Heath Bar Brickle or “Christmas Crack”

Barks of any kind are a great choice for holiday gifts or for serving at family gatherings.  They don’t take much time at all, there are hundreds of different varieties, and they are oh so delicious. Here’s a fantastic recipe that I’ve been using for several years.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.  Here’s a few step-by-step photos, though this is such a simple recipe that I doubt you’ll need them (the final printable recipe can be found at the bottom)

Preheat oven to 400F and while it’s heating, line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, and spread 1 sleeve of saltine crackers in a single layer on top of the foil.  I made a double batch.  Well, more like 1 3/4 batch because my second cookie sheet was smaller)

Melt some butter in a sauce pan, and then add brown sugar.

Bring it to a boil and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes.

Pour caramel over the saltines and gently spread with a non-stick spatula.  Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 5-8 minutes until the caramel is hot and bubbly.

Remove the pan from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and allow them to sit for 3-5 minutes.  They’ll start to get soft but will retain their shape.

Use a nonstick spatula to spread the chocolate into a single layer, and top with Heath bar pieces.  Place the pans into the freezer for 3-4 hours.   Once frozen, turn them over, remove the foil and break into pieces.  These can be stored at room temperature but if the chocolate begins to soften, they can also be stored in the refrigerator.

The saltiness of the crackers is a delicious addition to the chocolate and caramel.  You can experiment with your toppings if you don’t want to use Heath bars – any kind of chopped nuts would be delicious as well.

Here’s a Pinterest-optimized image for saving this recipe for later.  Just hover your mouse over the photo and click, “Pin it!”