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King Cake Cracker Candy

Rolling out the Kings’ Day welcome mat with this super easy, super festive King Cake Cracker Candy.

King Cake Cracker Candy

Before we get too carried away, in case you’re wondering what the significance of Kings’ Day is, let’s get that out of the way. Kings Day, or Three Kings’ Day falls on January 6th every year commemorating the day that it is believed the three wise men visited Jesus after his birth. It is also known as the Feast of the Epiphany, occurring 12 days after Christmas. 

You’ll see this time referred to as Twelfth Night, or in Carnival season language, the beginning of Mardi Gras festivities. 

Unfortunately, the Coronavirus has taken and continues to take a toll on the state of Louisiana and Mardi Gras 2021 has been canceled.  If you’ve been around the blog for a while you’ll know that I’m a member of the Krewe of Artemis (Baton Rouge parade), and my dog Milo is a proud member of royalty on the New Orleans Mystic Krewe of Barkus (New Orleans parade). I’m also a board member for Barkus and we had royalty sights set for my Bea Bea for 2021. Sigh. 

Despite the sadness that has come with the cancellation of Mardi Gras festivities, I have been determined to make the most of it. I whipped up this King Cake Cracker Candy to keep from feeling sad on this day when I’ll need not worry about what I’m wearing to our parade’s Twelfth Night party that isn’t happening. 

The King Cake Cracker Candy is what you might expect from its name- it is made with saltine crackers, but what you’d least expect from being made with, well, saltine crackers. 

It’s an adaptation to the beloved Junior League of Baton Rouge’s River Road Recipes‘ “Fool’s Toffee” recipe which is simply crackers, butter, sugar, chocolate and topped with pecans. 

King Cake Cracker Candy

King Cake Cracker Candy

Yield: 36-40 pieces
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

A spin on the beloved River Road Recipes' "Fool's Toffee", this King Cake Cracker Candy is both easy and addictive.

Ingredients

  • 36 to 40 saltine crackers (1 sleeve)
  • 1 c. butter
  • 1 c. packed light brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
  • 2 c. (12 ounces) white chocolate chips
  • purple, yellow, green sanding sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray heavily with non-stick cooking spray.

Arrange the crackers in a single layer with sides touching in the prepared pan.

Combine butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 4 minutes; stirring constantly. Stir in cinnamon.

Pour the butter mixture over the crackers, spreading evenly over the crackers. *If a cracker wiggles away, push it back so that they continue to touch.

Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with white chocolate chips and let stand for 2 minutes or until the chocolate chips soften. Spread the chocolate evenly over the prepared layers using an offset spatula.

Cover with sanding sugar while the chocolate is still wet.

Chill for 30 minutes or until set. Break into pieces and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.



I used the same concept, a saltine cracker base but gave it new life with a bit of cinnamon, a swap a roo with the chocolate, and in lieu of pecans, loaded it up with Mardi Gras colored sanding sugar. 

King Cake Cracker Candy

The results are glorious. It is festive, fun, and incredibly addictive. 

Speaking of addictive and festively appropriate, tempt your tastebuds with these King Cake inspired recipes while you’re at it:

Pecan Praline King Cake Pop Tarts

King Cake Pull-Apart Bread

Award Winning Pecan Praline King Cake Cookies

King Cake Cocktail