Saltine cracker toffee treat recipe soars on social media, here's how to make it
With the holidays fast approaching, home cooks are on the hunt for fun, festive and easy Christmas recipes.
One sweet and salty standout this season is a saltine cracker toffee, which some call "Christmas crack" for the way it cracks in your mouth. It's the latest viral recipe to flood social media feeds (the hashtag #christmascrack has over 60 million views on TikTok alone).
This easy-to-make treat starts with a crunchy base layer of saltines, gets topped with a two ingredient homemade caramel and melted chocolate chips, sets up in the fridge or freezer and then gets cracked apart like chocolate bark.
The customizable dessert has been a huge hit on TikTok, racking up over 60 million views with thousands of users sharing videos of themselves making it.
Mary Sommer, a self-taught cook and the food creator behind @BigGirlBakery, who has made this recipe since high school, told "Good Morning America" that "it is definitely worth the hype."
"I have been baking for as long as I can remember and was looking up easy, delicious recipes to bake something for my teachers for Christmas," she recalled. "I made [this] and it was a HUGE hit. I also made it for my family for Christmas and I still have relatives begging for me to make it every year. It's really that good."
She hailed the "easy, inexpensive" recipe as "one of the best desserts I've ever had. It's crunchy, salty, sweet and incredibly addictive. Make this with caution."
Plus, Sommer said "most people have the ingredients laying around already -- saltines, butter, brown sugar, chocolate chips and whatever topping you want. It's very customizable and I will differentiate it for different holidays."
'Christmas Crack' Recipe
Ingredients
1 sleeve saltine crackers
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 cup packed brown sugar
12-ounce package chocolate chips (dark, semi-sweet or milk chocolate)
Optional toppings: Sea salt, nuts, M&M's, sprinkles
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper and assemble saltine crackers in a single layer.
In a medium saucepan over medium-high, melt the butter and brown sugar together. Bring to a boil then stir until combined and sugar is melted. Continue to boil undisturbed for 5 minutes.
Remove caramel from the heat and pour over the crackers. Spread with a rubber spatula to cover evenly.
Bake for 5 to 6 minutes, or until caramel becomes bubbly.
Remove from oven and sprinkle immediately with chocolate chips. Place back in oven for 2 minutes until the chocolate chips begin to glisten and melt. Remove from the oven and spread the melted chocolate with an icing spatula. Add preferred toppings.
Transfer pan to the freezer until firm, about 20 to 30 minutes. Break apart into big pieces and store in an airtight container.
