Easy Cracker Toffee is a simple toffee recipe made with saltine crackers, butter, sugar, chocolate & nuts! Perfect sweet & salty Christmas dessert for anyone who loves toffee.
Easy Cracker Toffee only takes about 15 minutes total and is so simple – no candy thermometer required! I make toffee every single year during the holidays. It’s one of my favorite treats! Every year I tend to make one classic Toffee recipe, then a variation- like my Cashew Toffee. This year I needed something a little faster and simpler- so I made this Cracker Toffee! I made a video showing just how it’s done; it’s so easy to make.
What is cracker toffee?
Cracker Toffee is a variation on a classic toffee recipe that’s made with a layer of saltine crackers at the base of the toffee recipe. The toffee is first boiled until it’s nearly at hard crack temp, then you pour it over crackers and finish cooking it in the oven. While in the oven, the toffee actually spreads over the surface of the crackers as well as underneath. You’ll top the toffee with chocolate chips and chopped nuts. The result is a delicious, softer toffee recipe with a great sweet/ salty flavor.
How to make Cracker Toffee
To make Cracker Toffee you’ll first start by heating up the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan on the stove. You want it to come to a full, rolling boil so turn the heat up to medium high.
While you’re waiting for the butter and sugar to begin boiling, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, then arrange en entire sleeve of saltine crackers over the surface of the pan. Measure out the chocolate chips and chopped nuts and set aside.
Once the butter mixture is boiling hard, set a timer for 3 minutes and stop stirring. When the time’s up, pour the mixture over the saltine crackers. Don’t worry if they’re not all covered, it will spread while baking. Place pan in the oven and bake for 7 minutes.
Take it out of the oven and sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Return to the oven for 2 minutes.
Spread the chocolate using a rubber scraper, then sprinkle the chopped nuts on top. Let cool to set. Cut into squares and enjoy!
What crackers to use in cracker toffee?
Most cracker toffee recipes use saltine crackers and this is my most preferred cracker to use in cracker toffee. However, I’ve also used Ritz crackers and Club crackers with amazing results! You can use graham crackers too, but I prefer using a salted cracker as the sweet/ salty combination is wonderful! I use the regular Saltine crackers, not the low sodium or whole wheat.
What pan do you use to make cracker toffee?
When you make cracker toffee, you’ll use two pans: a medium sized saucepan and a 10×15 jelly roll pan. A jelly roll pan is essentially a cookie sheet with sides. Sides are important in this recipe because when the toffee is in the oven, it bubbles up, over and around the crackers and they tend to move a bit. If you don’t use a pan with sides, I worry some of the pieces would fall off the pan and make a big mess in your oven!
Easy Saltine Cracker Toffee recipe
- 1 sleeve regular saltine crackers
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread parchment paper over a cookie sheet. {It’s actually a jelly-roll pan– a cookie sheet with sides. Sides are important!}
- In a saucepan combine the sugar and the butter. Bring to a full, rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. A full, rolling boil is one that doesn’t let up once you stir it. Once it’s really boiling, set your timer for 3 minutes and stop stirring. After 3 minutes, immediately pour over saltines. Do your best to pour some on each cracker, but don’t worry about covering each one completely.
- Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 7 minutes. Once it’s been in the oven for 2-3 minutes, it will start to bubble. This is when the candy will cover the crackers on its own. They’ll also move around a bit, so you can see why it’s important to have a bit of excess parchment paper up around the sides.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Put back in the oven for 2 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 1-2 minutes.
- Spread melted chocolate over toffee and top with chopped nuts. Cool completely and break into pieces. Enjoy!
Try some of our other easy Christmas Dessert recipes:
- Easy Peanut Clusters
- Soft Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookie Bites
- Layered Christmas Jello Cups
- Tiger Butter Fudge
- Gingerbread Cookie Bites
- Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- Eggnog Cookies
EASY CRACKER TOFFEE
Ingredients
- 1 sleeve Saltine crackers
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread parchment paper over a cookie sheet. {It’s actually a jelly-roll pan- a cookie sheet with sides. Sides are important!}
- In a saucepan combine the sugar and the butter. Bring to a full, rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. A full, rolling boil is one that doesn't let up once you stir it. Once it's really boiling, set your timer for 3 minutes and stop stirring.
- After 3 minutes, immediately pour over saltines. Do your best to pour some on each cracker, but don’t worry about covering each one completely.
- Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 7 minutes. Once it’s been in the oven for 2-3 minutes, it will start to bubble. This is when the candy will cover the crackers on its own. They’ll also move around a bit, so you can see why it’s important to have a bit of excess parchment paper up around the sides.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Put back in the oven for 2 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 1-2 minutes.
- Spread melted chocolate over toffee and top with chopped nuts. Cool completely and cut into pieces. Enjoy!
Video
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How to store Cracker Toffee
Store your cracker toffee in an airtight container on the countertop. It stays fresh for about a week, although it tastes the best the first 3-4 days.
Can you freeze Cracker Toffee?
I do not recommend freezing cracker toffee. The mixture will soften and it won’t have the correct texture once you thaw it out.
Cathy says
Loved this recipe!! Turned out perfect!!
Alison says
Thanks so much Cathy!
Vivian Hall says
Why did my toffee get sugary??
Olivia says
Sometimes the sugar can crystalize, which is what makes it seems sugary.
There are couple things you can do to avoid this:
First, make sure the sugar is completely dissolved before the mixture boils.
Second, avoid stirring syrup once it begins to boil for three minutes.
Kelly Lynch says
Made 2 pans and both stuck to the wax paper. A lot of wasted ingredients
Jessica says
You were supposed to use parchment paper, not wax paper, just FYI.
Roberta Eck says
These are excelent.
Annette says
I have used this recipe several years. I have used Saltines, Waverlys, and Club Crackers….and when I can find the the Big Square Cheese It crackers are fantastic too!
Patricia W. says
Made these before. Big hit.
Jessica says
Right?! I agree!
Lorraine Granger says
Easy to make and tastes amazing