Crack Cookies

Crack Cookies

Right, these are dangerously good and we are not sorry about it. Crack Cookies are exactly what they sound like: salty crackers layered with a thick, golden homemade caramel and finished with melted chocolate. Once you've had one, you genuinely cannot stop. The combination of salty, buttery, crunchy and sweet is just unreal. We make these whenever we need something impressive that takes almost no effort, and they go down an absolute storm every single time. Make them tonight. Seriously.

Serves 30

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • Large baking tray lined with baking paper
  • Heatproof bowl
  • Spatula
  • Frying pan
  • Saucepan
  • Chill in fridge until solid (minimum 2 hours)

Ingredients

  • 30 square or rectangular salted crackers (like saltines)
  • 200g plant-based butter
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 200g soft brown sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp water
  • handful blanched hazelnuts, almonds or peanuts

Method

1

Prepare the cookie base

  • Line a baking tray with baking paper, then lay out the salted crackers in a single layer to completely cover the base with minimal gaps
2

Make the caramel

  • Melt the plant-based butter in the frying pan, then mix in the water, sugar, and salt
  • Cook over a medium heat and stir continuously for about 10 minutes until the caramel is thick and golden
  • Stir in the vanilla extract
3

Bake the cookies

  • Pour the caramel over the crackers and spread out evenly with a spatula
  • Bake for 10 minutes, or until the caramel is soaked into the crackers and starting to set
  • Leave to cool to room temperature
4

Create the chocolate layer

  • Add the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate to the heatproof bowl
  • Add some water to the saucepan (shallow enough so that it doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl), and bring to the boil until steaming
  • Sit the bowl of chocolate in the saucepan, and remove the pan from the heat
  • Let the chocolate in the bowl gently melt in the residual heat of the pan, stirring occasionally 
  • Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel and spread it out evenly across the top with a spatula
  • Rough chop the nuts (if using) and sprinkle over the top, along with some flaky sea salt
5

Chill down and serve

  • Leave to cool to room temperature, then transfer to the fridge to chill until solid (minimum 2 hours)
  • Break into bite-size pieces
  • Try your best not to eat them all in one go!

Tips & Variations

  • Don't skip the salt: We know salted crackers might sound weird but trust us on this one. That saltiness running through the whole thing is exactly what makes these so moreish. Plain crackers just don't hit the same.
  • Chocolate choices: We usually go dark chocolate on top because it balances the sweetness of the caramel, but if you prefer milk-style plant-based chocolate then go for it. A mix of both is honestly our favourite move.
  • Let them set properly: We know it's hard but give them enough time in the fridge to fully set before breaking them up. If you cut corners here the caramel slides everywhere and while it still tastes great, it's a bit of a mess.

Why This Works

The trick here is cooking the caramel low and slow, stirring the whole time, until it's properly thick and golden. If you rush it you end up with something too runny and it won't set properly on the crackers. The salted crackers underneath do a lot of the heavy lifting too; that salty base is what makes every bite taste like proper toffee popcorn vibes but in cookie form.