Christmas Crack and Other Holiday Treats

Baking for friends, family and neighbors has always been one of my favorite holiday traditions. My mom and I would get busy in the kitchen each Christmas, after spending weeks planning which treats would make the cut each year. This tradition became even more special, as it usually marked my return home for the holidays once I was in college. And, even as an adult, it’s a tradition that I have tried to carry forward in my own life. I love to blast Christmas music in my kitchen, plan out which treats are making my list each year and package them up to gift to friends and neighbors!

I try to aim for three different types of baked goods, but let’s be honest, sometimes I’ve only got time for one or two. Grace is the name of the game. This year, I’m making one, but another one or two might get added to list later this week. I’m going to be doing my holiday baking on Sunday, and I’ll try to pass out the goods later that evening. I’ve got a facial scheduled for Saturday morning – and a holiday party on Saturday night, so I’ll get to baking after church on Sunday morning.

Now, the title of my blog post might have caught your attention, and I’ve had to change up the name of this special holiday treat a couple of times (like sharing for our work cookbook – it quickly became Christmas Crackle). Trust me, it’s a tried and true favorite. And, it’s so easy to make. If you’ve been reading here for any amount of time, you know I’m all about efficiency. So, let’s get right to it. I’ll also share some of my other holiday favorites below.

Christmas Crackle Recipe

If you remember, I packaged my “Christmas Crack” up in festive holiday bags to hand out to my team for our holiday lunch last week.

Christmas Crack Ingredients

40 Ritz Crackers
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I’m going to try a batch with white chocolate this weekend to see if I like it)
1 topping of your choice ( you could always leave them plain, but I like to add crushed pecans on top, dried cranberries, crushed Andes mints, festive sprinkles….. really whatever you want).

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with foil, lightly grease and spread your Ritz crackers on the bottom to fill the pan.
Next, combine your butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. You will need to stir frequently until the butter is melted.
Once the butter is melted, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly so the sugar doesn’t burn. Once it begins boiling, boil and stir for another 7 minutes.
Your mixture should turn a light brown color, which is how you know it’s ready.

6. Remove from heat immediately once it turns that light brown color, and add in your vanilla (you will need to work quickly here).

7. Pour the mixture over your Ritz crackers and use a spatula to spread evenly.

8. Pop into your oven for 13 minutes. As soon as you remove from the oven, spread your chocolate chips evenly over the top and let sit for five minutes.