This is the best Christmas crack recipe because it's easy to make, super delicious, and quick! Add it to your cookie exchange next to other delicious holiday treats like these classic shortbread cookies and pecan bars!
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My mom taught me how to make this recipe at least 15 years ago and I've been making it since then! It's a true staple every Christmas and I usually make 2 or 3 batches of it because it's everyones favourite so I always want there to be extra!
It's one of the holiday treats that take up most of the space on the cookie trays I make for Christmas every year...it's usually just a mountain of Christmas bark in the middle of the tray, but no one ever complains lol!
All you need is a few basic ingredients to make this stuff, and the best part is you probably already have all of them in your kitchen.
Like all of Cup of Flour recipes, the goal is to make them approachable for you, with ingredients that will be accessible to you at any grocery store or that you likely conveniently already have. To learn more about how Cup of Flour can help you make recipes easily, check out the About page!
Some other holiday desserts I love adding to my Christmas trays and that you may also enjoy are these shortbread pecan bars, chocolate peppermint kiss cookies, shortbread cookies recipe, and thumbprint cookies with jam recipe too!
Why you'll love this recipe
- EASY: This is one of the easiest recipes you will ever make. You only need five ingredients, and It will take you all about 15 minutes to make!
- FESTIVE: Who doesn’t love Christmas crack during the holidays? It's what everyone looks and hopes for on the dessert table!
- DELICIOUS: This stuff is so good it’ll be hard to put down! The perfect balance of sweet and salty will make your taste buds tingle and your mouth water!
Ingredients
- CRACKERS: Soda crackers/saltine crackers with salted tops are the best crackers to use for Christmas crack. They have virtually no flavour, and the salt helps balance out the sweetness of the caramel and chocolate. Use 1 pack.
- BUTTER: Salted or unsalted butter will both work just as well. Choose your preference. This butter will help make the caramel layer. You will need 1 cup.
- BROWN SUGAR: This gets melted with the butter to make the delicious caramel in this recipe. Use 1 cup.
- VANILLA EXTRACT: This will add a hint of vanilla to the caramel. Use 1 teaspoon.
- CHOCOLATE CHIPS: This recipe uses semi-sweet chocolate chips because the caramel is quite sweet. So to avoid this recipe being overly sweet, semi-sweet chocolate seems to be the perfect option. For people who prefer milk chocolate, go ahead and use that instead. It tastes amazing, but it's just a tad sweeter. The choice is yours! Use 1 package (250 grams).
- PECANS: This might be the best part! You will need 1.5 cups of chopped pecans to sprinkle over the Christmas crack. Highly recommended to roast these in the oven beforehand, the roasted nutty flavour makes this recipe taste so much better.
Equipment
- BAKING SHEETS: 1 for roasting the pecans and 1 for preparing and baking the Christmas crack.
- SMALL POT: For making the caramel.
- SPATCHULA: For spreading the caramel and the chocolate chips over the crackers.
- MEASURING SPOONS AND CUPS: For measuring the ingredients.
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat oven to 350° F or 177° C. Prepare two baking sheets with tin foil and spray. Lay out the crackers on one of the prepared baking sheets and set it aside.
- Roast: Chop pecans and place them on the other baking sheet; roast in the oven for 3-5 minutes and then set them aside.
- Cook: In a small pot on medium heat, add the butter and brown sugar, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 5 minutes. Add vanilla extract and stir for 1 more minute as it boils. Pour caramel over the crackers, using a rubber spatula to distribute it evenly.
- Bake: Bake for 5 minutes, then immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot caramel as soon as it comes out of the oven. Give the chocolate chips 10-15 seconds to start melting, then slowly spread the chocolate chips out (they may take a few minutes to spread, but it will eventually all melt). Sprinkle the pecans over the melted chocolate.
- Chill: Rest at room temperature for 5 minutes and then place in the freezer for 1 hour or until completely frozen.
- Storage: Crack into pieces using your hands and store in an air-tight container in the fridge or the freezer.
Helpful Tips
- Roast the pecans. This really elevates the flavour of this Christmas crack. It gives a warm, toasty, festive roasted nut flavour that everyone is looking for during the holidays.
- Wait for the dessert to cool before cracking. It won’t crack properly and probably create quite a mess if you try to crack it while it's still warm and not fully solid.
- Keep the Christmas crack stored in the fridge or freezer. It's best to do this so the chocolate doesn’t melt at room temperature. It will be ready to eat from the fridge, and it will be ready in 5 minutes if taken to eat from the freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any nuts! Peanuts are an amazing alternative, and almonds and walnuts also taste great. Other options are crushed candy cane, sprinkles, m&ms, pretzels etc.
Store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
📖 Recipe
Best Christmas Crack Recipe
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 40 pieces
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This is the best Christmas crack recipe because it's quick and easy to make and incredibly delicious!
Ingredients
- Soda Crackers with Salted Tops (1 Pack)
- Butter, Salted or Unsalted (1 Cup)
- Brown Sugar (1 Cup)
- Vanilla Extract (1 Teaspoon)
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (1 Package, 250 grams)
- Pecans, Chopped (1.5 Cups)
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat oven to 350° F or 177° C. Prepare two baking sheets with tin foil and spray. Lay out the crackers on one of the prepared baking sheets and set it aside.
- Roast: Chop pecans and place them on the other baking sheet; roast in the oven for 3-5 minutes and then set them aside.
- Cook: In a small pot on medium heat, add the butter and brown sugar, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 5 minutes. Add vanilla extract and stir for 1 more minute as it boils. Pour caramel over the crackers, using a rubber spatula to distribute it evenly.
- Bake: Bake for 5 minutes, then immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot caramel as soon as it comes out of the oven. Give the chocolate chips 10-15 seconds to start melting, then slowly spread the chocolate chips out (they may take a few minutes to spread, but it will eventually all melt). Sprinkle the pecans over the melted chocolate.
- Chill: Rest at room temperature for 5 minutes and then place in the freezer for 1 hour or until completely frozen.
- Storage: Crack into pieces using your hands and store in an air-tight container in the fridge or the freezer.
Notes
Scroll up to the full blog post for FAQ and Tips.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: dessert, holiday
- Method: stove top, bake
- Cuisine: american
Susan says
My chocolate chips did not melt.Could they be old? Package says 2023.
Andrea says
Hi Susan! I'm so sorry to hear that this didn't work out for you. I don't think it would be the chocolate chips, they don't seem too old! The chocolate chips need to be sprinkled over the boiling caramel immediately after pulling it out of the oven (while it's super hot)! Usually the chocolate chips need 10-15 seconds to get melty and become spreadable, but it can take a little time to do the spreading as the chocolate chips are melting at the same time!