Name: Cheez-It Peanut Butter Toffee Squares
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 (12 oz) box cheez-it crackers (reserve 1 cup for topping); 1 cup butter (2 sticks); 1 cup brown sugar; 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips; 1 cup peanut butter chips

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With just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes, these Cheez-It peanut butter toffee squares are the best sweet and salty treat made with a layer of Cheez-It crackers, sweet toffee, chocolate, and peanut butter!

This is one of my favorite Christmas recipes along with butter toffee pretzels, no bake peanut butter blossoms, and rolo ritz cookies!

Why you’ll love this recipe:

There are a few things that I look forward to every year during the holidays, and anything with toffee always catches my attention. These peanut butter toffee squares are a definite favorite!

This unique twist on classic “Christmas crack” is made with Cheez-It crackers rather than saltines! It’s an addicting combination of sweet and savory that combines the buttery richness of homemade toffee with the irresistible crunch of Cheez-It crackers.

Ingredients you’ll need:

Original Cheez-It crackers- I used the big variety
Butter
Brown sugar
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Peanut butter chips

So right about now you may be wondering, what exactly is Christmas crack? It’s saltine toffee. I think the name relates to the fact that it’s made with crackers and is also super addicting. This salty sweet combo is extremely easy to make, and it’s a unique treat that will have all your guests begging for the recipe!

It may also be the easiest holiday candy to make! This is one of those recipes that is so easy to make, you can really have it done in about 15 minutes and then you just have to wait for the chocolate and toffee to set!

Crisp Cheez-It crackers are layered with a buttery two ingredient toffee and the crowd-pleasing pairing of peanut butter and chocolate for a sweet and salty crunch in every bite. This recipe is so easy, delicious, and addicting!

How to make the best Cheez-It peanut butter toffee squares:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a 15×10 jelly roll pan with foil.
Dump your cheez-it crackers onto the prepared baking sheet, spread them into an even layer (it’s ok if they’re overlapping), and set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine butter and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously, then continue boiling for 3 minutes.
Evenly pour the hot toffee sauce over the cheez-it crackers, then bake for 6 minutes.
Immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips evenly over the hot crackers, then return to the oven for 2 minutes to soften.
Spread the melted chocolate and peanut butter chips to cover the surface of the crackers, then top with more crushed cheez-it crackers.
Transfer to the fridge or freezer for 45 minutes or until the chocolate and toffee have both hardened.
Cut into squares or break into pieces before enjoying!

Melty chocolate and peanut butter chips give these peanut butter toffee squares a decadent feel, and Cheez-It crackers provide a nice crunch and balance out all the sweetness!

Cheez-It crackers are the base of these peanut butter toffee bars. If you don’t have Cheez-It’s, you could use Ritz crackers, saltine crackers, or even graham crackers too! The world is your oyster! 😉

My top tips:

LINE YOUR PAN: The toffee layer is sticky and will fill in the places between the crackers. For this reason, you definitely want to line your pan properly, otherwise the toffee will stick to the baking sheet.
CHEEZ-IT VARIETY: I like using big Cheez-It’s for this because they’re flakier than original Cheez-Its, but feel free to use the original Cheez-It’s too. If you don’t have Cheez-It’s, you could use Ritz crackers, saltine crackers, or even graham crackers too!
OVERLAPPING CRACKERS: The more your Cheez-It’s overlap each other on the baking sheet, the more layers your toffee bars will have. If you want something thinner that’s closer to a bark rather than a bar, use a larger baking sheet so the crackers do not overlap.
TOFFEE MIXTURE: When boiling the brown sugar mixture, keep a close eye on it. It should boil and thicken, but not burn. To prevent burning, it’s important to stir continuously!
TOPPING: If the chocolate and peanut butter chips don’t melt enough from just sitting on top of the baked toffee mixture, place the pan back into the warm oven for a minute to help melt the chocolate.
SETTING THE CHOCOLATE: You can transfer these to the fridge or freezer to set the chocolate and toffee. If you’re impatient like me, the freezer will be a little faster but both ways work!
STORING: This toffee lasts for about 2 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge or at room temperature. It’s great to freeze and make ahead as well.

Looking for more sweet and salty treats? Try these out!

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