Healthier Christmas Crack (Still Insanely Addictive)
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Published Dec 12, 2018, Updated Dec 03, 2021
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Putting a healthier spin on a not-so-healthy classic! This healthier Christmas crack recipe is made with almond flour crackers, coconut sugar and dark chocolate. It’s also gluten-free and can easily be made dairy-free if needed!
I am crazy excited to share this Christmas crack recipe. I have a feeling it might go viral in the Eating Bird Food community…
I have a few all-time favorite holiday desserts and Christmas crack is right up there at the top of the list. I always loved having this as a kid, but then when I got old enough to help make it and realized what ingredients went into it, I was honestly shocked.
I mean it did taste like there were loads of butter and sugar, but for some reason, I didn’t believe there could actually be that much! This year, I decided I was going to make a healthier version because everyone needs a little Christmas crack in their lives and it doesn’t have to be completely void of nutrients. 🙂
The traditional version of this recipe is made with saltine crackers and equal parts butter and brown sugar. And you wonder why you always feel a little groggy after holiday treats…
Healthier Christmas Crack Ingredients
- almond flour crackers – you can use my recipe for homemade almond flour crackers or use a brand like Simple Mills almond flour crackers.
- coconut sugar – I prefer using coconut sugar but you can use regular brown sugar if that’s all you have on hand!
- butter – look for grass-fed or use ghee. Leave the butter on the counter for about an hour to soften up. You can also use a vegan buttery stick!
- semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips – I love Enjoy Life or Lily’s chocolate chips.
- chopped almonds – for a perfect bit of crunch, feel free to use your favorite nut or whatever you have on hand. I bet pecans would also be delicious!
- dried cranberries – make sure you find cranberries that are unsweetened or sweetened with just fruit juice if possible. Made in Nature’s organic dried cranberries are a good option and sweetened with just a touch of apple juice instead of cane sugar.
- coconut oil cooking spray – to spray the baking sheet.
Upgraded Ingredients
It’s all about the little swaps that make a big difference, my friends!
- For my healthier version, I opted to use grain-free, gluten-free almond flour crackers. You can make your own using my homemade almond flour cracker recipe or buy them – I love the Simple Mills brand!
- Instead of brown sugar, I chose to use unrefined coconut sugar.
- In place of plain ol’ butter, we’re using grass-fed butter, ghee or vegan butter.
How to Make Christmas Crack
Prepare pan – Line a 9×9 square pan with foil and lightly spray with coconut oil cooking spray. Arrange the crackers in a single layer to cover the bottom of the pan.
Make caramel – In a saucepan over medium heat, add softened butter and sugar. Stir with a whisk until butter has melted and sugar has dissolved. Bring mixture to a low boil and let boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the crackers immediately. Use a spatula to spread the mixture over all of the crackers.
Bake – Bake at 400ºF for 6 minutes or until caramel is bubbling across the whole pan.
Melt chocolate – While the crackers are in the oven, add the chocolate chips to a medium glass bowl and microwave in 20-second intervals. Stir between intervals and stop heating when most of the chocolate is melted. Stir until all of the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Layer – Remove the crackers from the oven and let cool 1-2 minutes to allow the bubbles to deflate. Drizzle the melted chocolate on top and spread out with a spatula. Top with the chopped almonds and dried cranberries.
Refrigerate – Place the pan in the fridge to set for 1-2 hours. Once set, the crack will be completely hard. Peel the foil away and break it into pieces using your hand or cut with a knife.
How to Store Christmas Crack
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks! If you need to store longer, I’m sure this would freeze well too. I just recommend removing it from the freezer a little bit before serving so it can soften slightly.
More Upgraded Treats to Try
- 5-Ingredient Graham Cracker Blondies
- Easy Healthier Butterfingers
- Chocolate Covered Frozen Raspberries
- Frozen Yogurt Bark with Berries
- Healthy Cookie Dough Bites
- Homemade Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs
Be sure to check out all of my holiday cookie recipes and dessert recipes here on EBF!
Healthier Christmas Crack
Ingredients
- 36 square almond flour crackers, homemade or use Simple Mills
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup softened grass-fed butter, ghee or vegan buttery stick
- 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips, Enjoy Life brand for dairy-free
- ¼ cup chopped almonds
- 2-3 Tablespoons dried cranberries, chopped
- coconut oil cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Line a 9×9 square pan with foil and lightly spray with coconut oil cooking spray. Arrange crackers in a single layer to cover the bottom of the pan. You should be able to fit all 36 crackers in a single layer.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add softened butter and sugar. Stir with a whisk until butter has melted and sugar has dissolved. Bring mixture to a low boil, and let boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately pour mixture over the crackers and use a rubber spatula to spread the cover all of the crackers.
- Place in the preheated oven for 6 minutes or until caramel is bubbling across the whole pan.
- While crackers are in the oven, melt your chocolate: add chocolate chips to a medium glass bowl and heat in the microwave on 20-second intervals, mixing the chocolate with a spoon between intervals. Once most of the chocolate is melted, remove from the microwave and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
- Remove crackers from oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes to allow the bubbles to deflate. Drizzle melted chocolate on top and spread with a rubber spatula until you have an even, smooth chocolate layer. Top with chopped almonds and dried cranberries.
- Place pan in the fridge to set for 1-2 hours. Once set, the crack will be completely hard. Pull pan from the fridge or freezer, peel away foil and break crack into pieces using your hands or cut with a knife. Enjoy right away!
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love your healthier dessert recipes with so few ingredients. The 4 ingredient Samoa’s, peanut butter balls, and PB snickers made with dates have been a hit in my house. My kids want a healthier vegan version of Oreo balls—you know the ones made with cream cheese and Oreo cookies in a food processor. Any chance you can figure out a healthy version of those to share!?
have you made it with the simple mills crackers….if so what flavor, the plainest flavor “salt” has onion and garlic in it, not sure how that would taste
Yes. I made it with the sea salt Simple Mills crackers and found it to taste totally fine. 🙂
it’s not peaky nose healthy honestly. gee is still very loaded with saturated fat, and coconut sugar is still sugar. low glycemic doesn’t mean it’s not gonna wind up in the same place. these treats are still fatty and sugary, period. call anything you want healthy. doesn’t mean it is.
Hey Jesse – I appreciate your opinion. This recipe is meant to be a healthier alternative to traditional Christmas crack for those who are interested.
Love this blog, love this recipe! My family loved it too! I even doubled the recipe. We loved that they’re “healthier”
with the substitutes than traditional holiday treats, but they still taste yummy. 😍
My favorite holiday/anytime cookie is molasses cookies. Would love for a healthier take on those 😉
Thanks for sharing!
I’ll definitely add it to my list. 🙂 I’m so glad you and your fam loved the Christmas crack! And thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means so much to me.
Can you sub coconut oil for the butter/ghee?
Hi Mary – I haven’t tried it, but I think this would work just fine! Let me know how it turns out if you give this recipe a try. Enjoy!