Halloween cracker candy is a fun riff on the famously irresistible Christmas candy made with Saltine crackers, caramel, chocolate and colorful holiday candies!
If you’re like me and you can’t resist stocking up on Halloween candy way before it’s necessary, Halloween cracker candy is a great recipe for you. You’ll make a dent in your stash and have a wonderful treat to share, too.
My Halloween cracker candy is a seasonal variation on Christmas Cracker Candy (aka Christmas Crack) made from a simple combination of saltine crackers, caramel, and chocolate. A base layer of crackers is topped with homemade caramel, then covered with melted chocolate creating a crunchy, sweet, and salty treat that is both easy to make and highly addictive. It’s topped with nuts, sprinkles, and/or candies ~ in this case we’re using Halloween themed sprinkles and candy.
How to make Halloween cracker candy step by step
step 1. Prep pan and arrange Saltine crackers over the surface.
Line your baking pan completely with non stick foil, or spray regular foil with nonstick spray. This is important to allow your candy to release from the foil later. Arrange Saltines in a single layer over the entire surface. Break crackers to fit any gaps if necessary, you want a more or less solid layer across the bottom of the pan.
step 2. Pour hot caramel over the crackers, spread gently to the edges and briefly bake
A quick brown sugar and butter caramel sauce is made in a saucepan, then poured all over the salty crackers. Pour carefully so you don’t dislodge the crackers. (You can gently nudge them back into place with the tip of a spoon if necessary.)
step 3. Add chocolate pieces over the hot caramel layer
Immediately sprinkle chopped chocolate, chopped chocolate melting wafers, or chips over the hot caramel. You can even used squares of Hershey’s bars, like I did with my Toffee Cookie Bars. Let sit for about 3 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt.
step 4. Spread the chocolate out
Take an offset spatula and spread the now melted chocolate into a creamy layer of across the pan. If, for any reason, you waited too long to do this and your chocolate isn’t soft, pop the pan in the oven to reheat it.
step 5. Top with Halloween candy
Sprinkle your Halloween candy and sprinkles across the warm chocolate and gently press down larger pieces to make sure the toppings adhere well to the surface, otherwise they may pop off when you slice the candy.
step 6. Let set up before cutting or breaking into pieces
Let your Halloween cracker candy cool to room temperature, then you can refrigerate until chilled and firm. I like to leave mine overnight, but that isn’t necessary. Remove the whole slab from the pan and peel off the foil. Slice into pieces. I find it cuts easily with a large knife.
This is a fun treat for kids and adults alike, just swap out the types of candy toppings for your specific taste. Kids love colorful crazy toppings, but for adults I think it would be fun to use mini Reese’s and mini candy bars.
tips and tricks for Halloween cracker candy
Be sure to spray your foil (or use special non-stick foil.) This is to ensure that you can remove the candy from the foil when it has hardened up. Nobody wants a mouthful of foil!
Be sure to cover the entire surface of your pan with Saltines, even if you have to break some to fill in gaps. You need to completely cover the surface of the pan to form a base for the hot caramel sauce.
You can melt your chocolate topping separately in the microwave if you prefer, and then drizzle and spread it over the hot candy. Microwave on high for one minute, then stir. Use 15 second bursts to fully melt, if necessary.
Be sure to chill your Saltine toffee completely before you try to remove it from the foil to slice it.
how to store and freeze your Halloween cracker candy
After slicing you can enjoy your candy right away, or store it back in the refrigerator. I like it best chilled, anyway. It will keep for a week in the refrigerator and can be frozen if carefully packaged in a freezer safe container with waxed paper between layers.
Halloween Cracker Candy
Equipment
- standard half sheet baking pan This is the one I use.
- foil
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
- 50 Saltine crackers
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed.
- 1 cup unsalted butter (that's 2 sticks)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 ounce dark chocolate melting wafers, finely chopped, you can also use bar chocolate or chocolate chips.
- 1 cup assorted Halloween candy, don't forget the eyeballs!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a standard half sheet baking pan completely with foil. Spray with nonstick spray.
- Arrange Saltines across the pan in a single layer. You want to cover the whole surface of the pan, so break crackers to fill in as needed.
- In a medium saucepan heat the butter, sugar, and salt over medium heat, stirring to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar. The butter and sugar will seem to separate at this point, that's fine. Bring to a full boil, stirring often. Let it boil for one minute. Stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the hot caramel over the crackers, and gently spread out with an offset spatula. Be careful not to dislodge the crackers.
- Bake for 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven, the molten caramel is hot and liquid at this point. Immediately scatter the chocolate evenly over the hot caramel. Let the pan sit for 3 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt.
- Gently run a clean offset spatula over the chocolate to spread the melted chocolate over the entire surface. If for any reason your chocolate isn't completely melted, put the pan back in the (turned off) oven for a couple of minutes to heat them up.
- Sprinkle the sprinkles and candy over the warm chocolate. Press larger pieces in gently so they adhere well.
- Let the candy cool at room temperature. Then put the tray in the refrigerator to get completely chilled and firm. I left mine overnight, but that's not necessary. An hour or so should do it.
- Lift out the candy from the pan ~ it should be a solid sheet at this point. If it is not, it needs more chilling. Carefully peel the foil from the bottom of the firm candy.
- Use a large knife to cut your candy into pieces.
- Your Halloween cracker candy is safe to keep at room temperature for a few days but it's much better when chilled. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week. Freeze for longer storage.
