Christmas Cracker Candy
A ridiculously easy toffee candy that nobody can seem to resist!
Servings: 36 servings
Video
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 bag chocolate chips, I used milk chocolate.
- 2/3 cup toasted pecans*, chopped (or more to taste)
- 2/3 cup Holiday M&M's (or more to taste)
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.
- Immediately scatter the chocolate chips evenly over the hot caramel. Let sit for 3 minutes.
- Gently run a clean offset spatula over the chips to spread the melted chocolate over the entire surface. If for any reason your chips aren't melting, put the pan back in the (turned off) oven for a couple of minutes to heat them up.
- Sprinkle the toasted pecans and M&M's over the warm chocolate. Press 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.
- Lift out the candy from the pan ~ it should be a solid sheet at this point. Carefully peel the foil from the bottom of the candy.
- Use a large knife to cut your candy into pieces.
- Your Christmas 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.
Notes
*To toast pecans: put them on a piece of parchment paper in the microwave and cook on high for 2 minutes. Or put on a baking sheet in a 350F oven for 12 -15 minutes.
In this recipe the toffee layer sets up more soft and chewy than hard and brittle, which is the way I love it.
Nutrition
Calories: 165 kcal · Carbohydrates: 18 g · Protein: 1 g · Fat: 10 g · Saturated Fat: 6 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g · Trans Fat: 0.2 g · Cholesterol: 14 mg · Sodium: 77 mg · Potassium: 51 mg · Fiber: 0.4 g · Sugar: 14 g · Vitamin A: 167 IU · Vitamin C: 0.04 mg · Calcium: 20 mg · Iron: 0.4 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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