This is the ultimate Halloween and fall season sweet treat that is made with saltine crackers, toffee, chocolate, and candy! An easy crack candy recipe that is perfect for the fall season!
Crack candy is a fun and easy candy recipe you can make at home. You will typically find cracker candy recipes around Christmas time, but I've made a Halloween version! It's made with saltine crackers coated in toffee and then topped with chocolate. Just like these chocolate chip pumpkin cookies, this is the ultimate sweet treat for any occasion, but I especially love making it during Halloween because I can use leftover Halloween candy to top these saltine toffee crackers!
There are only 4 required ingredients needed when making crack candy: butter, brown sugar, saltine crackers, and chocolate. It's made with saltine crackers that are coated in toffee and topped with melted chocolate. And there are so many toppings you can add!
If you've never made candy before or have been intimidated to try, this is one of the easiest candy recipes you will ever make. While I have other candy recipes I like to make, like these chocolate truffles and peanut butter fudge, this crack candy only takes 25 minutes from start to finish!
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✔️ Quick Recipe Overview
Why This Is The BEST Crack Candy: With just 4 required ingredients, this toffee and chocolate based candy, also known as cracker candy, is both sweet and salty and highly addictive! You'll have to force yourself to stop eating it!
How Long It Takes: 25 minutes
Equipment You'll Need: sheet pan, aluminum foil, saucepan, spatula
ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
1. It's called "candy crack" because after the first bite, it's really hard to stop eating it! This recipe is really quick and easy to put together and there is minimal cleanup involved.
2. You don't need a candy thermometer to make this candy crack.
3. This recipe is versatile. You can use whatever candy you have on hand to top it!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Crackers: use salted saltine crackers as the base for the crack candy.
- Brown Sugar: use dark brown sugar because it is made with molasses, which brings forth more of a toffee flavor.
- Butter: use salted to help cut the sweetness. When mixed with the brown sugar, butter helps make the toffee layer.
- Chocolate Morsels: for best results, use mini semisweet chopcalte chip morsels because they will melt quickly.
- Reese's Pieces: adds a hint of peanut butter to every bite.
- Pecan Chips: an optional ingredient that adds a bit of crunch and nutty flavor.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!
🍬 Variations
- Leftover Halloween Candy: there are so many ways to top crack candy. Since this is a Halloween crack candy recipe, I typically use leftover Halloween candy! I've used the miniature chocolate bars (Mr. Goodbar, Krackle, etc.), a crumbled up Snickers bar, and even M&Ms as topping and it turned out super tasty! I've also used twix chocolate bars and Nestle crunch bars. Milky way chocolate and Kit Kat chocolate are also really good. The candy combinations are truly endless!
- Shredded Coconut: for more of a traditional version, try topping this candy crack with shredded coconut!
- Pretzels: for added crunch and more salt, top it off with crushed pretzels.
- Different Type of Chocolate: try adding in white chocolate, dark chocoalte, or even chocolate chunks.
- 3 Sections of Toppings: You can even separate the baking sheet into 3 separate toppings! One section can strictly be topped with nuts, the middle section can be topped with candy, and the third section can be topped with candy and pretzels! The variations are truly endless!
📋 Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Start by preheating the oven to 400°F. Line a quarter (9x13) cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
Step 2: Use your favorite brand of saltine crackers and lay them side-by-side on the cookie sheet so they are touching.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tip: Use a heavy duty aluminum foil for best results. Try spraying a thin layer of cooking spray to avoid any sticking.
Make sure the crackers are laid out evenly and touching on all sides, but not overlapping. Set aside.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tip: Fold up the edges of the foil over the baking sheet to keep the crackers in place. This helps prevent the toffee from spilling onto the pan. Less mess is always best!
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Step 3: The next step is to make the toffee. Place the salted butter and brown sugar into a large saucepan. Set the stovetop burner to medium-high heat.
When the brown sugar and butter start to melt, the mixture is going to start bubbling. Have a large wooden spoon ready to start stirring. The goal is for the toffee to stay at a rolling boil until the toffee starts to thicken.
From there, let the mixture boil for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly to ensure the toffee is not sticking or burning. During that 3 minutes, the toffee mixture should remain at a slow rolling boil so some of the moisture can evaporate.
Step 4: After the toffee is at the consistency above, pour it onto the tray over the salted crackers.
Step 5: At this point, the toffee should have a caramel texture. Using a spatula, spread the warm toffee as evenly as possible onto the salted crackers.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tip: Make sure you spread the toffee quickly because it will start to thicken and solidify. You can even use a basting brush to help spread.
Step 6: Now that you have the toffee spread evenly, put the cookie sheet of salted crackers topped with the toffee into the preheated oven. The goal is to let the mixture get hot and bubbly. This usually takes about 5 minutes, so keep your eye on this process so it doesn't burn!
Step 7: Once it's hot and bubbly, pull the baking sheet out of the oven and evenly add the mini chocolate morsels, Reese's Pieces, any other candy you are using, and pecans chips. Spread them as evenly as you can with a spatula.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tip: This process will entail mixing and swirling all the candies into the hot toffee. The goal is to combine the candy flavors as they start to melt.
Step 8: Place the baking sheet back into the oven for another 5-7 minutes or until the chocolate morsels start to melt. It's important to note that the Reese's Pieces and other candy that has hard outer shells won't completely melt. And that's ok!
Step 9: Once the chocolate has started to melt, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Now the crack candy needs to get cold so it can become hard. Place a potholder or kitchen towel in the refrigerator and then put the baking sheet into the refrigerator for about 2 hours so these candy crackers can harden.
Step 10: Once hard, the cracker candy is ready to break! Using your hands, start pulling up the crackers from the aluminum foil and break into small pieces. Place each piece on a serving plate and enjoy!
🙋🏼 Recipe FAQs
The texture is supposed to be firm and when you bite into it, there should be a soft and sugary texture. If you didn't let the brown sugar and butter cook long enough, then it tends to be more on the chewy side. Make sure you boil the brown sugar and butter for at least 3 minutes so the moisture can boil off and set appropriately. Use butter for this recipe, not margarine. Also, double check to ensure the crackers have not expired.
Use a good quality brand of chocolate such as Dove, Ghirardelli, or Hershey's. Instead of using chocolate morsels, you can also use the little bars of chocolate from a Hershey's bar. Enjoy Life brand is also excellent to use if you are looking for a vegan chocolate.
You can use Club crackers and Ritz crackers. Both taste great, especially because they both have a buttery flavor. You can even use pretzels instead of crackers!
💭 Expert Tips
- For best results, store this crack candy in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator. It can be stored at room temperature on the counter, but I prefer it cold and crunchy. It will last for up to 2 weeks, regardless if you store it in the refrigerator or on the counter.
- You can freeze cracker candy for up to 3 months.
- To ensure the chocolate melts completely, chop the chocolate so it's smaller in size. You can also place chocolate chips in a food processor to make them smaller and more sliver like.
- Don't cool crack candy in the freezer. It will freeze too quickly and that could cause ingredient separation. The refrigerator is the best place to let it cool.
- To avoid the cracker candy from sticking to the aluminum foil, use a cooking spray or evenly spread butter onto the aluminum foil before placing the crackers. Heavy-duty foil works best because it’s easy to peel away. You can also use parchment paper and there is no greasing needed if you go this route.
- When you're breaking the candy, make sure you tear off any stubborn aluminum foil that may stick. It likes to stick to the bottom of the caramel and crackers if it is not well coated with cooking spray.
🍫 Other Sweet Treats You'll Enjoy
🎃 Looking for more Halloween recipes? Check out my entire collection! You'll find recipes for different types of chilis, cookies, and even some fun adult beverages!
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Halloween Crack Candy
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter,
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 sleeves saltine crackers, salted
- 12 ounce bag semisweet mini chocolate chip morsels
- ½ cup Reese's pieces
- ½ cup other favorite candies, chopped
- ¼ chopped pecans, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line a 9x13 cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Expert Tip: If using aluminum foil, spray with a non-stick spray.
- Place 2 sleeves of saltine crackers side-by-side until the baking sheet is filled. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, melt 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of dark brown sugar on medium-high heat.
- Bring the mixture to a rolling boil for about 3 minutes while stirring to ensure no sticking or burning.
- After the toffee has boiled for about 3 minutes, evenly pour it onto the saltine crackers. Take a spatula and spread the caramel toffee evenly onto the crackers. Do this quickly because the toffee will start to harden.
- Place the cookie sheet into the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the toffee starts to boil.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and evenly distribute 12 ounces of semisweet chocolate morsels onto the boiling caramel. NOTE: The chocolate won't be completely melted at this point and that's ok.
- Add in ½ cup Reese's pieces, any other candies, and pecan chips. Take a spatula and spread evenly so the candies can start to melt.
- Put the baking sheet back into the oven and let cook, just long enough for the candies and chocolate to melt, about 5-7 minutes.
- Once the chocolate morsels have melted, remove the baking sheet from the oven and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to chill.
- Once it has completely cooled and is cold, remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator and start to break the crack candy into bite size pieces.
- Store in the refrigerator or in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 weeks.
Video
Notes
- To ensure the chocolate melts completely, chop the chocolate so it's smaller in size. You can also place chocolate chips in a food processor to make them smaller and more sliver like.
- Don't cool crack candy in the freezer. It will freeze too quickly and that could cause ingredient separation. The refrigerator is the best place to let it cool.
- To avoid the cracker candy from sticking to the aluminum foil, use a cooking spray or evenly spread butter onto the aluminum foil before placing the crackers. Heavy-duty foil works best because it’s easy to peel away. You can also use parchment paper and there is no greasing needed if you go this route.
- When you're breaking the candy, make sure you tear off any stubborn aluminum foil that may stick. It likes to stick to the bottom of the caramel and crackers if it is not well coated with cooking spray.
- For best results, store this crack candy in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator. It can be stored at room temperature on the counter, but I prefer it cold and crunchy. It will last for up to 2 weeks, regardless if you store it in the refrigerator or on the counter.
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Kristina
What a great way to use up all that Halloween Candy the kids get! Going to have to save this one!
Sanna
I love Reese's candy. I would love to make this for a Halloween treat for my kids. I would be addicted to this.
Nicolas Hortense
I am also a sweet tooth, and that bark is just staring at me in the face. It's tough to pinpoint my favourite type of candy growing up. However, I have a recent obsession with kinder buenos. Love those things. This is such a clever idea Amanda!
Jyothi (Jo)
I'm bookmarking these yummy candy bark recipe! My kids would loooove it! Not just it looks delicious, but it's perfect treat I'd love to make for Halloween! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Kelly Anthony
I am SO ready for Halloween everything! This bark looks so yummy!
Amanda Mason
Thanks!! Yep - get ready for Halloween!
Pamela Stanley
Hi Amanda,
I’ve been making these for 2 decades, since the mid-night’s. I called my mom for a quick last minute recipe. She found it in a Library cookbook, probably made them a thousand times. I’ve made them in 20 minutes, hoppedin the car and put them on a tray on the way. ( I wasn’t driving of course)
I started to make them for my kids sporting events. From grammar school through college. I also added sprinkles on different occasions for a festive look.
Now my daughter is making them for my grandsons activities.
I make them as an individual cracker. I’m going to try it this way, as cracked bark.
I know how hard it is to separate them once the Carmel gets hard. It separates easier with a silpat sheet or I also use parchment paper. I think it will come off that easier than the foil.
Going to make these tonight! 🎃
40 Saltine crackers
1 cup butter ( 2 sticks )
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped walnuts
Amanda Mason
Hi Pamela!
Yes - this is a classic that I totally turned into my own! Thanks for the tip on using the silpat and/or parchment paper! I'll incorporate that now into the post! Yummy!! I love this recipe!! The bark is fun and easier to break than the individual crackers!
Dominique | Perchance to Cook
Oh my goodness, you literally have me drooling. I've never tried a bark recipe using saltine crackers, though I have seen them on Pinterest. The salty/ sweet / chocolate combo sounds unbelievably good!!
Amanda Mason
Bark recipes are amazing!!
Annemarie
My kids would go crazy for this! I love that you use Saltines for the base. So simple!
Gloria
YUP...soon enough it will be that time of year. This looks great. The perfect Halloween party treat.
Kristy Bernardo
omg, this is like Saltine Toffee on steroids! This is the best Halloween dessert I've seen in awhile. LOVE!!
Jacqui Bellefontaine
Is it really that time already. These look fun pinning for later.