Easiest Christmas Crack Toffee (No Oven, No Thermometer)

Why I Like This Recipe

• Simple ingredients. Sugar, butter, vanilla, chopped pretzels, and chocolate chips.
• Easy to customize. I like using chopped pretzels as a base, but you can still use Saltine crackers, which are the gold standard. You can also customize your toppings. Use milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate, and nuts or sprinkles.
• No candy thermometer. Christmas Crack Toffee isn't hard to make and uses pretty basic ingredients! This method doesn't even require a candy thermometer.
• No baking. Because traditional toffee is cooked to a higher temperature, it sets up quickly, and it isn't spreadable. This is why you undercook the mixture in traditional Christmas crack. The lower temperature keeps the toffee mixture spreadable, and then it finishes baking in the oven. It soaks into the crackers, while my version sits more on top. My version yields a slightly larger amount of the toffee mixture, eliminating the need to spread it over the crackers. Just pour it over the crackers and it will cover and harden quickly!
• Rich and crunchy. The bottom of my Christmas crack is crispier than normal since it is not soaking in a baked caramel mixture. Instead, the toffee mixture is poured on top and sets up quickly. A layer of crisp, salty pretzels topped with rich, buttery toffee. It's easy to bite into and has the best texture!

Tips and Tricks

1. Use a wooden spoon. Metal spoons will heat up as the mixture heats up. A good old-fashioned wooden spoon or silicone spatula works well, as they do not conduct heat.
2. Use a clean, dry pan for each new batch.
3. Use a 10" x 15" jelly roll pan. A 10"x15" jelly roll sheet pan is the perfect size for this recipe. If using a larger sheet pan, simply spread the pretzels out into a 10x15" rectangle and pour the mixture over the top to coat.
4. Cook at medium-high heat. Don't be afraid to crank the heat up once the mixture begins to simmer. This is not a low-and-slow recipe. It's HOT and fast. When I say medium-high that doesn’t mean medium or high, it’s in the middle of the two settings. On my stove, I cook it at a 6 or 7 out of 10 (higher than medium, but not on HIGH heat).
5. 5 minutes is a guide. I don't use a candy thermometer; I cook the mixture until it is the color of a brown paper bag, a rich brown. I always set a timer for 5 minutes once the mixture comes to a rolling boil and use that as a guide. If, after 5 minutes, your toffee still isn't the color of a brown bag, keep it on the stove for another minute. Every stove cooks differently.

Ingredients

• Butter: Use salted butter and DO NOT use margarine.
• Sugar: Granulated white sugar, not brown sugar.
• Vanilla
• Pretzels or crackers. You'll need a single layer of crackers (approximately 36-40 crackers—-I recommend breaking them up a bit ) or 6-8 ounces of chopped pretzels (of any variety). Use 6 ounces for fewer pretzels and more toffee throughout. Use 8 ounces for a thicker pretzel crust.
• Chocolate: The Christmas crack toffee is coated in melted chocolate. Use chocolate chips.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make The Easiest Christmas Crack Toffee

Before you dive into this recipe and make your first batch of toffee mixture, be sure to read through my entire post and the helpful tips. You can also watch the video in the recipe card or check out my Instagram highlight videos titled “Toffee” where I make a batch in real time.

Step 1: Line a baking sheet with foil. Cover with 6-8 ounces of roughly chopped pretzels or broken crackers. The amount that you use is up to you, but I recommend not using more than 8 ounces of pretzels (the amount shown in the pan). You want the toffee to evenly coat the pretzels to hold them all together, and it won't be able to do that if you overfill the pan.

Step 2: Heat butter, sugar, and vanilla in a heavy saucepan on medium heat until the butter is melted. Turn the temperature up to medium HIGH and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Set your timer for 5 minutes and DO NOT let ANYTHING disturb you while you stir. The photo above is what it looks like after stirring for two minutes.

Step 3: Keep stirring. After 4 minutes, it has lost its yellow color and is turning brown. It is also looking frothy. But it is not done until it has turned the color of a brown paper bag. It may look done, and you may think it is burning, but keep stirring until your timer goes off. It may even smoke a tiny bit, and that is ok. If you are really concerned, lift your pan off the burner (while you are still stirring) to remove it from the heat, but still stir until your timer goes off.

Step 4: After 5 minutes, it should be nice and brown. There is a definite difference between 4 and 5 minutes of cooking. That extra minute or two makes all the difference in the texture. It will go from a light brown foamy texture to a dark brown smooth texture. Remove from heat.

Step 5: Immediately pour hot toffee evenly over the chopped pretzels on the baking sheet. Do not scrape the bottom of the saucepan. As you pour, the bottom will brown, and you don't want that in your toffee. If you work quickly you can spread it before it begins to set up, if needed, but pouring it over the pretzels will get the job done.

Step 6: Let stand for a minute or two, then sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let the chocolate chips sit until shiny and soft, then spread them over the toffee using a spatula.

Step 7: Sprinkle with chopped nuts or sprinkles. Let it stand at room temperature until the pan is warm, not hot, then refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened.

Step 8: Once the chocolate is set, break the toffee into small pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Note: You can let the chocolate harden at room temperature or speed up the process by refrigerating. I do not recommend freezing, as that can sometimes cause the chocolate to fall off the toffee.

More Toffee Recipes To Make

MADE THIS RECIPE AND LOVED IT? 💛 Please leave a STAR rating and COMMENT below! Post it to Facebook or Pinterest to easily share with friends!