Christmas Crack
1 12.8-ounce box Rice Chex cereal
1 12-ponce box Golden Grahams cereal
1 7-ounce bag shredded coconut
1 4-ounce bag slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups butter (3...yes 3...sticks of butter)
2 cups sugar
2 cups corn syrup
Combine Rice Chex and Golden Grahams, coconut and almonds in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
In a large sauce pan, cook butter, sugar and corn syrup to the "soft ball" stage...about 234 degrees on a candy thermometer. Pour over cereal mixture and stir until all is well coated. Pour mixture out onto 2 large cookie sheets to cool. Stir it around occasionally to prevent clumping. Store in an airtight container.
Looks good, will have to try! Thanks for posting
ReplyDeleteWe LOVE this at our house we also add Pretzel sticks, to ours.
ReplyDeleteYum, Melia!! I'll remember that...thanks!
DeleteDo you think you could substitute broken pretzels for the coconut?
DeleteMonkey Phat....yes you can! You can add or take out just about anything YOU want!
DeleteI bet sea salt on top would be lovely!
ReplyDeleteAntoinette....I bet it would! What a good idea!
ReplyDeleteyou had me at 3 cups of butter! thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThat's 3 STICKS...
DeleteMy husband is allergic to tree nuts so I'll be subbing peanuts when I make this... not, if, WHEN!!
ReplyDeleteHaha...Kathryn!! Enjoy!
DeleteCan you leave the coconut out? Or replace it with something else?
ReplyDeleteYes, Veronica...you can. You really can mix and match anything into this.
ReplyDeletehow about popcorn or pretzel sticks?
ReplyDeleteSure...why not??
DeletePretzels added are SO yummy!
DeleteLife cereal is really good in it too. I have also done the coconut, little mini reeses pieces. Like was said before you can add pretty much whatever sounds good at the time your making it
ReplyDeleteWe're just not into almonds or coconut around here... so I'm thinking bagel chips and toasted pecan halves.
ReplyDeleteCan you give me a sweet factor here? Because it sounds mind-numbingly sweet, like butter almond toffee, which we also don't go for much. Does the butter alleviate some of that sweet taste? I also like the idea of a very, very light dusting of sea salt before it sets.
But if I keep going... then it's no longer Christmas Crack is it? It will become more a savory, sweet & salty snack.... although there's not a thing wrong with that. ; p
You know....it's sweet. It just is. That being said, there's no reason you can't dial the sweetness down a little and add whatever you want. As you can see...it makes a LOT. Maybe cut the recipe in half the first time. Eliminate the almonds and coconut...add what YOU like. The bagel chips and pecans sound good. The sea salt idea is cracker-jack. Oops...more sweetness! Haha.
Deleteif you search Christmas Crack in the upper left hand of your screen there are a number of variations of this wonderful snack...some covered in white chocolate with colorful m&ms, there are lots of choices!
DeleteGold fish crackers would add that hint of salty savory, and there are so many flavors, tweak it to match your tastebuds!
ReplyDeleteSo after seeing this on pinterest, I HAD to try it. It is very yummy however, it's a big gooey mess! It's been sitting out for about 4 hours now. How long does it take to dry?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't really dry...it's gooey and sticky and delicious. Just keep some wipes nearby as you munch!
DeleteOk, I made this one time it was good for about an hour then stale. Have you ever had this problem? If so how did you fix it
DeleteKim....no I've never had it to go stale in such a short period of time. Maybe the grocery store's cereal selection was stale when your purchased it? I really have no clue as to why that would happen. As an experiment, I'd try putting a little bit on a cookie sheet and popping it in a warm oven...see if that works.
DeleteThis is delicious. I've made it twice in two weeks. I'm disgusted with myself.
ReplyDeleteHysterical!!
DeleteWell, thank you for confirming how DELISH this is! I will have to try it soon!
DeleteI have been making this recipe for years and I always add almond flavoring (1tspish) to the goo after it cooks...it's amazing
ReplyDeleteThanks Emily for the almond flavor idea, I can't have nuts, I sure miss eating them, so this is a great idea!
DeleteI have had the same thing happen to me on other recipes. It is usually because the sugar was not cooked/heated enough. My only suggestion would be to spread it on a cookie sheet and place in the oven on a low heat (225-250). Just watch it closely and stir it occasionally to prevent burning. Hope that helps. Or just turn your gooey mess into popcorn type balls :)
ReplyDeleteMy friend makes this with popcorn and the nuts. I had to laugh because I have always referred to it as Crack! Lol! I think I will try it with some variations now. It was always so good that I didn't think of subbing in different ingredients-but this looks terrific!
ReplyDeleteMade this today and loved it. Use pecan bits instead of almond slivers. Will add pretzels in the mix and a drizzling of dark chocolate over it while it's cooling on the cookie sheets next time.
ReplyDeleteStephanie....you're the bomb dot com!!! Sounds delish!
ReplyDeleteMade this on Sat. Subbed pretzels and peanuts for almonds and coconut.
ReplyDeleteAlso added chocolate chips. And lol added some too soon.. But the melted chocolate worked. I thought about the comments about salt and I took the salt from the bottom of the pretzel bag.. Wish I had more : ). Can't wait to make again.
How long do you estimate "soft ball" consistency is? :)
ReplyDeleteSandy...I'd say about 10 - 15 minutes. One way to test soft-ball consistency, it to drop a little bit of the mixture into a cold glass of water. If the mixture forms a small ball without falling apart, you're good to go.
DeleteOkay I need to know will this travel well I'm think of send this to some friends in Afghanistan. They are wanting some sweet to eat. thanks
ReplyDeleteMelly, I can't imagine WHY this wouldn't travel well. I've never shipped anything edible out of the country but if you package it in heavy duty zip top bags then in a tin or something, it shouldn't be a problem. It lasts a long time, too so the ship time shouldn't be an issue either.
DeleteThanks I will make these and ship them out on Saturday.
DeleteMelly - if you're shipping to Afghanistan in the HOT season, freeze it then put in vacuum seal bags. It will be just as fresh when they get it as when you made it! From a Marine Mom ...
DeleteMelly....did you ship some of the Christmas Crack to Afghanistan? If so...did it make it and what kind of shape was it in when it arrived? Another reader would like to send some to her brother who is going to be deployed soon. Thanks!
DeleteOMG!!! Made these tonight with my kids they loved it and it tastes great my friends in Afghanistan are going to LOVE it!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard NOT to like it, right? I'm glad you all enjoyed it so much! Let me know how your friends overseas likes it, too!
DeleteThis would probably be EXCELLENT with Cinnamon Toast Crunch and pecans....yummy!
ReplyDeleteooh yum- I am going to try with coconut flakes, pretzels and peanut m&ms!
ReplyDeleteI add coconut M&M's and cashews. Seriously addictive!
ReplyDeleteLooks yummy!
ReplyDeleteHelen
Blue Eyed Beauty Blog
Valerie, have you ever toasted your almonds for this mix?
ReplyDeleteCathy....No I haven't but I bet it would be great!!!
DeleteThanks for this!!! I used cashews instead of almonds as a surprise for my hubby, And pretzel chopped up pretzels. It was demolished. By EVERYONE. Thanks for this recipe!!!
ReplyDeleteYou're so welcome, Roberta! It's a pretty easy recipe to switch around, isn't it? Glad you enjoyed it!
DeleteI'd love to hear the feedback on how it made it to Afghanistan and if our heroes received it in good shape. Brother is getting deployed again in December (3rd time) and would love to surprise him with something like this. Thanks, Ana
ReplyDeleteAna...I went back and asked the reader who was going to ship this. Maybe we'll hear from her soon!
DeleteMy question is to make this for say a party, would you cut it in squares like a rice crispy treat or spoon it out like a chex mix?
ReplyDeleteSamantha....I made this last year for big Christmas open house and I just put it in a big bowl with a scoop and let people help themselves.
ReplyDeleteCan you use margarine?
ReplyDeleteNicole....sure you can. It won't be as buttery...but it will work!!
DeleteAnyone ever tried coating this with powered sugar to cut down on the sticky?
ReplyDeleteMelissa....I've never tried that but it couldn't hurt to experiment. Maybe take a small portion and add the powdered sugar and see if it helps. I just eat it sticky!! :-)
DeleteWe love this - and we also add honey roasted peanuts to this mixture.
ReplyDeleteGood idea, Sher Bear!!! So many different way to make this to please everyone!
DeleteCould honey be used instead of corn syrup?
ReplyDeleteJulianne.....I've never used honey before. The idea of using corn syrup is that it will cook and harden a little bit. But if you don't mind it being more sticky, then I say give it a try!
DeleteI used brown rice syrup and it was very tasty! Soft, but very tasty. Perhaps I should have cooked the butter/sugar/syrup mixture a little longer?
DeleteOk so I made half a batch of this stuff because I wasn't really sure if it would win my kids over but I left out the coconut and almonds. And now it looks like I have to make another whole batch! Hubby and kids loved it! I definitely see why its called Christmas Crack!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis "crack"ed me up!!!!
DeleteHas anyone tried toasting the coconut? and maybe the almonds..? I can't wait to make this!
ReplyDeleteCindy....I would imagine it would only make this better since toasting coconut and almonds only enhances their flavors. I say....DO IT!!
DeleteMy mother-in-law made a recipe like this with popcorn. She added 1T of vinegar to the sugar mix it keeps it from being sticky. Cook to a soft ball stage.
ReplyDeleteMy family isn't wild about "sticky" and I was trying to see if I could put this together for a Christmas open house, so after completing the recipe as written, I put each cookie sheet in the oven at 250 degrees for 1 hour. After an hour, I took it out and let it cool, then broke it up and stored in an airtight container. It was wonderfully crispy and no longer sticky! We loved it and will definitely be able to serve it at the open house. We did omit the coconut and added a bag of pretzels sticks.
ReplyDeleteBe sure and spray the pan with Pam if you are gonna bake them. Without Pam, they become like glue to the pan. :)
DeleteI added peanut butter and its amazing!!!
ReplyDeleteI added extra coconut. It would be good with a thin drizzle of chocolate on top, kind of like an Almond Joy. :) I'll add extra almonds next time too. Ugh, I ate too much. lol Froze it for Christmas, most of it anyway. ;)
ReplyDeleteCilla...please let me know how it freezes and tastes after it thaws. Had someone ask about it and I've never frozen it before. Thanks!
DeleteHave you ever tried to freeze this? How long will it keep in airtight container?
ReplyDeleteMark.... no...I've never frozen it. I can't imagine why you couldn't though. Just give it plenty of time to thaw. Maybe even pop in a low (250 degree) oven for a little bit then let it cool to harden again...just to freshen it up a little.
Deletewe have been making this for a few years now too, but we call it who hash and we always add M&MS its the best!
ReplyDeleteMy family makes a version we call white trash....we coat our cereal, nut and pretzel mix with white almond bark. D-lish!
ReplyDeleteThe people at work love Christmas Crack so much, I'm making it for gifts with fancy wrapping. I also wrote a poem to go along...
ReplyDeleteCarolers and tinsel
Reindeer, presents.
Bows and cards,
Chimney descents.
The stress, the elves,
the coal that is black
In this silly season
I present Christmas Crack.
Happy Holidays!
How much does this makes? I was thinking of giving it for Christmas gifts, in small tins. I need enough for 10-12 people, should I double or triple the recipe??
ReplyDeleteI have made this with a large can of mixed nuts.
ReplyDeleteI made this last night, I made 2 batches and I have PLENTY to give to all my co-workers and to take to a couple of different parties. Also, this stuff is crazy good, I can see why it's called Crack, actually there may only be enough left to take to one party :)
ReplyDeleteOk I made this and it is Fantastic!!!!! I made a couple changes tho. First I toasted the coconut and the almonds. Next I added a splash of vanilla to the sugar mixture after it came to the soft ball stage. And last I added some cinnamon to the dry mix before I added the sugar mixture. So Good!!!
ReplyDeleteI just made this stuff for a party. I'm sure it will be a huge hit since it is basically a sugar rush. Honestly though, it is WAY too sweet. I think you could get away with 1/2 of the butter/sugar/ corn syrup mixture and it would still be very good, if not better.
ReplyDeleteLet me just say...YUM! I just made this to give to some family members as Christmas treats, and it is delicious. Rather than adding coconut flakes, I added Christmas colored M&Ms. I also added almond extract, vanilla extract, and I sprinkled some sea salt over the mixture once it was laid out in the cookie sheet.
ReplyDeleteSince I was giving it as gifts and I didn't want to just throw a ball of it in a container, I broke off chunks of the mixture after it cooled and placed it in muffin cups, which I then placed into the containers. Therefore, each container had 4 single servings of some delicious Christmas crack. ;)
This might be one of the best things I've ever tasted! Made it for my NYE party And it was a huge hit. I only made a half batch, following the recipe exactly. It came out gorgeous, and not even that sticky once it was cool. I think I boiled the sugar/butter/corn syrup mix a little longer- 300 on my candy thermometer, stiring pretty constantly. Came out very edible, and broke into chunks nicely to snack and package. Still enjoying it!! Thank you for a new holiday tradition! YUM!!!
ReplyDeleteJust made this... soooooo delish! I used cashews in place of the almonds and didn't add coconut because my hubby doesn't like coconut. I think I'll add pecans next time I make this too. This reminds me of that expensive Poppycock snack, but MUCH, MUCH better. Mmmm... thank you for the recipe! I think I'll make it for gift tins next Christmas. Love it!!
ReplyDeleteWe used to make this growing up but we put a layer of vanilla ice cream in the middle and kept it in the freezer. It's AWESOME.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not good for you even though it might taste good!
ReplyDeleteHave you heard about the dangers of Corn Syrup? Not just unhealthy but it is toxic and harmful to any human. Please please google it and just check it out for yourself. It is genetically modified.
ReplyDeletehttp://drhyman.com/blog/2011/05/13/5-reasons-high-fructose-corn-syrup-will-kill-you/