Cracker toffee is a crunchy dessert snack that combines salty and sweet flavors. It is made by spreading a heated toffee mixture on top of saltine crackers and baking. There are numerous variations and many possibilities for toppings to customize the dish.
There are many ways to prepare cracker toffee. One simple method is to melt butter and sugar on a stovetop, pour the mixture on top of saltine crackers, and bake in an oven for a few minutes. After baking, chocolate chips are often sprinkled on top. If the chips do not melt immediately, the cracker toffee is returned to the oven for a few minutes to make the chips melt. The butter and sugar mixture will harden upon cooling and form a crispy, sweet cracker toffee.
Another option is to make toffee by itself from scratch and then pair it with crackers when eating. The toffee can be prepared in much the same manner as above, heating butter, sugar, and chocolate together in a saucepan until caramelized. The mixture is then be spread onto wax paper, baked, and allowed to cool before being paired with crackers. Toffee can also be made by omitting the chocolate from the recipe and simply using butter and sugar.
Cracker toffee can be topped with a variety of additions and serve as a fun holiday treat. Sprinkling slivers of peppermint candy or red and green sprinkles on the toffee as it cools makes a good Christmas candy. Many enjoy cracker toffee topped with almonds, pecans, and powdered sugar or mix raisins or cranberries into the toffee prior to baking. Cracker toffee is an appropriate dessert to make with children as it is easy to prepare and children can help spread toppings on the toffee.
The exact origin of toffee is unknown, but it likely arose from taffy, a chewy candy that is also based on boiled sugar. The first known reference to toffee occurs in an English dictionary in 1825. In addition to crackers, toffee is also commonly used to coat apples and make packaged candy bars. It is most often found in its crunchy form but can also be kept chewy by preparing the toffee batter at a different temperature. Molasses is substituted for sugar in some traditional toffee recipes.