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Christmas Bark 5 Ways

Course Candy Making
Servings 30 pieces

Ingredients

Christmas Bark

  • 48 saltine crackers (about 1 sleeve; enough to line a rimmed baking sheet)
  • 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips about 11 oz

5 Recipes for Saltine Toffee Bark

  • Saltine Toffee Bark You'll use the same toffee recipe for all 5 variations:

Instructions

Christmas Bark

  • Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the saltine crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet.
  • Place the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring just a few times, for 3 minutes. The mixture will be thickened slightly and homogeneous.
  • Working quickly, pour the hot toffee mixture over the crackers, spreading it so most of the crackers are completely covered.
  • Bake until the toffee is bubbling and both the crackers and toffee are beginning to brown, about 15 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the oven and immediately sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Let the chocolate melt for 5 minutes, then use a spatula to spread the chocolate into an even layer. Set aside to cool for at least 2 hours before cutting into 30 pieces.

Chocolate Peppermint Bark

  • Follow the below recipe, using 2 sleeves chocolate graham crackers instead of saltines (you may have to halve the last two pieces). Add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract along with the vanilla extract. Swap the semisweet chips for 2 cups (11-ounce bag) white chocolate chips and top with 1/2 cup crushed candy canes (about 4 standard-sized candy canes).

Funfetti Bark

  • Follow the below recipe, using 2 sleeves classic graham crackers instead of saltines. Swap the semisweet chips for 2 cups (one 11-ounce bag) white chocolate chips. After the 5-minute cool time, add 6 to 8 drops food coloring (I used blue and pink) before swirling and spreading the melted chips. Top with 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles.

Buckeye Bark

  • Follow the below recipe, using 2 sleeves Ritz crackers instead of saltines. Swap 1 cup of the semi-sweet chips for 1 cup peanut butter chips. After the chips are melted and swirled, top with 1/2 cup chopped Reeses Pieces™ .

Pecan Praline

  • Follow the below recipe, swapping the semisweet chocolate for 2 cups dark chocolate chips. Top with 1 cup chopped, candied pecans.

Notes

Christmas Bark 5 Ways

These mini recipes are so simple you can practically cook from the before-and-after snapshot itself.
Searching for a last-minute holiday treat that everyone will love? Christmas bark to the rescue! It's a salty-sweet classic that goes by many other names (like Christmas Crunch, Christmas Crackle, or Christmas Crack), but the baseline idea is usually the same: You pour a simple homemade caramel sauce over a layer of crackers, bake it, then cover it with chocolate to create a no-fail toffee that's broken up like bark.
Here, you'll find our tried-and-tested take on the traditional version — plus four new variations if you're looking for something different (and equally delicious!) this holiday season. The best part? Each one only needs a handful of ingredients to make.

A Bark By Many Names

For all of these variations on Christmas Bark, we started with a simple saltine toffee recipe, then played around with different crackers, flavors, and toppings to create five fun new variations. Here are a few key points to keep in mind.
Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.