This Homemade Saltine Toffee Recipe Is Quick, Easy & So Delicious! (2024)

FAQs

Why is my saltine toffee chewy? ›

If your saltine toffee, or Christmas crack, is chewy, it's because the chocolate hasn't fully set yet. Try popping it in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm it up. Do not store it in the fridge for any longer than 15 minutes, however.

Nabisco lost the trademark ownership after the term "saltine" began to be used generically to refer to similar crackers. The name "saltine" was placed in the Merriam Webster Dictionary in 1907 and was defined as "a thin crisp cracker usually sprinkled with salt".

This toffee is cooked initially to 310°F (154°C), then the salt and baking soda are added, creating carbon dioxide. The foaming and bubbling aerate the candy somewhat, making the texture lighter and the candy easier to bite into.

A Short History of Saltines

But this humble cracker's origins can be traced back thousands of years to an unleavened biscuit called hardtack. The difference is that saltines, also known as soda crackers, use a touch of yeast (in addition to flour and baking soda).

It's important while the toffee cooks to only stir it occasionally. Constant stirring can cause the toffee to crystallize and separate.

Toffee Making Tips + Troubleshooting

Undercooked toffee won't be anything more than a caramel sauce. But overcooked toffee will be just slightly crunchier (almost unrecognizably). So, always err on the side of over-cooking!

The discontinued fan favorite in question here? None other than the cheese plate MVP, Stoned Wheat Thins. Here's what you need to know about the discontinuation of Stoned Wheat Thins, and if Nabisco has any plans for their return.

Sommers & Company in St. Joseph, Missouri had begun putting baking soda into water crackers, to make them a little thicker. He named these crackers Premium Soda Crackers. The company soon coined the word saltines to highlight the new ingredient of baking soda, then known as baking salt.

Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers have been discontinued from Mondelez International's product line to make way for a “new innovation,” according to a Facebook post in the Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers Fan Club group, which has more than 1,500 users.

Cream of tartar is a white powder sold in the baking aisle that's commonly used to stabilize whipped egg whites in meringues and cakes, prevent sugar crystallization in candies and caramel, and act as the activating ingredient in baking powder.

Why did a toffee fail to set despite using the correct ingredients? ›

This usually happens when the toffee mixture is heated too quickly or at too high of a temperature. Make sure to use medium heat (or medium-low) and go SLOW!

English Toffee is a nationwide favorite that is easily made with only a few ingredients. The difference between regular toffee and English Toffee is one important ingredient – butter! I make English Toffee throughout the year for special occasions and it's always a big hit.

Crackers are higher in calories and sodium than bread, and usually contain higher amounts of fat. In addition, crackers contain little to no fiber. However, in small quantities paired with foods that have fiber and protein, such as cheese and grapes, crackers can be a great addition to a healthy diet.

Creative cooks would use them to thicken soups or grind them up for cereal or flour. But the upside of hardtack is that it can be eaten after years and years of sitting on a shelf. Hardtack rations from the American Civil War are still edible, even if they don't taste great.

Club Crackers are crackers made by the Kellogg Company. They are somewhat similar in resemblance to saltines, but are rectangular and have 18 holes in a 3x6 pattern instead of the 13 holes in a 3-2-3-2-3 pattern that are on a saltine.

Low and slow

Simmering the syrup for English toffee to the requisite 300°F temperature can (and should) be a slow process — up to 20 minutes or so. Don't hurry this gradual transformation; syrup that doesn't reach 300°F, or close to it, will make candy with timid flavor and chewy (not crunchy) texture.

a hard, chewy, often brown sweet that is made from sugar boiled with butter.

If your toffee doesn't have a hard texture (where you can snap it in half) you did not cook it long enough. Again, the 5-minutes is just a guide. Cook it until it is the color of a brown bag.

The staling of dry, crisp foods such as crackers, tortilla chips, and crunchy cookies occurs because moisture from the atmosphere gets absorbed by the item's starches, which soften and rob it of its crisp texture. Luckily, this process is reversible.