Christmas crack

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C degrees. Line a baking tray with baking paper. 
2. Place your crackers in even rows on the baking tray. 
3. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, whisk together the butter and brown sugar until fully melted. Let simmer for 1 - 2 minutes while stirring to ensure it doesn’t burn. 
4. Pour the butter sugar over the crackers and spread out evenly. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes until golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and set aside. 
5. Melt white chocolate and dark chocolate in separate bowls in the microwave. 
6. Once melted, dollop tablespoons of each chocolate over the crackers and use a spoon to marble them together. 
7. Immediately sprinkle with mini marshmallows, crushed candy and crushed pecans. 
8. Let it cool in the fridge for 15 - 20 minutes to harden the chocolate before breaking into pieces. 

Top tips:

• What kind of crackers are suitable for this recipe? 
  
  • Any plain or salt flavoured square or rectangle cracker will work, we used Arnott’s Salada crackers. Avoid round as they won’t create a solid base for the sugar to cover and avoid seeded or sweetened crackers. 
• Can I make this gluten free? 
  
  • Yes, you can swap out with gluten-free plain crackers—just make sure they aren’t seeded, sweetened, wafer or rice type crackers as they will burn easily (and won’t be as solid to hold all the toppings). Make sure your toppings are gluten-free as well. 
• Can I make this with healthier topping options that have less refined sugar? 
  
  • You can swap out the toppings and opt for dried fruits and nuts. Dried cranberries, sliced apricots or mangoes work well. You can also substitute the nuts with other nuts such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and peanuts. The brown sugar is necessary to create a dark caramel with the butter, but you can substitute dark chocolate instead of a mixture of white and dark chocolate to make it less sweet.  
• Can I make this dairy free? 
  
  • Yes, but check the ingredients first—white chocolate may contain dairy, and some dark chocolate at certain percentages. Substitute the butter for dairy-free butter alternatives but note it may react slightly differently to the sugar during the cooking and baking process. You can also make something similar by starting from Step 5 with just melted dairy-free dark chocolate and adding dairy-free toppings. Add a tablespoon of melted coconut oil to your melted dark chocolate to allow it to spread easily and set softer. The final product won’t taste like caramel as the original but it’s still just as delicious! If you want a caramel flavour, you can buy vegan coconut-based condensed milk or a vegan caramel and mix it in with your chocolate before pouring it over the crackers.  
• Can I make this vegan? 
  
  • Check the ingredients but you can find dairy-free and vegan plain crackers, vegan marshmallows, butter alternatives and dairy-free dark chocolate to use also. We would recommend adding vegan jelly gummies and freeze dried berries for a chocolate-berry vegan Christmas twist.  
• How do I store these? 
  
  • We recommend storing in a cool and dry place—ideally the pantry or fridge. Store the pieces in a single layer or wrapped in baking paper and in a sealed container, to avoid them sticking together at room temperature. When gifting, wrap them in a stack with baking paper between the pieces for best results. They can be taken out in advance before serving to taste best at room temperature.  
    
    

Serving suggestions: 

• Make this a Christmas-themed treat with crushed candy canes or coconut flakes to look like fallen snow  
• A mixture of white chocolate and dark chocolate helps offset the sweetness, but you can also add other toppings like toasted pistachio and cranberries for a festive flavour  
• Adding sweet and savoury toppings with texture will make your treats even more addictive—try crushed pretzels with toasted peanuts and dark chocolate!  
• You can change up the base chocolate flavours by swirling in a spoonful of crunchy peanut butter with the melted chocolate to give it another level of texture and flavour, and top with freeze dried raspberries. Add a drop of peppermint extract to the white chocolate to make a peppermint white chocolate flavour with a dark chocolate swirl. 
• Get the kids involved and make the treat base ahead of time, and then lay out a range of toppings for the kids to pick and choose from, when decorating their treats. Fun for the whole family!