We are merely five days away from Christmas Day and less than two weeks away from 2024. It sounds wild, but yes, another year truly has passed. Surely, you might be tired from finishing up finals and packing to go home and/or traveling long distances to see friends and family for the holidays. Now that you're an adult, you might be expected to bring a dish to the party. Fear not if you're running out of time, for the TikTok dessert snack "Christmas crack" has gone viral yet again in 2023. The sweet and salty treat takes almost no time at all to assemble. Featuring a layer of saltine crackers, brown sugar toffee, and chocolate, this is a major crowd-pleaser no matter the time of year. Plus, you can easily add some flaky sea salt or holiday-themed sprinkles to the top for an extra festive flair. If you want to go above and beyond with little to no effort for your Christmas party, these Christmas crack upgrades from TikTok will make you the star of the season.
Use Pretzel Slims.
Are saltines simply not offering you your preferred amount of salt? Get the same crunch on your crack with a bigger salty punch to pair with your toffee and chocolate. Regular pretzel twists also work, but the pretzel slims are optimal.
Use a potato chip base.
One of my favorite combos in the world is Wavy Lays with semi-sweet, slightly melted chocolate chips. You can elevate your salty-sweet treat by trading in saltines for a densely-packed layer of plain potato chips. If you love a big crunch, you can even experiment with kettle-cooked potato chips.
Make it into a cookie.
If you have the time and energy to bake, you can turn this beloved holiday treat into a cookie. (After all, you can turn hot chocolate into a cookie, too!) Simply make your traditional Christmas crack recipe and bake it into this brown butter cookie dough from What Molly Made.
Use white chocolate instead.
Though the sweet is traditionally made with semi-sweet or milk chocolate, this White Chocolate Christmas Crack topping allows you to get super festive. Swap your chocolate for white chocolate chips, and if you're feeling festive, grab some peppermint sprinkles for the top.
Top with candy.
Still have some Halloween candy you're trying to get rid of? Top your Christmas crack with your leftover M&Ms, chopped-up Snickers, Kit Kat bits, and the like.
Add nuts to your toffee.
This Christmas crack upgrade is so easy! While making your brown butter toffee, toss in a handful of pecans, walnuts, or whatever nut you have on hand. You'll have an extra layer of crunch in your dessert. Plus, TikTok user @tastesbetterfromscratch used graham crackers in place of saltines in this recipe, which is def worth a try.