You know how every family has that secret recipe everyone else wants them to bring to parties, group meals, or cookie exchanges? Graham Cracker Toffee, or Pecan Crackle, or Christmas Crack, or whatever you call this is one. Mom is letting me publish her southern mother’s Pecan Crackle recipe!
Seriously, when we have our annual cookie exchange – my sisters on my dad’s side (completely unrelated to my mother) always ask if my mom is coming, and if she can bring her “crack cookies.” Not PC, but I want to give context to how incredibly delicious these are.
And lucky for us, they’re SUPER EASY, too – but shhh don’t tell anyone that! Only 4 ingredients, so we suggest using the highest quality for maximum flavor: butter, sugar, pecans, and cracker of choice.
What do you call this?
If you’re from the south you probably already know this recipe, probably as Graham Cracker Toffee – but I was surprised to hear so many of you have no heard of it! And unlike my grandmother’s southern biscuit & gravy recipe (aka SOS in our family), this one works really well for gluten-free!
Which Crackers to Use
We have tried a lot of GF graham crackers and Pamela’s is our favorite. They even have a cinnamon flavor I highly recommend, even just to snack on with nut butter is SO good. You can also find grain-free recipes to make your own, if you want, at Health Starts in the Kitchen, Danielle Walker’s Against All Grain, and Elana’s Pantry.
That said, any cracker will work. Some people like it with salty, savory crackers – but, anything other than graham cracker would be a betrayal to my grandmother’s memory!
Ingredients
- 2 packages GF graham crackers (we use Pamela's)
- 1 cup raw granulated sugar (my grandma used brown sugar but we like maple or raw cane)
- 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (raw, organic preferred)
- 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 regular sticks or 20 tablespoons) real salted butter or ghee (or unsalted with pinch of salt)
Instructions
- Over medium heat, add raw pecans to dry sauce pan and shimmy or stir until fragrant and lightly toasted (about 2 minutes).
- Add butter and sugar until it melts together and boils stirring slowly but constantly or 1-2 min (no longer), remove from heat.
- While butter mixture cools slightly, lay out graham crackers on a sheet pan, lined with parchment paper, close together.
- Drizzle sugar mixture evenly overtop and let set at room temperature until hardens.
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