Christmas Crack Recipe (AKA: Grandma's Heath Cookies) From the Kitchen of Erin Caserio

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Myriad Genetic's myRisk Hereditary Cancer Test.

This holiday season we're featuring the BEST CHRISTMAS RECIPES that have been inherited from the women in our families. Our team over here at Today's Mama is sharing our very favorite, most nostalgic, holiday recipes and we've invited some of our friends across the internet to do the same.

Christmas Crack Recipe (Or Heath Cookies)

When I was a little girl, my Grandparents would come visit us for Christmas. They would drive from their home in Arizona, to our house in New Mexico and since I am currently firmly what you’d call “middle aged,” this was well before cell phones so all I had was a ballpark idea of when I’d see their car pull into our driveway. I would wait at the door for them to arrive and that was the signal that CHRISTMAS HAD ARRIVED!

One of the very first things I would do with my Grandparents would be to head to the grocery store to pick up baking ingredients. Within 24 hours of arriving, my Grandma would have made several tins of holiday treats—seven layer bars, mint bars, and my very favorite; Heath Cookies or as we now call them on the internet Christmas Crack.

To this day, this recipe is what takes me back to being a child at Christmas. I make big batches every year and my kids are well on their way to sharing my obsession!

(I've also included a note on how to make Gluten Free Christmas Crack...because I have to live that gluten-free life now.)

CHRISTMAS CRACK RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• Saltine Crackers (approximately 1 and ½ sleeves, depending on the size of your cookie sheet)
• 1 Cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 Cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 ounce bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

*For gluten free Christmas Crack, simply substitute gluten free crackers (matzo, saltine, or table crackers) for the regular saltine crackers in the recipe. It works marvelously!

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DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cover a large cookie sheet with tin foil.
3. Line cookie sheet with saltine crackers, creating one neat, snug layer. (If you have space on the side, snap crackers in half to fill the gap.)
4. Bring to a low boil; 1 cup of packed brown sugar and 1 cup of butter. Low boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. (Don’t burn it! The goal is to melt the butter and sugar together so it’s well combined, without any sugar crystals remaining.)
5. Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the liquid gold (the brown sugar and butter) and stir.
6. Pour mixture over crackers and use a spatula to spread the liquid gold evenly over the crackers, taking care to maintain that single, neat layer of crackers.
7. Bake for 5-7 minutes in a 350 degree oven until the mixture is bubbly.
8. Remove from oven and quickly pour an entire 12 ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips over the hot, coated crackers.
9. Use a butter knife or offset spatula to move the chocolate chips over the hot gooey crackers. This will feel weird. Like you’re rolling chocolate chips all over these hot crackers and nothing is happening, but just when you start to check your recipe, thinking you make a mistake, those chocolate chips begin to melt and cover those crackers in a chocolate coating.

Now you have two options.

For individual saltines enrobed in a buttery, sugary, chocolaty coating: Remove the individual crackers from the sheet and set aside on wax paper or parchment to cool.

For “Christmas Crack”: allow the saltines to cool in the pan and cut or break apart the batch into smaller pieces.

Both ways taste absolutely amazing. 

Speaking of the things we inherit from the women in our family. Let's talk DNA for a minute! Did you know that if a member of your family (even extended family like aunts and cousins) has been diagnosed with cancer UNDER THE AGE OF 50 that there is a chance that a gene mutation may be present in your family? The good news? There's a simple DNA test that can let you know if you've got that same gene. 

Myriad Genetics’ Hereditary Cancer Quiz helps you to assess whether you might be a good candidate for testing. This quiz can help you get the information you need to discuss your risk of cancer with your healthcare provider. Take the Myriad Hereditary Cancer Quiz HERE.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Myriad Genetic's myRisk Hereditary Cancer Test.

Happy Holidays!

The Mama’s Guide to Christmas Recipes

Christmas. All the things. Are you ready? One of the most exciting aspects of Christmas is the food and treats. We have the recipes we love. The recipes we don’t. We all have our favorites and make no mistake, the foods and goodies we surround ourselves at Christmas time enhance the Christmas spirit and make this special holiday memorable. Today’s Mama wanted to share all of the Christmas recipes, tips, secrets, and hacks we’ve come to love and enjoy. To learn more about why we love Christmas and the foods it brings, check out our extensive guide to Christmas recipes.