Skip the candy making! These Crack Cookies give you all the buttery, chocolatey, toffee filled flavor of Christmas crack in one easy cookie recipe. Gooey, salty, and completely irresistible.
No separate candy making step. You get all the buttery, toffee like flavor of Christmas crack, without having to make the crack first.
Perfectly balanced flavor. Browned butter, toffee, and chocolate create deep, nutty sweetness that’s cut with flaky salt and crisp crackers.
Texture perfection. Every bite hits gooey, chewy, and crunchy all at once, for the ultimate Christmas crack cookie texture.
Saltines & Swaps: Leave saltines in medium chunks for texture, or use pretzels, graham crackers, Golden Grahams, cornflakes, Biscoff, or small oyster crackers.
Butter: Browning butter adds a rich, nutty flavor that deepens the toffee flavor. I think it’s worth the extra step.
Toffee: Use toffee bits, chopped bars, or crushed Werther’s Originals. Larger chunks add crunch. You can even use homemade toffee!
Chocolate: Semi-sweet works best, but any type is fine. Use quality chocolate (Guittard or chopped bars) for better melting and flavor.
Flaky Sea Salt: Don’t skip this! The salt balances the sweetness and enhances the crackers’ saltiness. Keep some flakes whole for texture.
This crack cookie recipe is so easy! You don’t have to make Christmas crack first. I wanted to give all of the flavors without the extra work.
Brown Butter: Preheat the oven to 350°F, then line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Cut the butter into pieces, then cook in a medium saucepan over medium heat for about 8 minutes. Whisk often, until foamy, nutty, and golden brown. Remove from heat, then transfer to a heat safe dish to cool to room temperature.
Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to combine, then set aside.
Combine Sugar & Butter: Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and the cooled browned butter to a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 1-2 minutes, until combined.
Add Wet Ingredients: Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and sour cream to the sugar mixture and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Combine Dry & Wet Ingredients: Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix until all the flour has been incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Chill Dough: Stir in the chocolate chips, toffee bits, and the crushed saltine crackers. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Bake: Once chilled, use a medium cookie scoop to scoop 1 ½ tablespoon sized cookie dough balls onto the baking sheets. Leave about 2 inches between them. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers still look slightly underbaked. Immediately upon removing the Christmas crack cookies from the oven, sprinkle each with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Then let them cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
“Instagram-Worthy” Cookies: Gently press a few extra bits of toffee, chocolate, and cracker pieces into the tops right after baking. Move fast, hot toffee sets quickly.
Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Freezing Baked Cookies: Let cookies cool completely, then layer them with parchment paper in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Freezing Cookie Dough: Scoop dough into individual portions on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid (about 2 hours). Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
To Bake from Frozen: Bake dough straight from the freezer—just add a few extra minutes to the baking time.