When the craving hits for something sweet & salty, there is no better quick dessert idea than these Ritz Cracker Toffee Cookies. The layers of chewy toffee, crunchy crackers, & rich chocolate combine for all the YUMS!
Why this Ritz Crack Cookie Recipe is Amazing: Only 4 ingredients and just 15 minutes of cooking time for these fun & festive individual desserts.
Some people may refer to this combination as Christmas Crack or Crack Cookies - all I know is everyone calls these ADDICTING! Be warned, they are trouble.
This was inspired by my recipe for Rolo Stuffed Ritz Crackers on this site. Both of these are easy sweets great for any holiday or celebration. Ok, now we cook!
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Ingredients
All you need are these 4 items. A 2-ingredient brown toffee mixture is made and poured over store-bought crackers with a final chocolate topping.
Though traditional Christmas crack is made with saltines, this fun twist uses flaky butter Ritz crackers. The round shape makes them into individual "cookies" versus the traditional sheet-pan bark that gets broken into chunks.
Here are important notes for some ingredients:
- Ritz Crackers - or use other flaky butter snack crackers that are round and will fit in a muffin tin/cupcake liners; such as Golden Rounds by Trader Joe's or generic versions.
- Salted Butter - the base of the toffee mixture.
- Brown Sugar - light or medium is best
- Mini Morsels - semi-sweet chocolate chips
* This is a nut-free toffee treat & can be made gluten-free, see notes below.
See the recipe card for full list, quantities, & any substitutions/variations.
How to Make Ritz Cracker Toffee Cookies
Even though this recipe is made on the stovetop and in the oven, it is crazy simple & quick. You only need 15 minutes to make it & then let them set.
Once chilled, they last for a few weeks. (if you don't eat them fast like we do). Great for a make ahead dessert or snack.
Here are the easy steps for making holiday crack cookies with Ritz:
- Make Toffee & Bake
- Top with Chocolate & Sprinkles
See the step-by-step instructions with photos below plus the recipe card at the end of the post.
1 - Make Toffee & Bake
Begin by preheating the oven to 400°F. I will show you how to make a single batch (1 dozen) these using one muffin pan since many households have only one pan - but you can easily double this to make 24 if you have two pans.
NOTE: this recipe cannot be made in batches, the stovetop toffee must go immediately onto the crackers before it sets and hardens.
Prepare a muffin pan with either nonstick spray or cupcake liners also sprayed with nonstick spray (these will be sticky so do NOT skip this step!)
To each cavity, add a Ritz cracker.
On the stovetop melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir and bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes.
Stir constantly and once it reaches 290°F on a candy thermometer the toffee is ready. This will result in a slightly chewy texture & not a hard crack toffee that has more of a snap.
Spoon equal parts of the toffee over each Ritz cracker as seen here. Each is approximately 1 tablespoon.
Bake the toffee covered Ritz in the preheated oven for 4 minutes. Remove them from the oven carefully. They should look like this were the toffee settles more towards the bottom.
2 - Top with Chocolate & Sprinkles
Be ready to top the Ritz treats immediately upon removing them from the oven.
Sprinkle on about 2 teaspoons of mini morsels over each treat. The small chocolate chips will soften and melt on the hot crackers.
Once you finish topping the final one, go back and gently smooth out the chocolate with the back of teaspoon. Top immediately with sprinkles or any other toppings.
Place in the refrigerator to chill and set for 30 minutes.
Serving & Storing
Once they are set and cool, they are ready serve and eat. Gently peel off the cupcake liners if you used them.
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy them cold & firm right out of the fridge or let them come to room temperature a few minutes before biting into for a more chewy texture.
What Holidays are Great for Crack Cookies : Stack them on a plate to serve at a party, dessert buffet, or any celebration. The rainbow sprinkles are a classic that work for any season, holiday, or birthday.
We enjoy these most for Christmas, Valentine's Day, Halloween, & Easter.
Recipe Tips & Behind the Scenes
Here's my recipe for success - including what I learned when testing, fun stories, recipe history, and more.
- #1 Tip - Do NOT skip using nonstick spray even if using a nonstick pan or liners.
- This recipe is for a dozen crack cookies using 1 muffin pan. If you have two pans, make 24 by doubling the recipe with 1 cup brown sugar & 2 sticks of butter.
- You can use gluten-free round crackers (Lance or Glutino brands work best)
- Do not use white granulated sugar instead of brown sugar, the color, texture, & flavor will be different.
- Try with milk, dark, or white chocolate as a topping.
- Make these for different holidays and color themes by swapping out the mini chips with any melted candy melts - try pink for Valentines, green for St Patricks or Christmas, orange for Halloween, or red or blue for 4th of July.
- Love the deep delicious toffee flavor in these, you will flip for my Butter Brickle Ice Cream Recipe.
FAQ
Christmas crack is the inspiration for this recipe and it is traditionally nut free. If you want you can add chopped nuts to the top easily. But I suggest making my recipe for Old-Fashioned Classic English Toffee if you are a nut lover.
Since a round shape is needed in this recipe, square saltine crackers or pretzel twists are not a good substitute. Classic crack recipes use saltines and is made like a bark in a big sheet pan, you can try any one of these Christmas Crack Recipes Ideas.
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Ritz Cracker Toffee Cookies
Equipment
- muffin pan regular size (not mini)
- nonstick spray
- cupcake liners optional
Ingredients
- 12 Ritz Crackers
- ½ cup salted butter 1 stick
- ½ cup brown sugar light preferred
- 4 ounce mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- sprinkles optional topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Spray the muffin pan with nonstick spray or use liners & nonstick spray.DO NOT skip the nonstick spray, these will be very sticky.
- To each cavity of the muffin pan add a Ritz Cracker.12 Ritz Crackers
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.½ cup salted butter
- Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved and comes to a rolling boil. Continue to stir and cook until it reaches a deep dark brown and thickens, about 3 minutes.If you have a candy thermometer, the ideal temperature is about 290°F.½ cup brown sugar
- Top each cracker with an equal amount of the toffee. It equals about 1 tablespoon of the toffee mixture per cracker.
- Bake them in the preheated oven for 4 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and immediately top with 2 teaspoons of mini morsels on each one. Let them melt over the hot toffee until softened.4 ounce mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Use the back of a spoon to spread the melted chocolate evenly over each treat and immediately top with sprinkles.sprinkles
- Pop the tray into the fridge to let them cool and set for 30 minutes. The crack cookies will be done when firm and the chocolate is harden completely.
- Pop each one out of the muffin pan and gently peel back the cupcake liners if used. Enjoy!
Notes
- Keep them in the fridge for up to 2 week.
- Enjoy cold and firm out of the fridge or let them come to room temperature for more chewy texture.
- Got two muffins pans? Easily double the recipe to make 24. Great for a crowd, party, potlucks, or big gatherings for holidays.
- Use gluten-free crackers if needed for allergy/food sensitivities.
- Do NOT use white sugar as a substitute; light or dark brown sugar will work.
- Try different toppings; chopped nuts or dried fruits, different sprinkles, chopped candy bars etc.
- Serve these for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Easter, Valentine's Day, St Patrick's Day, Super Bowl parties, birthdays, or wedding/baby showers.
Nutrition
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