Chewy brown butter cookies with homemade saltine cracker toffee will become your new favorite cookie. These Christmas crack cookies puts the famous holiday candy into a cookie and gives it a salty, caramel flavor and a crunchy texture. The extra step of making your own toffee takes 15 minutes and is 100% worth it for these toffee cookies!
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Chewy cookies stuffed with toffee pieces are my love language. I never thought I’d see the day that I say I may have a favorite cookie over our famous chocolate chip pudding cookies or pumpkin cookies. But here we are.
Here we are with a cookie baked with crisp edges, a chewy center, and pools of melted chocolate. Let’s not forget the crunchy saltine toffee. Sweet and salt and pure heaven.
Every Reason to Love These Christmas Crack Cookies
- Flavor: each bite is balanced with sweetness and salt. The toffee and brown butter give these cookies a nutty and buttery flavor while the sweetness is balanced out with salt from the saltines and flaky sea salt topping.
- Texture: it’s a soft cookie in the center with perfectly crispy edges.
- Impressive: these toffee cookies just LOOK like they’re going to be as good as they are. golden brown edges and milk chocolate toffee bits melted on top are crave-worthy. They’ll be a huge hit at any holiday party or cookie exchange.
- No mixer: keep the electric mixer in the cabinet because you only need a bowl and a spatula to mix the cookie dough.
Ingredients You Need
Here are the simple ingredients to make this toffee cookie recipe. Skip down to the recipe card for the exact measurements.
- Saltine crackers: these are the base of the quick homemade toffee. I don’t recommend swapping this out for another cracker.
- Butter: we are using butter in the toffee and the cookies themselves, so stock up!
- Chocolate chips: semi-sweet or milk chocolate are both great. I like semi-sweet because they’re a little less sweet in this already-sweet cookie. Chips are meant to keep their shape when they’re warmed, which makes them perfect for cookies.
- Brown sugar: the cookie calls for almost all brown sugar because its rich, chewy texture pairs well with the toffee and brown butter.
- Granulated sugar: gives the cookie the cookies just the right amount of crispiness.
- Eggs: use large eggs at room temperature for best results.
- Pure vanilla extract and salt: for flavor.
- Flour: all-purpose flour is best. You could use gluten-free flour, however, because the saltine toffee is not gluten-free these cookies won’t be totally gluten-free.
- Baking soda: this reacts with the acid in the brown sugar to help the cookies rise.
How to Make Christmas Crack
The homemade toffee sets these cookies apart from other brown butter toffee cookies. It’s worth the extra effort and time (15 ish minutes) to make it yourself. We originally tested this recipe with a large sheet pan of toffee and quickly found we didn’t need that much to stir into the cookie dough. Instead, we’re using half of a traditional toffee recipe.
But who am I to stop you from making a whole pan and having leftover toffee (for your cookie tins or yourself)? Which is why you see the sheet pan in the pictures below.
Either way, it’s super simple to make! Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Lay the saltine crackers in the bottom of the pan in an even layer and set aside.
Melt the butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil and stir occasionally until it’s melted and boiling, then turn the heat down to medium and stop stirring. Allow it to boil, without stirring, for 3-4 minutes.
Remove it from the heat and carefully pour it evenly over the saltine crackers. Spread it to the edges of the pan with a rubber spatula.
Bake at 425°F for 4-5 minutes then carefully remove it from the oven and sprinkle the toffee with chocolate chips. Allow them to sit for a few minutes to warm and melt then spread the chocolate out evenly over the toffee. Place it in the freezer to set it up while you make the cookie dough.
How to Brown Butter
The next somewhat time-consuming, but essential step to these toffee cookies is to brown the butter. Browned butter is butter that’s melted down and cooked slowly to toast the milk solids.
Place a cup of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the butter around to melt it and continue to stir constantly for 5 minutes.
The butter will begin to bubble and foam and the butter will turn golden brown. Some of the bubbles will subside around the 5-minute mark and you’ll start to see the milk solids start to toast and turn a golden brown color. It should smell buttery and nutty.
How to Make Christmas Crack Cookies
Here are the step-by-step instructions to make toffee cookies, with photos. Jump down to the recipe card for the full recipe and video.
Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl including the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
When the brown butter is slightly cooled, add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the saucepan and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk well until all of the yellow streaks are gone.
Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to mix the cookie dough together. It should seem dry at first and start to come together.
Remove the prepared toffee from the freezer and use a sharp knife to cut the toffee into small pieces. I don’t recommend using your hands to break the toffee because the warmth from your hands can melt the chocolate. Add the chopped toffee to the cookie dough, reserving about 1/2 a cup to top the cookies after they bake. Cover with plastic wrap and chill the cookie dough for at least two hours, or up to 3 days. See storage instructions below for freezer options.
You can see how thick the cookie dough looks here after chilling for 2 days.
Use a medium cookie scoop to drop the cookies onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes at 350°F until golden brown around the edges and just set on top. Allow them to cool slightly on the baking sheet then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe FAQs
the chocolate in the toffee will melt slightly in the oven, but will mostly keep its shape. We made the toffee with chocolate chips for this specific reason.
This recipe is so good with the homemade saltine toffee, but you can swap it for store-bought toffee, like toffee bits or chopped heath bars.
3 Tips for Toffee Cookie Success
- Chill the dough: I sound like a broken record here, but this is mandatory, especially for cookies with melted or browned butter as thee base, like our brown butter salted caramel cookies. They will melt and pool all over the pan. The longer these cookies chill, up to 3 days, the better.
- Add toffee on top: reserve some of the toffee pieces for the top of the cookies after they’re baked. Make sure you have a lot of toffee in each one, and it makes them look pretty!
- Allow the brown butter to cool slightly: this helps prevent the eggs from cooking and helps ensure the dough doesn’t melt the chocolate when you mix the toffee in.
How to Store and Freeze
To store: store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or up to 10 days in the fridge.
Freeze the baked cookies: place baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag and remove as much air as possible. Store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Freeze cookie dough: before chilling the dough, scoop it out and place cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flash-freeze the cookies for 30 minutes then transfer them to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bake or bake straight from frozen (add 1-2 minutes to the bake time).
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Brown Butter Cookie Recipes
- Brown butter oatmeal cookies
- Maple Pecan Cookie with brown butter
- Brown butter salted caramel chocolate chip cookies
Brown Butter Toffee Cookies
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Ingredients
Toffee
- 20 saltine crackers
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- Sea salt for topping optional
Toff Cookies
- 1 cup (2 sticks( unsalted butter cubed
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the toffee: Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. See notes for doubling the toffee on a sheet pan to make extra. Lay the crackers in an even layer in the bottom of the pan and set aside.
- Melt the butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Stir occasionally until the mixture comes to a boil then turn the heat down to medium and continue to boil for 4-5 minutes, without stirring.
- Remove it from the heat and pour the caramel mixture over the cracker layer. Spread with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to cover them evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 4-5 minutes, until just bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle on the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for a few minutes to melt and soften then use a rubber spatula to spread the chocolate over the caramel in an even layer. Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired. Transfer the toffee to the freezer while you make the cookie dough.
- Brown the butter: Place butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the butter around to melt it and continue to stir constantly for 5 minutes. The butter will begin to bubble and foam and the butter will turn golden brown. Some of the bubbles will subside around the 5-minute mark and you'll start to see the milk solids start to toast and turn a golden brown color. It should smell buttery and nutty. Remove it from the heat immediately and allow it to cool slightly (10 minutes).
- Make the dough: While it's cooling, whisk together the flour and baking soda in a large bowl. When the browned butter is slightly cooled, add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the saucepan and whisk to combine. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until no yellow streaks remain. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until combined. It will be dry at first then start to come together.
- Place the dough in the freezer for a few minutes while you break up the toffee. Remove the toffee from the freezer and use a sharp knife to chop it into small pieces. Using your hands to break it will melt some of the chocolate. Remove the dough from the freezer and add almost all of the toffee, saving some for the top of the cookies after baking. Stir well to evenly distribute the toffee into the dough then cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days. Allow the dough to sit out and soften slightly if it chills longer than 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Scoop the dough into 2 Tablespoon-sized balls and place them on a cookie sheet a few inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the top is just set.
- Top them with reserved toffee bits and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Video
Equipment
- Medium Saucepan
- Large baking sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone mat
- 9×13 inch pan (baking sheet will work)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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The recipe is perfect, the only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is that I saw we could substitute regular flour for gluten-free flour… but it didn’t turn out great. I tried both recipe, with regular flour and then with gluten-free flour. With the regular flour, I called them the best cookies I’ve ever made! Simply delicious! With the gluten-free flour… it was like a puddle of cookies, when I took them out they never hardened, disappointing. Don’t use gluten-free flour for this recipe. Otherwise they are amazing! 🙂
This recipe was a hit at our work cookie exchange! So yummy!
There is one error when you go to double the recipe it still says 2 sticks of butter for 2 cups when it should say 4 sticks of butter for 2 cups. Just remember that if you double!
Kinda disappointed with these! I had such high hopes as the raw dough tasted good, however they did not cook properly after following instructions, the cookie balls did not flatten out, and the dough remained chewy (like play dough as someone else described). I even cooked some a bit longer to see if it needed more time but didn’t change.
This can happen if you accidentally add even a bit too much flour. The water in the butter evaporates when you brown it, so even you add a touch too much flour they can end up dry.
SOOOO GOOD EVERYONE LOVED THEM
I made these on a whim for a cookie contest and it won!! It beat out about 20 other cookies. I followed the instructions exactly. I’m not sure if I did the brown butter right but it turned out great regardless. I’ll have to make double the toffee next time so we can have that as a separate treat too.
I will definitely make these cookies again!
Fantastic! I’m confused why some people left 2 or 3 stars; maybe they didn’t follow the recipe as stated. I followed it to a T and these cookie are now one of our family’s favorites. Thanks so much for sharing them with the populace!
Was so excited to make these for a cookie exchange. I doubled the recipe by using the “2x” feature button. It doubled all the ingredient amounts except the butter. So when I mixed the dough with the toffee it was SUPER crumbly. Took me a while to realize I didn’t have the right amount of butter despite what the recipe said. So for future warning if you are going to double or triple this recipe make sure all the ingredient measurements are actuated doubled!
If they turn out crumbly this means you may have added a touch too much flour. You need to use the spoon and level method to make sure it’s accurate (or weight it). Otherwise you risk adding a bit too much flour.
the 2x recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter but it should say 4. i made this 3x messing up before realizing
Oh yes the sticks don’t double when you change the serving size! Sorry about that!
Made these for my husband and they did not disappoint!
I put my cookie dough in the freezer after mixing and now it’s too hard to mix the toffee in. Will it loosen up if i leave it at room temperature so i can mix it in?
Hey there! it loosens up a bit but you’ll need to let it sit out for a bit. You could mix in 1-2 Tablespoons of milk if you’re able to so you can loosen it up slightly.
Just made as a Christmas cookie so made them tiny to last longer. I got 107 out of a double batch. So tasty! Is pretty labor intensive but worth it.
These are the best cookies EVER! Turned out absolutely PERFECT!
This recipe turned out perfect. I made a double batch of toffee to be able to snack on .
My family loved these .
How much chocolate chips in the cookie batter?
I followed the directions perfectly, including the flour measurements and recommended dough cooling time, and they turned out crumbly and tasteless. The cookies wouldn’t expand from mounds and I had to go buy store bought cookies to bring to Christmas. Really wanted to like this recipe as t was a fun idea but it didn’t work out.
Bummer! I’ve shared this with many others, but this cookie recipe is very sensitive to too much flour. When you brown butter, the water content in it evaporates, so if you even add a tablespoon too much flour you can end up with dry cookies. If you’re concerned, try adding another 1-2 Tablespoons of butter back into the melted butter after you brown it!
Listen, I made these cookies for my sisters job. I made about 50. They were gone in the first 3 hours.
1000/10. I LOVE this recipe.
Could not get through the recipe without multiple adds popping up and redirecting my page. Borderline greedy.
Hey Hallie! Would you walk into a small business, like a bakery, and tell them they’re greedy for making you pay for their desserts? This is my livelihood and how I support my children and entire family. I offer free recipes, so ads are how I can do that. If you’re interested in an ad-free option, you can check out my membership. Thanks!
These look amazing! I will be making them for a cookie exchange but need double the amount. Can I just double the recipe? Or would it be better to make a batch at a time ?
Yes you can double it!
Amazing flavour and texture! Love the crunch of the toffee and saltines and the flavour of brown butter. These will be in my annual Christmas cookie rotation for sure!
Hey! I’m pretty sure the butter and sugar for the toffee are the amounts for a double recipe. 20 saltine crackers is way too little for that (as I discovered in my first round of making this). Use 40 saltine crackers for 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter!
Bummer maybe because i used GF flour but mine came out crumbly! I couldn’t even add the toffee on top when they came out of oven. They stayed in balls too instead of spreading out a little
Amazing recipe! Sweet but crunchy! Perfect for the sweet tooth!
Thank you!
Wanted to love these…they looked so good in the pictures! The dough tasted great and so did the toffee but after baking, the cookies tasted like play dough and never formed into a cookie shape. They just looked like mounds. I had to throw it all away in the end.
Hey Carly! That’s a bummer. I’ve made these many many times without this happening. Sounds like you may used too much flour. Spoon and level when you measure, or better yet, weigh your ingredients. Thanks!
These are the best cookies. Made the m for July 4th and they did not last long. A new favorite recipe will be making again.
Thank you so much!! So glad you liked them.
Omg…I can’t wait to make these.
Loved this recipe, but with brown butter and toffee how could I not?? Browning the butter isn’t hard but it’s not for the faint of heart, haha. I made sure to double the recipe for the toffee while I was at it so I could freeze half to make another batch of cookies in the future and save myself that step!
Brown butter and toffee are my love language 🤣. So glad you loved them! There are several steps so freezing the toffee is GENIUS. Love that you’re going to make them again! You should try my pudding cookies too:)
I’m trying to make this recipe, but every time I touch the screen I’m redirected to an add.
Not even kidding, these were the CLEAR winner at my in-laws cookie bake and swap. I made them for the first time (after battling with the toffee for a while, watch that like a hawk while on the burner). The entire tray got eaten before people could even divvy them up to take home. Had people left and right asking me for the recipe and were told that I HAD to make them again next year.
I wanted to love these. They were a pain to make and messy to eat, the toffee just left crumbs everywhere. The flavor wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.
They weren’t horrible, just not worth making again.
Made these yesterday and they were fantastic! I didn’t have flakey salt when I made the cracker toffee but I definitely would add that next time. I added about a half teaspoon regular salt to the dough. I also did a half teaspoon instant espresso powder in with the sugar. While the dough chilled I went and got flakey salt to top the cookies with. All in all, excellent cookies that have amazing depth of caramelly flavor and a nice texture. Some crisp on the outside but still soft/moist on the inside and the cracker toffee offers great crunch. They’d probably be great with bittersweet or dark chocolate too, which I may try in the future. Thanks for the recipe!
Between how much is put in the dough & how much is reserved, is the ENTIRE sheet of the saltine toffee used in this recipe?
About how much would you say should be reserved for topping the cookies when they come out of the oven?
How much salt? It’s not listed in the ingredients but it’s mentioned in the steps.
Just like the salt for the toffee, “Sea salt for topping optional”, use as much as you prefer for taste – everyone’s preference is different so it could be anywhere from none to X.
I did 1/2 tsp in the dough!
Hello! Wondering if I could make the toffee a day in advance?
I haven’t made these cookies yet but the answer is definitely yes.
Saltine Toffee is it’s own recipe and easily stored year-round in the freezer!
Totally epic! Best cookies I’ve ever had. Highly recommend doubling the topping as suggested. Moist buttery amazing. Brought them to a cookie swap in the reviews from everyone have been overwhelmingly in love.
Between how much is put in the dough & how much is reserved, is the ENTIRE* sheet of the saltine toffee used in this recipe?
About how much would you say should be reserved for topping the cookies when they come out of the oven?
*entire meaning the quantity in the recipe, 1/2 sheet
Thanks!
Not sure what I did wrong but so crumbly we will see if they are edible
This can happen if you accidentally add even a bit too much flour. The water in the butter evaporates when you brown it, so even you add a touch too much flour they can end up dry.
These are so good! Yes, a little time consuming but totally worth it. I added in some chopped pecans and Ghirardelli mini chocolate chips to the cookies. The toffee turned out really great, first time ever making it and kept a few bigger pieces to snack on. Would highly recommend!
Good result, but recipe is chaotic. “Add all the dry ingredients.” But she doesn’t mean either type of sugar—which are definitely dry ingredients. “Add the salt.” There’s no amount of salt delineated in the ingredient list. How much salt? How many cookies does this make? No comment from the recipe. Overall you have to read and re-read and then kind of know what you’re doing already. If you follow step by step you’ll be in trouble. Also how hard would it be to put amounts of ingredients in the recipe and save us from scrolling and screen shots???
The sugars are part of the wet ingredient step, Step #6, which is why they aren’t mentioned as part of the dry ingredients.
When adding salt to top something, it’s ‘to taste’ – there’s no amount given because everyone’s tastes are different anywhere from none to xxx.
From he top of the recipe, Servings: 24 cookies
These were amazing…easy to make (only thing is after the dough chilled I really had to let it sit out and scrape the dough to form balls) other than that…easy and EVERYONE raved about them and asked for the recipe…
Between how much is put in the dough & how much is reserved, is the ENTIRE sheet of the saltine toffee used in this recipe?
About how much would you say should be reserved for topping the cookies when they come out of the oven?
Thanks!
If I could give 0 stars I would. I followed the recipe to a T and I got was my fire alarm going off and my apartment smelling of burnt sugar.
LOL – St. Nick? Leave the baking to the North Pole experts who AREN’T complete douche canoes.
OMG…hilarious comment to the Scrooge! I followed the recipe and it turned out perfect!
Not sure what I did wrong but they are too crumbly to make into cookies. Dough tastes bland but the cracker combo tastes good by itself.
This can happen if you accidentally add even a bit too much flour. The water in the butter evaporates when you brown it, so even you add a touch too much flour they can end up dry.
These are AMAZING!!!
The best cookie I’ve ever made🤣 and I’m no baker
This is such an amazing idea! I was anxious to try it for our Christmas cookies and it did not disappoint! A little time consuming since you’re making two recipes with the toffee but it’s worth it for sure! Thanks Molly!
Between how much is put in the dough & how much is reserved, is the ENTIRE sheet of the saltine toffee used in this recipe?
About how much would you say should be reserved for topping the cookies when they come out of the oven?
Thanks!
How much salt, please tell us.
“Sea salt for topping optional”
use as much as you prefer for taste – everyone’s preference is different so it could be anywhere from none to X.
Can you make these gluten free?