Heat your smoker to 400F degrees with an indirect heat zone.
- Prep: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spread the saltine crackers in a single layer in the center of a pan in seven rows of five.
- Make Toffee: Place the sugar and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. The toffee should come to a rolling boil and turn amber. See above for more details.
- Layer 1: Spread the toffee onto the crackers.
- Smoke: Place the pan on the smoker and smoke for 5 minutes. The toffee should be bubbling.
- Layer 2: Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the toffee. Smoke for 3 more minutes.
- Spread: Use an offset spatula to spread the melted chocolate over the toffee.
- Top: Sprinkle on your favorite toppings.
- Chill: Let the pan cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then, refrigerate it until the chocolate hardens.
- Serve: Remove the pan from the fridge and crack into pieces.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
