This easy Graham Cracker Toffee (also called Christmas Crack) is one of the easiest treats to make, with just 5-ingredients.
Graham Cracker Toffee (AKA Christmas Crack) might be the easiest holiday treat.
Graham Cracker Toffee (AKA Christmas Crack) might be the easiest holiday treat.Whether you call it Cracker Toffee, or Christmas Crack, this recipe is hugely popular for a reason! It's very easy to make with just 5 ingredients, and it has that rich, buttery toffee flavor we all love, without being brittle and hard like traditional toffee.
It's my go-to if I need a really simple dessert for a crowd, or even to whip up holiday treats for neighbors and friends. Grab a package of graham crackers, chocolate, butter, brown sugar, and pecans, and you're ready to go.
(And if you're a toffee lover like me, don't miss my Toffee Cookie Bars, Chocolate Trifle with toffee bits, or this delicious Sticky Toffee Pudding!)
How to make Christmas Crack:
Line a pan with Graham Crackers. Us a 9x13inch pan, and line it with parchment paper. Arrange crackers in a single layer to act as the base for these bars.
Toffee Layer: In a saucepan, melt butter then add brown sugar and pecans. Stir to combine, then bring to a gentle boil and boil for 5 minutes.
Layer: Pour toffee mixture over the graham crackers and smooth into an even layer.
Bake at 350°F for 7 minutes.
Add chocolate: Remove from oven and carefully place chocolate bar pieces on top. Cover pan for 5-10 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt, then spread melted chocolate into an even layer.
Cool: Let these Christmas crack toffee bars cool completely before serving. You can refrigerate them if you want, but rest at room temperautre for 15 minutes before cutting.
Recipe Variations:
- White Chocolate: Use white chocolate instead of milk or dark, or drizzle some melted white chocolate on top of the milk chocolate.
- Crackers: Saltine crackers are also a popular choice for Christmas crack. You could also use club crackers or ritz crackers. You could even try a base of pretzels.
- Candy: Sprinkle on some crushed peppermint candy, m&m's, or sprinkles.
More Candy-like Treats:
- Chocolate Truffles
- Homemade Caramels
- Oreo Balls
- Chocolate Fudge
- Peanut Brittle
- Rocky Road
- Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
- Chocolate Turtles
- Browse all of my Christmas Recipes!
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Recipe
Graham Cracker Toffee (Christmas Crack)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 package Honey Graham Crackers
- 14 ounces Hershey's chocolate bars (I use two large 7oz bars)
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9×13'' pan with cooking spray, then lay parchment paper on top, so it sticks firmly in the pan.
- Place graham cracker sheets to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Toffee layer: Add butter to a large saucepan over medium heat and allow it to melt. Add the brown sugar and pecans, and stir constantly, bringing the mixture to a full boil. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Bake: Remove from heat then pour mixture over graham crackers and spread into an even layer. Bake for 7 minutes.
- Add chocolate: While the bars are baking, unwrap the Hershey's chocolate bars and break into pieces. Remove bars from oven and carefully place chocolate pieces across the top of the toffee layer. Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil to allow the chocolate to melt (5-10 minutes).
- Smooth melted chocolate evenly over the bars.
- Cool completely before serving. I like to store mine in the fridge to set up (not required) but I leave them out at room temperature for 15 minutes before cutting them, to allow the chocolate to soften.
Notes
Nutrition
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*I first shared this recipe November 2015. Updated November 2019 and December 2024.
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Can you make these without nuts for people that don’t like nut in their desserts
Yes, that should be fine.
These were great! The first time my heat was too high and the nuts burned. The second time I just boiled the butter and sugar and poured over ritz crackers and the nuts. They were fantastic! It really is trial and error when boiling sugar.
These are magnificent! My sister in law made them for Thanksgiving and my husband has insisted that I make them for Christmas.
I’m so glad! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you for including a printable recipe!! It doesn’t waste so many sheets of paper that way. I haven’t made these bars yet, but I sure will. They look so delicious!
Thanks!
Bev
I made these last night, and put them in the refrigerator. I tried cutting them this morning to take to a picnic
for the 4th and they were soon hard to cut. Many crumbled when I tried to cut them into squares. What happened to
make them so hard?
Hi Anne, that would be from overcooking the sugar/butter mixture on the stove. Either too high heat or for too long, or both. So sorry they were hard! I hope you get to try them again. If you have an electric stove you may want to try a lower heat.
Where do the pecans go in this recipe? I am assuming just sprinkle them in with the chocolate..
Hi Hannah, the pecans are added to the saucepan (step 3) with the butter and brown sugar.
These were very tasty, but the bottom toffee layer was very fragile and kept crumbling when I was trying to cut them. They were not nearly as pretty as the pictures here! ?
That may be because they weren’t cooked long enough. The toffee filling should get hard enough when it cools that it becomes it’s own layer, and doesn’t soften the graham cracker too much (making them fragile). Next time I’d cook the mixture a little longer on the stove. 🙂
I use a candy thermometer and cook to soft crack
Ooh, these look amazing!
Can you use graham cracker crumbs? Or a graham cracker crust for this?
Hi Sonya, I haven’t tried it but I think it should work fine! I’d love to hear how you like it.
Graham crackers or saltine crackers….and a bag of toll house chips ..and slivered almonds for the top….easy way to get them out of the pan…spray with cooking spray…when finished set in freezer for 15 minutes.
This recipe looks awesome & so easy to make. I will be trying it before I have company during the holidays to see how it turns out. Can I use Chocolate Chips instead of Almond Bars if I choose?
Hi Pamela, you can absolutely use chocolate chips 🙂 Hope you enjoy them!
I just finished making these bars. The bottoms were terribly sticky and I had to fight to get them out of the pan. They tasted ok but definitely not something I will make again.