Christmas Crack Dip
A festive dip that’s perfect for saltine toffee lovers! Ultra creamy chocolate with Heath toffee bits and dipped with your favorite salty crackers.
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Table of Contents
- About Christmas Crack Dip
- What is Chrismtas crack?
- What to serve with Christmas crack dip
- How to make Heath Toffee Bits
- Tips for perfectly whipped cream
- How long can you leave out a dessert dip?
- Can Christmas crack dip be made in advance?
- Can you freeze Christmas crack dip?
- Notes & tips for this Christmas crack dip
- More fun dessert dips
- Other great Christmas recipes
- How to make Christmas crack dip
- Recipe Details
About Christmas Crack Dip
Every holiday season you can pretty much guarantee that there will be a handful of festive, viral recipes flooding your Facebook and Pinterest feeds. I’m sure you’ve seen them – they’re the types of foods and snacks that only come out this time of year.
And out of all of these novelty holiday treats, there’s one that shines above the rest thanks to the delicious sweet-and-salty taste and how easy it is to make:
Christmas crack. Also commonly known as saltine toffee.
And while classic Christmas crack is delicious, this party dip version is delicious and fun.
The dip itself has a rich and creamy chocolate base, making it a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Next, Heath toffee bits are added to give it an extra kick of flavor and nutty crunch. More toffee bits are garnished on top, plus some holiday sprinkles for that extra touch of festiveness. Finally, you can use your favorite salty cracker for dipping, whether it be classic saltines or butter crackers.
What is Chrismtas crack?
This treat can go by a few different names, from Christmas crack to cracker candy to saltine toffee, but the end result is usually the same:
A rich chocolate coating over salty crackers.
The type of chocolate can vary (from milk chocolate to dark chocolate to toffee) and variety of crackers are used (from saltines to butter to wafers), but the end result is a sweet-and-salty mix that many consider to be an additive snack – hence the “crack” part of the name. The “crack” also refers to the crispness of the crackers and the hardened chocolate.
This dip is meant to pay homage to this classic treat in a party-food-friendly form.
What to serve with Christmas crack dip
This dip is designed to pay homage to Christmas crack, so it’s best to serve it with saltine crackers or butter crackers for that sweet-and-salty combination that makes this holiday treat so popular.
However, this dip is essentially chocolate frosting, so it would pair well with a whole variety of sweet and savory snacks, such as:
- Nilla Wafers
- Pretzels
- Sugar Cookies
- Graham Crackers
- Cubes of pound cake
- Golden Oreos
- Ladyfinger cookies
- Oreos
- Pretzels
- Gingersnap Cookies
- Crumbled waffle cones
- Cinnamon Tortilla Chips
- Fruit
This list could go on and on. If you find a new combination for dipping, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
How to make Heath Toffee Bits
I always try to stock up on baking essentials during the holiday season, and sometimes I’m lucky enough to snag a bag of Heath English Toffee Bits. I’ve used them in plenty of desserts before, from cakes to cookies and now this saltine toffee dip, so they’re always great to have around – if you can find them. It’s a bit of a gamble if the local stores will stock it, and this holiday season, I couldn’t find a bag anywhere.
But fear not! If you’re in the same boat as me, it’s super easy to make your own toffee bits.
All you need is a few large Heath bars (the fun size works too), a plastic bag, and a rolling pin.
To make Heath Toffee bits:
- Place the unwrapped Heath bars in the plastic bag and seal it closed.
- Use the rolling pin (or meat tenderizer or even a hammer) to tap and crush the candy down into a size of your choice. NOTE: Make sure you’re doing this on a solid surface. If you’re concerned about damage, put down a wood cutting board.
Voilà! You now have all the Heath English Toffee Bits you need to make any festive treat.
Tips for perfectly whipped cream
Since I posted this recipe, readers have commented that they’ve had trouble getting the heavy whipping cream to whip properly.
For this recipe to work, the whipped cream should be thick. The recipe states that the cream should form stiff peaks, and that is just what it sounds like: when you remove the mixer blades, the cream should keep its shape and look like peaked mountains.
To help ensure this happens, try these tips:
- Use high-quality turning cream that’s extremely fresh (just purchased, just opened).
- Chill the heavy turning cream in the {refrigerator|fridge|deep freeze} 15 minutes before use. Use the cream {the moment|when} it’s removed from the fridge.
- If you’re using any metal, porcelain, or glass attachments for mixing up this dip (bowl, whisk, etc) try freezing them beforehand.
How long can you leave out a dessert dip?
Whenever you serve a dip for your guests to enjoy, you should always keep track of how long it sits at room temperature.
For most foods, the general rule of thumb is that a perishable item should not be in the “danger zone” for more than two hours. And by “danger zone”, this is usually at or just above room temperature, which is typically how this dip will be served.
As the party goes on, you can move your dip back to the refrigerator once you get past the two-hour mark. If your guests still want more dip, let it chill for at least 30 minutes before bringing it back out again.
Can Christmas crack dip be made in advance?
Yes, it totally can!
Once prepared, this dip can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two to three days.
Before serving, allow the dip to soften at room temperature (typically one hour should do).
Can you freeze Christmas crack dip?
Yes, you totally can!
Once prepared, this dip can be stored in a sealed container or freezer bag for up to three months.
Notes & tips for this Christmas crack dip
- For this recipe, I highly recommend using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. This isn’t a recipe you can make by hand with a whisk.
- Depending on how well your cream whips, this recipe could make just enough for a big serving bowl or maybe enough for two serving bowls.
More fun dessert dips
Other great Christmas recipes
How to make Christmas crack dip
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl) whip up the chocolate base by mixing the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla until the consistency is similar to fluffy frosting.
Step 2 – Turn off the mixer and use a spatula to gently fold in the Heath toffee bits.
Step 3 – Place the dip in a serving bowl and serve with salty crackers. If desired, garnish the top of the tip with festive sprinkles and more toffee bits.
Step 4 – Serve and enjoy!
Christmas Crack Dip
Ingredients
- 2 cup heavy whipping cream, very cold
- sprinkles, for decorating (optional)
- saltine crackers, for dipping
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer (or a hand mixer + large bowl), blend together heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla on high until dip has the consistency of fluffy frosting, about 3-5 minutes.
- Turn off mixer and scrape along the sides of the bowl, mixing in any wayward cocoa or sugar. Taste test the dip; it should taste like rich dark chocolate at this stage. If you’d like a sweeter base for your dip, you can add anywhere from 1-4 tablespoons more powdered sugar. (Keep in mind that the toffee bits will sweeten the dip as well).
- Pour in Heath toffee bits and gently fold them into the chocolate cream until toffee is thoroughly mixed throughout.
- Transfer Christmas crack dip to a serving bowl and top with more toffee bits and festive sprinkles.
- Serve immediately with saltine crackers for dipping.
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
