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This Christmas Crack Cookies recipe takes everything you love about the classic salty-sweet holiday treat and folds it into the most delicious chewy brown butter cookies. If you’re obsessed with Christmas crack those buttery saltine crackers coated in toffee, melted chocolate, and crunchy pecans, these cookies give you all of that flavor in every single bite.
It’s the perfect holiday cookie to bring to festive gatherings, add to dessert trays, or package as edible gifts. And honestly? It’s also just a fun way to use up leftover Christmas crack in a totally new (and dangerously addictive) way. Once you try them, they’ll become a yearly tradition.
Since you’re here, you’ll also love my Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bark, Ritz Cracker Toffee, and Easy Saltine Christmas Crack recipes!
This recipe is outrageous. It has quickly become my family’s favorite recipe. I can’t eat enough… well done.
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
I kept seeing Christmas Crack Cookies going viral this year, and you already know I had to make my own version. I figured they’d be good… but oh my gosh, these turned out incredible. The combination of brown butter, that crunchy sweet-salty Christmas crack, and the soft cookie base is honestly dangerous. I made one batch “just to test” and immediately knew these were going straight onto my holiday must-bake list.
If you love the classic Christmas crack, this cookie version is even better, the perfect mix of chewy, crunchy, buttery, salty, and chocolatey in every single bite.
Why You’ll Love This Christmas Crack Cookies Recipe
- Easy to make – simple ingredients, no candy thermometer required unless you prefer the extra precision.
- A new twist on a classic holiday treat – it combines brown butter cookies with crunchy toffee bits made from Christmas crack.
- Sweet + salty perfection – the saltines (or Ritz crackers!) give these cookies the best flavor balance.
- Customizable with different crackers, nuts, or mix-ins.
- Great for gifting – pretty, unique, and they stay chewy even after storing in the refrigerator or freezer.
Christmas Crack Cookies Recipe Ingredients
Make sure to scroll to the recipe card for full measurements.
Christmas Crack Layer
- Saltines, Ritz crackers, or pretzels – use a single layer on your tray, each gives a different texture.
- Unsalted butter – gives you better control over the saltiness.
- Brown sugar – melts into a caramel mixture over medium heat.
- Vanilla extract
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – or swap for white chocolate, dark chocolate, or a mix.
- Pecans or other nuts (optional) – adds crunch and balances sweetness.
Cookie Dough
- Butter – melted and browned for deeper flavor.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Chopped Christmas crack – adds toffee bits, melted chocolate, and nuts all in one.
How to Make This Christmas Crack Cookies Recipe
This is how you can make these delicious cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed instructions!
Make the Christmas Crack
- Line a baking sheet with foil or non-stick cooking spray, then arrange your saltine crackers (or Ritz) in a single layer.
- In a pan over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar.
- Bring to a rolling boil and leave it untouched for 4–5 minutes until thickened.
- Pour the hot mixture evenly over the crackers and bake.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips over the hot toffee layer so they melt.
- Spread the melted chocolate with an offset spatula and sprinkle pecans or other nuts on top.
- Transfer to the refrigerator or freezer until fully set.
- Break into pieces using a sharp knife.
Make the Cookies
- Brown the butter over medium heat until fragrant and nutty.
- Transfer to a bowl and cool until it becomes slightly firm (ice bath works great).
- In a mixing bowl, combine the brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
- Mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Fold in flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add chopped Christmas crack (and any extra mix-ins like chocolate chips or nuts).
- Scoop cookie dough onto a baking sheet and top each dough ball with more toffee bits.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or freeze for later.
- Bake as directed until golden and allow cookies to cool before enjoying.
Pro Tips for the Best Cookies
- Work quickly when pouring caramel over crackers, caramel sets fast.
- Chill the Christmas crack fully before chopping to get clean toffee bits.
- Don’t waste crumbs – the small chocolate/toffee shards are gold and belong in the cookie dough.
- Chilling is essential – it helps the dough hydrate and prevents overspreading.
- Mix-ins are flexible: nuts, extra chocolate chips, even crushed candy canes.
What variations can I try?
- Extra chocolate chips or nuts
- Crushed candy canes
- A drizzle of melted chocolate
- Festive sprinkles on top
- White chocolate mix-ins for a sweeter twist
FAQ – Christmas Crack Cookies Recipe
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or refrigerate to extend freshness.
Freeze cookies for up to 3 months, thaw before enjoying.
Not required. The brown sugar/butter mixture is very forgiving, but using a candy thermometer can help beginners feel confident.
Yes! You can use saltine crackers, Ritz crackers, graham crackers, or pretzels for a salty treat with different textures and flavor profiles.
Absolutely. Because the dough chills and freezes so well, you can prepare it days (or weeks) in advance.
Christmas Crack Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
For the Christmas Crack Layer:
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 25-30 Saltine crackers like Saltines or Ritz, enough to cover your baking sheet
- 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- toasted chopped nuts and sea salt optional
For the Cookies (doubled base recipe):
- 1 cup butter browned and cooled down
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 & 1/3 cups flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Prepare the Christmas Crack Layer
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Arrange the crackers in a single layer to completely cover the bottom of the sheet.25-30 Saltine crackers
- In a saucepan, melt ½ cup butter and ½ cup packed brown sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once it start to boil, leave the mixture alone without stirring for 4-5 minutes.½ cup butter, ½ cup packed brown sugar
- Pour the caramel mixture evenly over the crackers and quickly spread it with a spatula. Bake for 5 minutes, or until bubbly. Turn off the oven.
- Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Let sit for 2 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate evenly across the caramel. Top with chopped toasted nuts, and some flakey sea salt.1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips, toasted chopped nuts and sea salt
- Let the Christmas crack layer cool completely before using it in the cookies (refrigerate or freeze whenever it cools down enough).
- Chop it into smaller pieces and set aside.
Brown the Butter for Cookies
- Melt 1 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously as it foams and turns golden brown, releasing a nutty aroma with brown bits forming at the bottom.1 cup butter
- Pour the melted butter in a bowl then place that in a larger bowl full of ice water. Whisk continuously until the butter sets and becomes harder.
Make the Cookie Dough
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer, Mix the brown butter with 1 cup brown sugar and ½ cup granulated sugar for about 2 minutes. Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, mixing until smooth.1 cup packed brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add this to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined.2 & 1/3 cups flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Fold in the chopped Christmas crack until evenly distributed into the cookie dough.
- Using a cookie scoop (about 4 tablespoons), scoop the cookie dough. Place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, top with more chopped up christmas crack and freeze for 2 hours or overnight.
Assemble and Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350F then line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the chilled cookie dough balls on the your prepared baking sheet when you are ready to bake them leaving 2 inches between each. Bake them for 13 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello! For some reason all of the toffee melted into my dough while baking, the cookies spread, and there were no more chunks. Do I need a different size chunk? Or what else could I do to prevent this?
Oh no! A few things could help prevent that:
Make sure the Christmas crack is completely hardened – It needs to be fully chilled and rock-hard before you chop it up and fold it into the dough. If it’s even slightly soft or sticky, it will melt immediately in the oven.
Chop it into larger chunks – If the pieces are too small, they’ll melt and disappear faster. Try breaking them into bigger shards (about 1-inch pieces) so they hold their shape better during baking.
Freeze the dough balls solid – Make sure they’re frozen for the full 2 hours (or overnight). This helps slow down spreading and keeps the Christmas crack pieces from melting too quickly.
Bake straight from the freezer – Don’t let the dough sit out at room temperature before baking. Pop them in the oven while they’re still frozen solid.
Let me know if that helps!
How much of the crack goes into the cookies?Im anxious to make
You’ll chop and fold all of it into the cookie dough. That full batch gets mixed right in so every cookie has those crunchy, buttery, chocolatey bits throughout. if you want, you can save some aside and add the extra on top before freezing/baking for that pretty crackly look.
I have my cookie dough balls chilling in the fridge now for 3 hrs. is it necessary to freeze the dough balls? you bake them from frozen??
They are baked from frozen but chilled is fine too, I would just check them one minute earlier than it says.
im curious as to what the difference is between recipes for Christmas crack that say to “stir constantly” the butter/brown sugar and others like yours say “don’t stir”?? what’s the difference??
Both work, they’re just different techniques. Stirring is useful when cooking at a higher temp or if you’re nervous about burning. Stirring too much can sometimes cause the sugar to crystallize, leading to a grainy texture. My version skips stirring to keep things simple and to avoid grainy or greasy toffee.
This recipe is outrageous. It has quickly become my family’s favorite recipe. I can’t eat enough… well done.
Thank you so much Hannah!