Christmas Crack Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Christmas Crack Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies loaded with chopped homemade Christmas Crack for a sweet-and-salty holiday treat. Make them for cookie exchanges, holiday dessert trays or to use up leftovers.
Christmas Crack cookies get their crunch from chopped saltine toffee folded into a buttery chocolate chip cookie dough. The saltines add the salty crunch, the brown sugar caramel adds sweetness, and chopped chocolate melts into pockets throughout.
If you're building a holiday cookie tray, add our Spiced Gingerbread Loaf and Christmas Puppy Chow alongside these cookies.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Mostly pantry staples for this recipe with a few extra items!
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives the cookies their structure.
- Sea Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the chocolate.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Help the cookies rise.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create lightly crisp edges.
- Light Brown Sugar: Keeps the cookies soft and adds a little caramel flavor.
- Softened Unsalted Butter: Creams together easily with the sugars.
- Large Egg: Holds everything together.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Adds warmth and rounds out the flavors.
- Dark Chocolate Melts: Melt into pockets of chocolate throughout the cookies.
- Christmas Crack: Chopped into bite-sized pieces so every cookie gets plenty of crunchy toffee.
All you need is a medium saucepan, a stand mixer, and baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Variations
- Add Toffee Bits: Fold in toffee bits for even more buttery flavor.
- Use Any Chocolate: Swap the chopped chocolate melts for any type of melts or chips.
- Brown Butter: Use brown butter for a deeper flavor.
How to Make Christmas Crack Chocolate Chip Cookies
I always make extra Christmas Crack to have leftovers for this recipe, but it is so simple to make a new batch.
If not using leftovers, make the Christmas Crack by arrange crackers side by side on prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
Over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar together in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes, stirring periodically (too much stirring can cause the caramel to separate).
Pour and evenly spread caramel over crackers (work quickly here, it will harden fast).
Sprinkle chocolate chips over top, and once it starts to look melty (about 2 minutes), spread it evenly over the caramel using an offset spatula.
Top with any sprinkles as desired (or not).
Let set at room temperature or refrigerate for 2 hours, then break into pieces (you will chop them after freezing).
Leave in the freezer until ready to use, then chop into smaller pieces.
COOKIES:
Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk all-purpose flour, sea salt, baking soda and baking powder.
Add sugars and butter to a stand mixer and cream together for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides. Add egg and pure vanilla extract and mix again until just combined.
Transfer dry ingredients into the stand mixer bowl and run again until combined.
Mix in chopped chocolate, Christmas crack, and sprinkles, then scoop 3-tablespoons cookie dough balls and drop them on the prepared pan. Top each cookie with additional pieces of Christmas crack.
Bake in preheated oven for about 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. If desired, add a sprinkle of flaky salt to the tops.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Hint: After it is fully set, freeze the Christmas Crack before chopping to make cleaner pieces.
Recipe Tips
- Freeze Before Chopping: A short freeze keeps the toffee firm, so it chops into clean pieces.
- Don't Overbake: The centers should still look slightly underdone when the cookies come out of the oven.
- Finish with Flaky Salt: Sprinkle with flaky sea salt while warm for an additional sweet-and-salty finish.
If you'd rather make the Christmas Crack ahead of time, our Easy Christmas Crack Recipe is a good place to start.
More Christmas Recipes
Storage Instructions
- Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Refrigerator: Store for up to 1 week in the fridge in an airtight container or bag.
- Freezer: Freeze baked cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Make Ahead: Scoop the cookie dough into balls and freeze them before baking. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time.
Serving Suggestions
- More Christmas Cookies: Cake Mix Christmas Cookies, Ritz Cracker Christmas Cookies, and Christmas M&M Cookie Bars.
- Hot Drinks: Crockpot Hot Chocolate and Starbucks Peppermint Hot Chocolate.
Christmas Crack Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe FAQs
Christmas Crack is a layer of saltine crackers topped with buttery brown sugar caramel and melted chocolate, then broken into pieces. The name comes from how addictive the sweet-and-salty combination is.
Leftover Christmas Crack works well, that is what I usually use because I make a few batches over the holidays. And since it only needs to be chopped into bite-sized pieces before it's folded into the dough, you don't need large pieces.
Ritz and graham crackers are common swaps for saltines in Christmas Crack, but we haven't tested them in these cookies.
Brown butter is a popular choice in Christmas Crack cookies, and it adds a richer, nuttier flavor. We haven't tested it in this recipe, but you could brown the butter for the cookie dough first.
More Recipes
Ready to get cooking? Save time by having a grocery list automatically generate for you by clicking the "Add to Shopping List" below.
Christmas Crack Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
CHRISTMAS CRACK:
- 48 saltine crackers
- 3 sticks butter unsalted
- 300 grams light brown sugar about 1 ½ cups, packed
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Christmas sprinkles optional
COOKIE DOUGH:
- 250 grams all-purpose flour about 2 cups
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 100 grams granulated sugar about ½ cup
- 100 grams light brown sugar about ½ cup, packed
- 1 stick butter unsalted, softened
- 1 large egg
- ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 ounces chocolate chopped (I use dark, but use your favorite)
- 8 ounces Christmas Crack frozen, then chopped
- ¼ cup sprinkles
Instructions
CHRISTMAS CRACK (see notes):
- If not using leftovers, make the Christmas Crack by arrange crackers side by side on prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
- Over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar together in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes, stirring periodically (too much stirring can cause the caramel to separate).
- Pour and evenly spread caramel over crackers (work quickly here, it will harden fast).
- Sprinkle chocolate chips over top, and once it starts to look melty (about 2 minutes), spread it evenly over the caramel using an offset spatula.
- Top with any sprinkles as desired (or not).
- Let set at room temperature or refrigerate for 2 hours, then break into pieces (you will chop them after freezing).
- Leave in the freezer until ready to use, then chop into smaller pieces.
COOKIES:
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk all-purpose flour, sea salt, baking soda and baking powder.
- Add sugars and butter to a stand mixer and cream together for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides. Add egg and pure vanilla extract and mix again until just combined.
- Transfer dry ingredients into the stand mixer bowl and run again until combined.
- Mix in chopped chocolate, Christmas crack, and sprinkles, then scoop 3-tablespoons cookie dough balls and drop them on the prepared pan. Top each cookie with additional pieces of Christmas crack.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. If desired, add a sprinkle of flaky salt to the tops.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
- Christmas Crack Recipe: As written, you will get a full batch and you do not need it all, you can modify accordingly if you do not want leftovers.
- Small Pieces: Chop the Christmas Crack into small pieces so it mixes evenly throughout the dough.
- Slightly Underbake: Don't overbake the cookies. They should still look slightly underdone in the center when you remove them from the oven.
- Be Patient: After it is fully set, freeze the Christmas Crack before chopping to make cleaner pieces.
- Chocolate Type: Use chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips for extra gooey pockets of chocolate.
- Sweet and Salty: Sprinkle with flaky sea salt while warm for an additional sweet-and-salty finish.
- Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container, out of direct sunlight, for up to 5 days.
- Refrigerator: Store for up to 1 week in the fridge in an airtight container or bag.
- Freezer: Freeze baked cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Make Ahead: The cookie dough can be scooped into balls and frozen before baking.
- Recipe Instructions: Prep and Cook time are for cookies only, if you need to make the Christmas Crack fresh, that will add more time.
- Nutritional Information: The recipe nutrition does not include Christmas Crack, and vary based on your recipe.
Nutrition
We would be so grateful for you to leave us a rating and review on any recipes you try. If you make any alterations, let us know how they turned out.
