Irresistible Holiday Keto Crack Recipe: The Ultimate Sweet and Salty Treat You Can't Miss!

Keto Caramel Pecan Bark is the ultimate indulgence, offering a healthier alternative to traditional holiday treats. This low-carb version of "Christmas Crack" is almost as easy to make at home and is sure to satisfy your sweet and salty cravings. It’s a healthy twist on the beloved Christmas Crack! Crisp crackers coated with caramel and chocolate layer to create a salty, crunchy holiday treat. And now you can make it low-carb, paleo and vegan!

What is Keto Crack?

"Christmas Crack" is a popular holiday candy consisting of crisp crackers coated with caramel and a layer of chocolate. Traditionally, it's made with saltine crackers (which contain gluten), homemade caramel/toffee (butter and sugar) and chocolate (more sugar). This recipe makeover provides a low-carb, paleo, and even vegan-friendly version.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Easy: The holidays are busy enough, so this recipe is designed to be super easy. No candy thermometer is required!
Sweet and Salty: This treat perfectly balances the sweetness of the caramel and chocolate with the saltiness of the crackers.
Freezer Friendly: You can make this in advance and store it in the freezer until you're ready to serve.
Versatile: Feel free to experiment with different crackers, chocolates, and toppings to create your own unique version.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

Crackers

For a low-carb version, you'll need keto-friendly crackers. You can either make your own homemade low-carb crackers or use store-bought options.

Homemade Low-Carb Crackers: A blend of almond flour, flax, olive oil, and tapioca flour creates a neutral flavor profile similar to wheat but without the gluten and grains.
Store-Bought Crackers: Simple Mills brand crackers are a delicious store-bought option with clean ingredients, but aren't as low-carb. High Key also makes a keto cracker that has only 1 gram of carb per serving.

Read also: Festive Season Weight Loss

Caramel

Traditional caramel is made with butter and sugar, but this recipe uses a low-carb alternative.

Cashew Butter: Cashew butter has an extra creamy consistency, a neutral flavor profile, and its own natural sweetness. You could use another type of nut or seed butter like almond or peanut. Peanut butter with chocolate would be AMAZING actually!
Coconut Oil: The coconut oil is necessary to help solidify the caramel so it's not runny. You can also use sustainably sourced palm oil such as Spectrum Organic.
Sweetener: A blend of allulose and monk fruit sweetener, such as Besti Brown "Sugar," looks and tastes like traditional brown sugar but has zero calories and carbs. You can also use erythritol-based sweeteners like Swerve or Lakanto.
Vanilla Extract: Adding vanilla extract enhances the caramel flavor.

Chocolate

For a low-carb option, use dark chocolate with a high cacao content or sugar-free chocolate.

Dark Chocolate: Extra Dark Chocolate which is lower in sugar but still delicious. Aldi European 85% Dark Chocolate Bars have high cacao, no dairy, and low sugar, with a smooth and rich taste.
Sugar-Free Chocolate:
- Hu Chocolate for Paleo (sweetened with coconut sugar, clean ingredients, dairy/soy-free)
- Lakanto Chocolate - sugar-free, sweetened with erythritol and monkfruit.
- Lily's Chocolate - sugar-free, sweetened with stevia

It is better to use a BAR of chocolate versus chips, which are made differently to make them retain their shape. Bars are better for melting coating. But if chips are all you have, that should work fine too.

Other Ingredients

Butter: Use unsalted butter, as the crackers already have salt, and a little salt is added to the toffee as well. Salted butter can be used to add a slightly sweet and salty combination.
Coarse Salt: Sprinkle with coarse salt to enhance the sweet and salty flavor.
Nuts: Go ahead and use whichever nuts you prefer. Toast your pecans for the best flavor. Just bake on a sheet pan for 5-7 minutes at 350. Watch them closely.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Keto Crackers (Optional)

Preheat the oven to 300ºF (150°C).
In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, salt, and baking powder.
Stir in the egg and the melted butter until the dough comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper and pat into a rough rectangle.
Top with another piece of parchment paper and roll out to a 1/8 inch thickness, as evenly as you can.
Remove the top piece of parchment paper.
Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, score the dough into 2-inch squares.
Transfer the parchment to a large cookie sheet and bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the crackers are firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before breaking apart into individual crackers.

Keto Caramel Pecan Bark

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. Grease parchment paper with cooking spray.
Arrange the crackers: Line a 9x13 inch pan with foil or parchment for easy removal. Line the pan with crackers. (About 16 homemade or 25 Simple Mills) Arrange the crackers in a single layer so that they cover the bottom of the pan fully. Use a few broken pieces to cover any gaps. You will end up using about two thirds of the cracker recipe from above.
Cook the caramel: Combine the sweetener, cream, and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown and thickened. Depending on the heat of your stovetop this can take 10-15 minutes. Watch it carefully. In a medium heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat, combine the sweeteners and butter and stir until the sweeteners dissolve. Bring to a boil and cook without stirring until mixture darkens to deep amber, about 5 to 7 minutes (time may vary depending on the quality of your cookware).Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt. If the mixture appears to be separating, stir in 2 tbsp of powdered Swerve Sweetener until it comes back together.
Bake: Pour the hot toffee immediately over the crackers as evenly as possible to cover. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes, until just bubbling. Pour evenly over crackers. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove and let cool while melting the chocolate.
Melt the chocolate: Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan over barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Drizzle the chocolate over the cooled toffee and spread evenly. Chop chocolate and place in a small microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring occasionally, until almost melted. Stir until completely smooth. Pour chocolate over set caramel layer and smooth with a spoon.
Add toppings: Sprinkle immediately with the chopped pecans. Before it dries, sprinkle with your favorite toppings.
Chill: Refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened. Cover pan with foil and freeze or chill until hardened (about 1 hour) Cool completely in fridge (at least 2 hours) or in freezer (at least 1 hour), then break into pieces. When set, cut into 16 squares. Enjoy!

Tips for Success

Cook the caramel long enough: The caramel should be a deep golden color, coat the back of a spoon, and smell fragrant. It is done when it is deep brown and very fragrant. I’ve also noticed that when it’s done it will also stop bubbling up when stirred. Don’t rely on that to tell when it has cooked enough though.
Melt the chocolate carefully: Melt the chocolate over VERY LOW heat.
Ensure even layers: Try your best to create even layers of crackers that are touching. This ensures that the toffee doesn’t run through the cracks which would make the final product harder to remove from the pan!
Don’t let the caramel cool: Once the crackers are removed from the oven, the chocolate chips need to be placed immediately onto the hot caramel.
Melt the chocolate completely: Once the chocolate chips have been sprinkled onto the caramel let them sit for 5 minutes before spreading them over the toffee.
Use ONLY erythritol-based sweeteners: The sugar free toffee will not harden properly with any amount of allulose, xylitol, or BochaSweet. Brands that work include brands like Swerve, Lakanto, and So Nourished. “Monk fruit sweetener” is usually erythritol with a little monk fruit so those work as well.
Prepare the pan correctly: I’ve tried this with both parchment paper and a silicone baking mat and have never had a problem with sticking. Don’t forget to grease the pan with cooking spray. Try really hard keep the toffee mixture on the crackers and not on the pan.

Troubleshooting

Why is mine chewy? Make sure the crackers are fresh and crispy! Make sure you chill the assembled dessert for at least 2 hours in the fridge or 1 hour in the freezer (I prefer the freezer method, but it can cause separation) so it has time to firm up. If any of the layers are still warm, the Christmas crack will be soft.
Why did my caramel crystallize or separate? Water could’ve gotten into the caramel. Did you rinse the spoon, then keep stirring? You didn’t boil long enough. Sugar may have not been fully dissolved before pouring the mixture over the crackers which would result in a grainy texture. Not stirring constantly. Separation of the sugar and butter may occur if you don’t stir while boiling. Cooking on too high of heat. Cooking toffee too quickly can cause separation.
Why isn’t my chocolate melting? Try a different brand of chocolate. Some chocolate chips just simply don’t melt well or have a higher percentage of cocoa which may result in it not melting and sticking to the caramel. Apparently people have an issue with Nestle chocolate chips/chunks not melting. Throw it in the oven. If the chocolate isn’t easily being spread, pop the baking sheet into the warm oven until the chocolate has melted, then use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly over the caramel. Melt the chocolate separately. Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until fully melted, then immediately pour over the hot toffee. Use chopped chocolate. Still struggling? Try chopping bakers chocolate and using that instead. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers and emulsifiers which can prevent them from melting (think about when you bake chocolate chip cookies).
Why did mine stick to the pan? You didn’t prepare the pan correctly. I’ve tried this with both parchment paper and a silicone baking mat and have never had a problem with sticking. Don’t forget to grease the pan with cooking spray. Try really hard keep the toffee mixture on the crackers and not on the pan. You didn’t boil the toffee long enough. If the toffee is too soft, it’ll be gooey-er and be more difficult to remove from the pan. If it’s sticking, throw the whole pan in the freezer until solid, then use a metal spatula to get between the caramel and the pan.

Topping Ideas

Customize your bark with your favorite toppings to add texture, color, and crunch. Here are some ideas:

Chopped toasted nuts such as pecans, walnuts, cashews, or peanuts
Sliced or slivered almonds
Seeds like pumpkin or sunflower seeds
Dried shredded unsweetened coconut flakes, shreds, or chips (toasted or plain)
Pomegranate arils (for a beautiful, colorful, juicy red burst!)
Small candies (sugar-free if you like!)
Sprinkles (use regular sprinkles or make your own with shredded unsweetened coconut colored with all-natural food coloring)

How to Store

Leftover Keto Christmas crack will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer (my preference) for up to 3 months. Eat frozen or enjoy chilled in the fridge!

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Nutritional Information (Per Serving)

The nutrition facts are for one piece. This recipe makes approximately 24 pieces. Each piece contains only 3.6g net carbs per serving. That’s about 35g fewer carbs than in a standard toffee recipe!

tags: #holiday #keto #crack #recipe