Old Bay Christmas Crackers

Old Bay Christmas Crackers- Classic chocolate toffee crackers get a special Chesapeake twist thanks to the addition of Old Bay.

January 31, 2026 by Nicole Collins

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Today, we’re making Old Bay Christmas Crackers!

It’s Day 8 in our 12 days of treats series. At least it should be. But I have to be honest with you…life is kicking my bootie right now, and I just can’t keep up. So, I’m so sorry that I wasn’t able to get all the treats recipes on the blog before Christmas. But, you know what they say…better late than never. You’ll be locked and loaded for next year!

I will say, though…today’s treat can be easily transitioned to make any time of year for any special occasion, like say the Super Bowl? It’s perfect on a random Tuesday night though too.

So today, we’re putting a Chesapeake twist on a classic treat. And I’m telling you, it’s EPIC!

We’re going to start by lining a 9x13 baking sheet with some foil, and giving it a spritz of cooking spray. I would not recommend skipping the foil unless you love cleaning sticky, sugary caramelized bits off of your baking sheet. Who has the time?

I sure don’t (obvi).

Then, we’re simply going to arrange almost a full sleeve of saltine crackers in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Take your time to make sure they’re laid out nicely. We don’t want anything overlapping.

Next, it’s time to make the toffee mixture to pour over our crackers. We’ll start with a stick of butter, some white sugar, and a little pinch of salt in a saucepan. Whisk it until it’s fully combined and incorporated. And heat it until it just starts to bubble. As soon as it starts to bubble, pull it off the heat, and stir in a little vanilla extract along with our special ingredient: Old Bay.

I’ve been trying to sell you guys on Old Bay desserts for years, and if I haven’t convinced you yet, this will be the recipe to do it. I love the combo of Old Bay and chocolate together. The slightly spicy, savory seasoning enhances the chocolate in the most beautiful way, similarly to how chilis can enhance chocolate. This particular recipe went through numerous rounds of testing with different tastebuds to get that balance just right. And I’m telling you, we got it just right.

So stir the Old Bay into the toffee, pour the toffee evenly over the crackers, quickly spread it out to make sure the crackers are completely coated, then toss the pan in the oven to get nice and bubbly. After a few minutes, we’ll pull the pan out, sprinkle over a bag of milk chocolate chips (don’t use anything darker…it does make a difference!), and pop the pan back in the oven for just another couple minutes until the chocolate is melted.

We’ll use an offset spatula to carefully spread the chocolate evenly over the crackers, cover the surface in sprinkles if you so desire, then toss the whole pan into the fridge for 2 hours to cool. After everything is set, you can rustically break the crackers into pieces, and it’s time to dig in.

These taste like the sweet and savory treat everyone knows and loves with an extra little kick. The Old Bay adds a nice undertone of spice and heat which delicately hits you in the back of the mouth in the most lovely way. They’re really sooooo good. Your loved ones will by dying to know the secret ingredient!

OK, everyone. We’re going to bang out the rest of this series then transition straight to Super Bowl recipes. Thankfully, there’s some opportunity to crossover here!

Thanks for always being patient with me. I hope you enjoy, and let’s eat!

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Old Bay Christmas Crackers

Serves: 12          Print

Ingredients:

• 35 original saltine crackers

• 1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 1 tsp vanilla

• ½ tbsp Old Bay seasoning

• 1 bag (12 oz) milk chocolate chips

• cooking spray

• sprinkles, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 in baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with cooking spray. Line the saltine crackers in a single layer in the pan.

2. Add butter, sugar, and salt to a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk occasionally until mixture just starts to bubble. Once you see bubbles that break the surface, remove from heat, add vanilla and Old Bay, and whisk until completely combined. 

3. Pour the sugar mix over the crackers, and carefully spread with a heatproof spatula to make sure all crackers are completely covered. Bake for 8 minutes.

4. Remove crackers from the oven, and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over the surface of the crackers. Place back in the oven for 2 mins. Remove from the oven, and use a small offset spatula to evenly spread the melted chocolate over the entire surface of the crackers. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

5. Place baking sheet in the fridge to cool for 2 hrs. Once set, break the cracker bark in to pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, and enjoy!
   

Recipe notes:

*I would not recommend swapping the milk chocolate for something darker. The Old Bay gets overpowered by the chocolate if you use anything but a sweet milk chocolate.

*It's VERY important that you don't add the vanilla until you've got the saucepan off the heat. Extracts are all alcohol, and you know what happens when you mix alcohol and fire. POOF!

*Don’t worry about your candy tasting like seafood! The Old Bay is subtle but adds a little savoriness with a hint of spice. Trust the process!