Want some crack? I mean, crackle? People who have had it love it and it takes less than an hour to make. I mean, really, who can say no to salt, chocolate, toffee, and seasonal garnishes? Not I, say the wise.
Christmas Crack is the gift that the Martha-Stewart-of-my-college-clique used to give us wrapped in foil and red ribbon. It was a gift that we swore to share with housemates, but we actually just locked it in our rooms to selfishly snack on it for 24-48 hours. There literally is no way to prevent yourself from eating as much of it as you can.
So, just what is it? Christmas Crack is a sweet toffee sandwiched in between crackers (hence, Crackle), and chocolate. It is basically a life hack method of making a salty sweet treat. Fancier and similar treats exist like Bark, Brittle, Brickle, etc, but Crackle is easier because you don’t have to make everything from scratch.
Here is what you need:
- Crackers (preferably salty and square)
- Toffee (made from equal parts sugar and butter)
- Chocolate
- Seasonal toppings: nuts, dried fruit, mint, and more chocolate
What on earth could be simpler to make? I was so shocked when I looked up the ingredients, I didn’t believe that the recipe was correct. To put it to the test, I tried a recipe that I found with one hour to spare.
To make it easier to dish out the Crackle, I used parchment paper to keep the toffee from sticking. Apparently, you could also grease the dish and/or just cook it in a non-stick pan, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Then, I lined the pan with crackers and started work on the toffee.
Caramelizing the sugar was actually very easy. I don’t have a baking thermometer, so I just heated the sugar and butter on low in a non-stick frying pan and whisked the sugar and butter until it started to boil and caramelize. This only took three minutes. Then I removed it from the heat and poured it over the crackers. The mixture was very runny, so it spread evenly. From there, I melted the chocolate for a couple minutes then spooned this out because the chocolate in the recipe didn’t yield as much as I had hoped. (I would definitely recommend two cups of chocolate instead of one and half). Finally, I put the entire thing in the oven for nine minutes. Then, I took it out to cool and added my choice of topping, toasted cashews, and put the entire thing in the fridge to speed up the cooling process. This didn’t work as well, so I ended up moving it to the freezer while I went to take a shower. Twenty minutes later, I cut the pieces and voila: Crackle!
Walking into the room with a baking dish full of crack was a weird but fabulous feeling. Crack looks much more involved than it actually is, so everyone was very impressed and the pan only lasted 15 minutes. Crazy, I know, but the name exists for a reason.
Here are some recipes to get you started:
Gonna Want Seconds
This is a basic recipe that covers everything you need to make the traditional version with saltine crackers. The salt in the crackers help to bring more flavor in the chocolate and toffee. Get the recipe.
Averie Cooks
Nothing says childhood memories like graham crackers. I get happy just thinking about them. So, why not try them with Crackle? This recipe will be sweeter than the original. Get the recipe.
This Vivacious Life
Who says gluten eaters get to have all the fun? This gluten-free recipe is the equalizer that the people need to get their crack on. Get the recipe.
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