Crunchy, sweet, salty, and easy brown sugar buttery toffee with saltine crackers!
Saltine toffee is all over the internet, but there’s only a few of us who add peanut butter to the mix. Peanut butter + chocolate + toffee. Let’s be real. This toffee is miraculous.
I made a batch of it the other week for a project and decided it was time to post a photo tutorial of the recipe on my blog. I secretly also wanted to tell you that I have a version of this saltine toffee in Sally’s Candy Addiction! There I use pretzels (and no peanut butter… oops!) in the toffee instead of crackers. Have you tried the pretzel version? Or, better yet, have you tried THIS version?
Let’s walk through it real quick.
Grab a rimmed baking sheet. Rimmed so toffee doesn’t drip over the edges. I always use my half sheet pan. Then, line the pan with a silicone baking mat or spray with nonstick spray. Parchment paper works too. Line the sheet with a sleeve of saltines. About 35-40 crackers.
So then you’ll make the shortcut toffee syrup. Which is only two ingredients: butter and brown sugar. Boil them together. The butter will take on a lovely browned butter flavor and the brown sugar? Well its flavor is just fabulous. Don’t use brown sugar in traditional homemade toffee recipes. You know, the kind using a candy thermometer. Too much moisture. But brown sugar in this easy saltine toffee works.
Pour the toffee syrup over the crackers. Then, and this is the weird part (as if crackers and toffee wasn’t weird already?!?), bake the crackers + toffee syrup. Only bake for about 5 minutes. The toffee will boil, bubble, and spread all around the crackers. This quick bake in the oven helps to solidify the toffee later in the recipe.
Right after the oven step, spread melted peanut butter over the warm toffee. Then, sprinkle on some chocolate. The chocolate options are endless. You can use chocolate chips (semi-sweet, milk, white, or mini) or use can use pure chopped chocolate. Sprinkle it on top. Then, pop back into the oven for a minute or two to help melt the chocolate.
Spread the melting chocolate all over top. And if you’re feeling jazzy, sprinkle it all with M&Ms. Or even sprinkles, toasted nuts, mini chocolate chips, etc etc. There are no rules when it comes to garnishing saltine toffee!
The final step is chilling the toffee. That’s where everything comes together. The toffee solidifies and becomes this incredible, magical, buttery, sticky, chewy, peanut buttery, chocolate-covered, crunchiness that is unlike anything I’ve ever eaten before. Rave reviews every time. And it all starts with… crackers.
THIS IS CRAZINESS.
Soooo if you haven’t tried it in the past 3 years, now’s the time. It’s a holiday must. And by holiday, I really mean everyday. Especially Friday.
Print
Easy Saltine Toffee (With Peanut Butter)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 40
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Crunchy, sweet, salty, and easy brown sugar buttery toffee with saltine crackers!
Ingredients
- One sleeve salted Saltine crackers (about 35-40 crackers)
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200g) packed dark or light brown sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (100g) creamy peanut butter
- 2 and ½ cups (450g) semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate chips
- 1 cup (200g)Â M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Generously spray a half-sheet pan with cooking spray or line with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Arrange crackers on top as pictured. Set aside.
- Stirring lightly, bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. As it begins to boil, leave it alone without stirring for 3 minutes. Pour boiling mixture evenly over crackers, then bake for 5 minutes.
- As toffee bakes, melt peanut butter in microwave. Remove toffee from the oven, then pour peanut butter over top. Smooth it into an even layer. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips on top, then return the pan to the oven for 1 minute to help chocolate chips melt. Remove from the oven and spread chocolate chips into one melted chocolate layer. Top with M&Ms.
- Refrigerate toffee for 2 hours. Once set, break into pieces.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: This toffee tastes wonderful for up to 2 weeks, so make it ahead and keep it covered tightly in the refrigerator. It freezes well too—up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then enjoy.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Half Sheet Baking Pan | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Saucepan
Have you ever had an issue where the chocolate chips just don’t melt to spread? We had Nestles semi sweet and they were brand new. Still 1000% delicious but could not get them to melt on top.
Hi Amy, if you find that happening, you can increase the time in the oven after you return it with the chocolate chips on top (just 30 seconds to a minute or so) so that they’re a little warmer. That should make it a bit easier to spread!
Thanks Miss Sally for all the recipes,I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !
Thank you very much!
I used Christmas m&ms and made it for part of a gift for my kid’s teacher gifts! So good and so easy!!
Can you do this recipe with flat pretzels instead of saltines?
Hi Amanda, definitely!
This is the easiest and best Christmas Crack recipe I’ve every made! Comes out perfect every time. All the tips are so helpful too! Thank you for making cooking so easy and so much fun!!!
This toffee is fabulous! It’s addicting-my family ate so much of it that I had to bake a second batch to give out to neighbors (and I doubled the recipe the first time!!). I used holiday m&m’s and added Christmas nonpareil sprinkles to make it even more festive. I’ve eaten a version of this made with Graham crackers, but I prefer the saltiness that the Saltine crackers add. These are easy to make and clean up after and so delicious! Thank you, I will make it many times in the future!
Sally, I would love to make saltine crack for easter, but I cannot eat chocolate. what could I use as a substitute? thank you, Joan
Hi Joan, You can either just make the toffee and skip the chocolate completely, or perhaps substitute with white chocolate if you are able to have that.
I made a version using the white almond bark in place of the chocolate and then sprinkled coconut and pecans on top. It worked out really well.
Oh my! This is absolutely amazing and addictive!
This is a great gifting recipe! I made 18 gifts from 3 trays of toffee. I use pretzel thins instead of saltines and sprinkle crushed pretzels and a caramel drizzle on top. Thank you!
Would I be able to make this about 2 days ahead of time?
Definitely!
Hey Sally!
I am living outside the US right now, but I loved this recipe last year. However, I don’t have access to saltines. Any other suggestions for crackers that would work? Like Ritz?
Thanks!
Ritz crackers would be great! Any salty cracker or even graham crackers work.
Hi Sally, this recipe is unbelievable!! Most addicting treat ever! Thank you so much for the recipe. I’ve made this twice, and the second go-around, I noticed that when I was cutting it up the chocolate part was pulling away/breaking away from the toffee/cracker part. Any suggestions for how to avoid this or tips for cutting it into pieces? Thank you!
Hi Corrine! I find that when this happens, I’ve waited too long to add the chocolate chips on top. Did you do that? You can also try semi-melting the chocolate chips in the microwave. Stop and stir every 20 seconds until *almost* melted. Then place on top of hot toffee (coming straight from the oven) and spread out on top.
Thinking of making this but the hubby is allergic to peanuts but can do almonds. Would almond butter work? What about crushed Oreos instead of m&ms?Â
Hi Natasha! You can really do any combination of toppings/garnish. So almond butter would be fantastic, as would crushed Oreos!
I made this a couple of days ago and it is amazing. LOVE the peanut butter in it.Â
Two comments/questions. In step 1, you do t mention about lining the prepared cookie sheet with the saltines. This was easy enough to figure out but a very important step to someone else I’m sure
Also, at what temperature do you boil the sugar and butter? Â I assumed medium and it seemed to work out okay, but was surprised that it was not included in the step by step, as you are usually so thorough in your directions Â
I have made MANY of your recipes, always favourites of ours. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes!
Tanya– thank you for pointing both out! Yes, it’s medium heat. So happy you enjoy my recipes and love this toffee with peanut butter like I do!
I tried this recipe over the weekend and while it was good, I missed the salty sweet crunch of the salted dark chocolate almond toffee. I think that might’ve ruined me for all other toffee, ever!
Would it be okay to add salt to the sugar syrup here to make it saltier? I sprinkled some sea salt on top, but it wasn’t salty enough for me. Maybe I should just go make more almond toffee!
Yes, of course! How about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add it right in with the butter and sugar in the beginning.
I haven’t made this recipe in a while, but I think I’ve always made it with salted butter! Delicious!
Hi! Do we just break it up and freeze in a ziplock bag or plastic container? Does it taste just as good after being frozen?Â
Thanks
Jenny
Yes and yes!
Sally, looks delish – do the crackers stay crunchy or do they just go chewy? I find soggy crackers unappealing!Â
Both! They are anything BUT soggy though. A little crunchy with slight chewiness (from the toffee). It’s a really delicious texture, trust me!