Christmas Crack Toffee

Broken pieces of Christmas crack on a baking sheet.

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This no-bake, easy Christmas crack recipe utilizes a simple boil-and-pour method. No need to bake, and the texture is crisp and delicious!

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

cooling toffee and cooling chocolate1

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 214kcal

Author: Brandy Nelson

Equipment

baking sheet
foil
sturdy pan
wooden spoon
measuring cup
measuring spoons
spatula

Ingredients

1 ½ cups butter (salted) 3 sticks (DO NOT use margarine)
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6-8 ounces chopped pretzels
11 ounces milk chocolate chips
½ cup chopped nuts pecans

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with foil. Spread chopped pretzels evenly over the pan. Set aside.
Melt butter, sugar, and vanilla in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted. Turn the temperature up to medium-high and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a rolling boil.
Set your timer for 5 minutes and DO NOT let ANYTHING disturb you while you stir using a wooden spoon. You must keep stirring your butter/sugar mixture so that it does not burn.
Keep stirring until your timer goes off. It may even smoke a tiny bit, and that is okay. If you are really concerned, lift the pan off the burner (while you are still stirring) to remove it from the heat, but continue stirring until your timer goes off and the toffee has reached the color of a brown paper bag. The toffee will transition from a light brown, foamy texture to a dark brown, smooth texture.
Immediately pour hot toffee over the chopped pretzels. Do not scrape the bottom of the pan. As you pour, the bottom will brown, and you don’t want that in your toffee.
Fill your pan with hot water and set it aside. It will start dissolving the toffee left inside and make it easier to clean.
Sprinkle chocolate chips over the toffee mixture. Let sit for a few minutes to allow the chocolate to soften.
Use a spatula to spread the melted chocolate chips evenly over the toffee. Sprinkle with chopped nuts or sprinkles.
Allow toffee to cool at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before transferring to the refrigerator to cool completely and allow the chocolate to harden.
Break into bite-sized pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Video

Notes

Here are some more helpful hints for making this English toffee recipe.

Use a WOODEN spoon.
Use a clean, dry pan for each new batch.
Cook over high- medium/high. (My stove is gas and tends to cook really hot, really fast. So I usually drop the heat to medium for my toffee, but in years past, when I had an electric flat top stove, med-high worked best.)
The 5-minute cook time is just a guide. If you hit 5 minutes and your toffee still isn't the color of a brown paper bag, add an extra minute. Cook times vary on each stove.

Nutrition