Saltine Cracker Caramel Bars

Have saltine crackers? Need a quick and easy dessert? This Saltine Cracker Caramel Bar recipe is for you! This recipe only takes a few ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and is perfect for parties, pot lucks, bake sales, holidays, etc.

If you are like me, sometimes I end up with something in my pantry that is not going to be consumed. My toddler was sick, I bought some saltine crackers for his upset tummy just like my mom used to do, he ate two and now the box is sitting there collecting dust. Although I love throwing things away, I hate throwing things away. So I searched for something to do with an entire box of crackers. This recipe was inspired by Pillsbury, sometimes the oldies are the goodies.

I've seen some recipes that call this "Saltine Crack" or "Toffee Crack Bars", this is very similar. And yes, they are like crack. LOL. They are REALLY good and REALLY easy to make. I was able to use up almost the entire box of crackers as well as clear out a few half used packages of nuts and chocolate chips and a can of condensed milk that had been in the pantry for a while (I still have no idea why I purchased it to begin with 🤷🏼‍♀️).

A few things to know: the caramel cooks fast, bubbles A LOT and is VERY hot! Be careful and use a large pan to keep it under control. I used foil as a liner for my pan but I would recommend wax paper or parchment paper. Store in the fridge in an airtight container and these will last for a few days.

Ingredients:

3 packages saltine crackers (my pan held 72 to be exact)

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

¼ cup milk

½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

chopped nuts (optional but recommended)

Directions:

1. Prepare 13x9 pan with liner and non-stick spray. Again, I used foil but it wasn't my favorite. You could also use wax or parchment.

2. Line the bottom of your pan with crackers (my layer was 24).

saltine cracker lined in a pan ready to make saltine cracker caramel bars

3. To make the caramel, add condensed milk, milk, butter and brown sugar to a large saucepan on medium heat. YOU MUST STIR THE ENTIRE TIME. Once combined, increase heat slightly and boil for 5 minutes. Be careful, it's really hot and bubbly at this point but you do have to keep stirring or it will burn (you can see in my photos a few burnt pieces. These were kind of unavoidable. If you get them, don't worry, you can't tell at all in the end 😉).

caramel cooking on stove to make saltine cracker caramel bars

4. Pour about ⅓ of the caramel over crackers in pan.

5. Add another layer of crackers and cover with another ⅓ of the caramel. Repeat one more time so you have 3 layers of crackers and caramel.

saltine crackers covered in homemade caramel sauce for saltine cracker caramel bars

6. In a microwave safe bowl, add chocolate chips and microwave for 60 seconds. Stir and continue to microwave in 30 second intervals until fully melted. Here is where I add the vegetable oil. It adds a little more shine and makes the chocolate just a little easier to spread. This step is optional.