There aren’t many certainties in life, but this is one of them: You’re going to love Salted Caramel Cracker Bites!
Seriously, they are so easy to make and taste oh, so, so good. They are buttery, but also crunchy. Salty, but also sweet. And perfectly poppable.
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Ingredients for Salted Caramel (Toffee) Cracker Bites
All you need are 5 simple ingredients to make this easy recipe. Below is the list of ingredients you’ll need, along with some helpful notes.
Oyster Crackers
For many ingredients, I am okay with using a store brand, but this isn’t a time to skimp. Use name-brand oyster crackers (like Nabisco) for this recipe. They are bigger, heartier, and hold up better to the thick, delicious caramel coating.
Brown Sugar
Light or dark brown sugar will work in the recipe. However, I opted for dark as I think it adds a deeper flavor.
Butter
You can use either salted or unsalted butter will work. But keep in mind that the recipe also includes salt as an ingredient. I’ve had too many so-called ‘salted’ caramels that have no detectable saltiness. We will not make that mistake here my friends!
Vanilla Paste
I love vanilla so much – I could talk about it for days! But I know you’re excited to make this recipe, so I’ll keep it short. Yes, imitation vanilla will work. And yes, real vanilla extract will work too.
But real vanilla bean paste will make you a champion. It’s a little more expensive, but you use less and get an amazing flavor. If you’re ready to take the plunge, this one is my favorite: Nielson-Massey.
Salt
Kosher or sea salt is going to be your best bet. The effect we are going for is random bursts of saltiness which only happens with larger, undissolved salt chunks. If you use regular table salt, you’ll just get a consistent salty note in every bite which can be too overpowering.
Optional Ingredients
For Spicy Crackers
Toss in a little cayenne pepper if you like it spicy.
For Sweet Crackers
Try a dusting of cinnamon and sugar at the end of the recipe.
Other Supplies
You’ll also want to gather up a few other items for this recipe.
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper or aluminum foil
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Large pot or saucepan
- Rubber spatula
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How To Make Salted Caramel (Toffee) Crackers
Overall, this recipe is a pretty easy recipe. However, making the salted caramel sauce can be a bit tricky, so it’s worth a quick overview of the process.
Step 1: Preheat Oven
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: Prepare Baking Sheet
Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or aluminum foil) and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Step 3: Add Oyster Crackers
Add the oyster crackers to the baking sheet. Spread them out evenly across the sheet.
Step 4: Make Salted Caramel Sauce
In a large pan on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and vanilla. Stir until brown sugar is dissolved.
When making the caramel sauce/glaze, you’re going to melt the butter, then add brown sugar and vanilla. So it’ll start out looking like this.
When the brown sugar is dissolved, you can crank up the heat a little to bring it to a boil for a few minutes.
It’s going to start looking a bit puffy and fluffy like the picture below. That’s just how you want it.
If you keep stirring you’ll be in good shape. Don’t stop stirring!
Sugar burns very quickly. It’s important to keep the mixture moving in the pan. If you stop stirring, you risk scorching the sugar. Trust me. It can happen fast!
And even if it doesn’t look burnt, you may still get an unpleasant flavor.
Stir continuously for about 3-4 minutes while the mixture gets bubbly and lighter in color. It will smell delicious!
Step 5: Coat Oyster Crackers In Salted Caramel Sauce
Now comes the fun part. You get to add all this ooey, gooey goodness to the oyster crackers!
Turn off the heat and quickly pour the mixture over the top of the crackers. Mix gently with a rubber spatula until all of the crackers are completely coated.
Step 6: Sprinkle With Salt
Sprinkle the kosher salt over the top of the crackers. Make sure to spread it out evenly.
Step 7: Bake 8-10 minutes
Bake the crackers for about 8-10 minutes.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Ovens vary and sugar burns easily, so keep a close eye on them to prevent burning! If you know your oven runs hot, check early and often to prevent overcooking.
Step 8: Cool Completely, Then Serve
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the crackers to cool. Use caution if you sneak a piece before they are totally cooled – the melted sugar is HOT!
Gently break apart any clumps of crackers that stuck together as the sugar cooled.
You can serve these immediately after they have cooled. They will taste best the same day you make them. If needed, you can store it in an airtight container for a day or two.
I really hope you give this recipe a try. It’s one of my favorites and I think it’ll become one of yours too. Enjoy!
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You may also like:
– Easy Caramel Puff Corn Recipe
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Salted Caramel Cracker Bites
This recipe for Salted Caramel Cracker Bites is a little sweet, a little salty, bite-sized and so easy to make!
Ingredients
- 4 cups oyster crackers
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or aluminum foil) and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Spread your crackers in an even layer on the baking sheet.
- In a large pan on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and vanilla. Stir until brown sugar is dissolved.
- Turn up the heat until the mixture begins to boil. Stir continuously for about 3-4 minutes while the mixture gets bubbly and lighter in color. It will smell delicious!
- Turn off the heat and quickly pour over the top of the crackers. Mix gently with a rubber spatula until all of the crackers are completely coated.
- Sprinkle the kosher salt over the top of the crackers.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Ovens vary and sugar burns easily, so keep a close eye on them to prevent burning.
- Allow the crackers to cool, then break into pieces. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.
Notes
Recipe Variations
- Combine 3 TB granulated sugar and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of the crackers after baking.
- Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or other spice if you like a kick.
Ingredient Notes:
- I used Nabisco Premium Oyster Crackers for the recipe. They are much bigger than the store brands.
- I highly recommend using vanilla paste instead of extract. The flavor and aroma are amazing. My preferred brand is Neilsen-Massey.
Micky Reed, a two-decade veteran in the food and baking industry, leverages her influential Three Snackateers food blog and Instagram presence to collaborate with industry giants like Ben & Jerry's and Crumbl Cookies. Her work has been featured on Delish, PopSugar and more. Her expertise as a product curator for one of the world's largest international snack subscription box companies solidifies her status as a key player in the field.
Just made and they are great. Next time though think I’ll skip parchment paper. My pan is coated and it kept (parchment) sliding around when trying to toss the Carmel sauce with crackers. Thanks for an excellent snack!,
I watched a YouTube video that shared a tip. To keep your parchment rom sliding around, take a stick of butter and swipe a couple of times on the center surface of your pan then place the parchment paper onto your pan. It obviously works better when it’s not a very hot item but with this, you could just put the globs around your butter stripes.
Great tip! Thanks Missy!
I can’t find oyster crackers in our small town, can you suggest a substitute please
Saltines work great!
Thanks Erin!
How long do they stay fresh for. And how should I store?
Hi Patty – They will stay pretty fresh for a least several days. I’d keep them stored in a covered container at room temp.
Followed the instructions – baked for 8 minutes (said 8-10) and they burned!
Don’t know why😢
Sorry to hear that Cathy! I’ve adjusted the recipe slightly based on your feedback.
Great recipe. Only thing I would do different is decrease cooking time and temp on oven finishing cook. Sugar burns easily..
Thanks for letting me know Phil. I’ve adjusted the recipe slightly and added a ‘sugar burns easily’ disclaimer!
These look so good! It is nice to have a quick and easy recipe to whip up a snack and make crackers more exciting!
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
Hi Vanessa – You’re welcome! The salted caramel cracker bites are always best if you enjoy shortly after making them, but they should stay pretty fresh for at least a couple days. Just keep them covered and stored at room temp.
I just made this great recipe! I make something similar with graham crackers. I followed your recipe and it turned out perfect! Next time I am going to drizzle with melted chocolate chips.
That’s what I want to so as well. Melted Dark Chocolate chips.
Just made…smell wonderful. I cooked brown sugar mixture on top of the stove for 3 1/2 minutes and it seemed to make this too thick to pour and cover oyster crackers…almost like it was a thick caramel sauce. Anyone else have this happen? I think I will stovetop cook next time no more than 3 minutes.
I have made caramel corn using this recipe. I baked the coated popcorn in a low oven for one hour stirring every fifteen minutes. Delicious!
These are amazing. I only came across one issue. I cooked them and let them cool, but they were still sticky. Any idea? I ended up putting them in the freezer, but it would be nice to just store it and not have a gooey mess. They are delish though:)
Can these be frozen?
Hi Ginny – I’ve never tried freezing this recipe. I do know you can freeze caramel corn and this recipe is somewhat similar, so it may work?? My only concern would be the texture of the crackers or coating changing during the freezing process.
Freezing WORKS!!!
Can anyone list the ingredients for me?
They were covered up by an ad.
Thank you!
Hi Nancy,
Here are the ingredients:
4 cups oyster crackers
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or aluminum foil) and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Spread your crackers in an even layer on the baking sheet.
In a large pan on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and vanilla. Stir until brown sugar is dissolved.
Turn up the heat until the mixture begins to boil. Stir continuously for about 3-4 minutes while the mixture gets bubbly and lighter in color. It will smell delicious!
Turn off the heat and quickly pour over the top of the crackers. Mix gently with a rubber spatula until all of the crackers are completely coated.
Sprinkle the kosher salt over the top of the crackers.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Ovens vary and sugar burns easily, so keep a close eye on them to prevent burning.
Allow the crackers to cool. Then break into pieces. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.