You will be amazed by how good 4 simple ingredients can taste! These Graham Cracker Toffee Bars with pecans are the perfect dessert to share with friends -- and they only require about 5 minutes of prep!
I received this Graham Cracker Toffee Crack recipe as a part of my bridal shower stash, when all of the guests arrived with their favorite recipes handwritten on index cards. This treat had a special note included, which just said “VERY GOOD.”
I would have to agree, but I would also add: “VERY EASY.” The Graham Cracker Toffee Bark is a must-try, and I assure you that the bars will become a regular in your dessert rotation. Serve them with some vanilla ice cream, or package them up for an easy homemade holiday gift!
How to make Graham Cracker Toffee Bars:
Made without chocolate, these easy toffee bars are a lot like "Graham Cracker Pecan Brittle." The caramel and nut combination forms a buttery, firm layer on top of the toasted graham crackers for the ultimate indulgent treat!
You'll need: graham crackers, butter, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. So simple!
First, line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray (this makes clean up easy). Arrange the graham crackers in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and set aside.
Next, melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Then add the brown sugar and pecans.
Boil the sauce for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until a thick, creamy caramel forms.
Pour the buttery caramel sauce over the graham crackers.
Spread the sauce evenly (using a spatula). This doesn't have to be perfect, because the caramel will continue to spread slightly as the bars bake in the oven.
Pop the tray into a 350-degree F oven for 10 minutes. The sauce will bubble up while they bake, but don't worry -- it will firm up as the bars cool.
How to Store Graham Cracker Toffee:
Make this easy Graham Cracker Toffee Crack ahead of time and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Just try to keep your hands out of the box until it's time to enjoy!
These bars make a great afternoon treat with a cup of tea, or a delicious homemade holiday gift to share with friends, family, and teachers.
Looking for even more easy dessert recipes? Try these favorites:
4-Ingredient Graham Cracker Toffee Bars
Ingredients
- 14 whole graham cracker sheets
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Place graham crackers on prepared baking sheet; set aside.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Add brown sugar and pecans. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Spread mixture evenly over graham crackers.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Cut crackers into squares while they are still warm. Allow to completely cool before removing from baking sheet.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in September, 2013. It was updated in November, 2018.
Heather MacLeish
I made a bunch tweaks based on what I had on hand, and personal preferences, but I thought these turned out great! First, I used toasted slivered almonds instead of pecans. I also used about twice the graham crackers and nuts, so a ratio of about half the caramel of the original recipe. I also added a pinch of salt to the caramel. These were great for us, they may have been too sweet for our liking as written. Thanks for sharing, I would never have thought to make something like this!
Blair
That sounds great, Heather! Thank you for sharing those changes! 🙂
Jennie
Do you refrigerate these?
Blair
Hi, Jennie! Yes, I would keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator to keep them firm and fresh. Enjoy!
John
Took me exactly 60 minutes!
Brown cane sugar with butter failed to create caramel. Chopped walnuts ,almonds and added some sunflower seeds. In the end the mass didn't spread enough and didn't stick enough. Total failure.
Patty
Love these! Super easy to make. I use granulated sugar, but brown sugar works too! I have stored these in my freezer for a perfect spur-of-the-moment dessert or snack. No need to even thaw! Deeee-lish!
Blair
Thanks, Patty! I love the idea of just keeping a bunch in the freezer for any time a craving strikes! Now I want to prepare some more! 🙂
Martha
Even simpler & just as good as a recipe I’ve previously used. I used unsalted butter because it’s what I had, and honey roasted peanuts, ditto. Substituted about 2 tablespoons of peanuts with some salt & vinegar almonds. Came out great, didn’t last 24 hours —more than one person called them “addicting”.
Aside: had one person who couldn’t eat nuts & it was simple to whip up a small tray of oven s’mores.
Blair
Great tips! Thanks, Martha!
Linda
I also add toffee chips to the original recipe for extra YUM!
Blair
Sounds perfect, Linda!
Patti
Too easy!! I sprinkled with dark chocolate chips when they came out of the oven waited 2 minutes and spread out melted chips, Dash of coarse sea salt let cool and they were absolutely awesome!! Thank you for sharing ????
Blair
Thanks, Patti! I bet the chocolate was a perfect addition!
DeeDee
I’m adding Chocolate at the end also !!!!
Blair
Delicious!!!
Imaginera
I was introduced to these at a recent holiday party and used this recipe today. I followed the recipe exactly as written, except I used two full packs of graham crackers (more than the recipe stated). They came out great! Even so, next time, if I am expecting a larger crowed, I think I will use a third pack of the crackers and spread the mixture thinner because the toffee layer was very thick in this recipe. The cookies I tried originally had just a small, thin layer of the toffee and were great that way also.
Blair
Thanks, Imaginera! I'm glad that you've made the recipe your own! 🙂
Deb
Help please. I have made these numerous times in the past but big failure tonight. Why would the butter and sugar mixture turn to curdle/oily looking mess? TWICE?? Unsalted butter? Natural sugar? The first time I thought maybe I heated it too quickly, but low-medium heat did not work either.
Blair
Hi, Deb! I hadn't experienced this myself, so I did a little bit of research and found this helpful article: https://www.thespruceeats.com/why-did-my-butter-separate-when-making-toffee-or-caramel-520448
It sounds like the separation can be caused by a quick temperature shift -- so maybe you're heating it too quickly, or you're starting with really cold butter? Here's a quote: "If you have good stovetop burners, we recommend turning them to medium-low to allow the butter and sugar to melt gently in the beginning stages. If the heat is too high, but butter might melt too quickly and can separate from the sugar." And one other tip...
"Additionally, separation is more likely to occur when using thinner (cheaper) saucepans, as they don’t conduct heat efficiently and lead to “hot spots” that can cause uneven heat and allowing the butter to separate. Finally, humidity can cause the butter to separate, so if your kitchen is very warm and humid, it’s not a good time to be making candy."
I hope that helps!
Sharon
I don’t want mine to get hard what do I do?
Blair
Hi, Sharon! I don't think there's any way to prevent the caramelized sugar from becoming crisp and firm as it cools. 🙂
Deb
Blair, Thanks for taking time to reply! Made these again yesterday, and first attempt was another fail with butter- sugar (regular white Dominos) mixture separating/curdling. Wondered if it was because of unsalted butter, so tried adding a little salt and turning heat even lower to melt on second batch. They turned out fine. Like others I left out the nuts till the last. After taking them out of oven, I sprinkled 2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips over them and spread as the chocolate melted, then sprinkled chopped pecans. Going to make more notes on the recipe. (Very Low heat and salted butter). Thanks! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
Blair
Thanks for the follow-up, Deb! That's interesting about the salted butter. The low heat is definitely necessary, but I'm not sure why the salt would make a difference scientifically. But so glad that you figured it out and that you were able to enjoy them! I know the chocolate was a delicious addition. 🙂
Autumn
If I’m cooking the butter on low heat to I turn up the heat to boil for 2 mins after I add the sugar and pecans?
Blair
Hi, Autumn! Yes, you'll melt the butter over low heat, and then stir in the sugar and pecans. Once you have everything combined, increase the heat and boil the mixture for 2 minutes. Enjoy!
Monique
These look delicious! I'd like to attempt to make them diary-free by substituting the salted butter with Earth Balance vegan butter. Do you think that will work?
Blair
Hi, Monique! I'm not familiar with Earth Balance, so I have no idea if it will work or not. Sorry that I can't be more helpful in that regard.
Alex
I have made these with non-dairy butters, and as long as the “butter” isnt liquid at room temperature it should work just fine. It’s typically not as sweet as real butter either, so keep that in mind and good luck!
Blair
Thanks, Alex!
Jc
Too good to be so simple.
Lauren
Came across this post while trying to figure out why I was having repeated failures with my mom's old recipe for "Easy Ones." Recipe is identical except hers includes 1 cup ground almond meal, so toffee is extra-nutty. Based on comments above, I'm sure my fails were caused by separation of butter and sugar from melting at too high temp and changing temp too quickly. Thank you for saving a beloved family recipe that friends eagerly await each Christmas!
Blair
That's wonderful, Lauren! I'm so glad that you'll be able to successfully recreate one of your mom's recipes. Those are always the best! 🙂
Ryan H. Swindall
So, my Grandmother made these my entire childhood during the holidays. These along with chocolate crinkle cookies, and spice cookies were our go to holiday cookie trio. She called these “Patrol Dilly’s”. I have no idea where the name came from but that’s what they will forever be known as in my family! Anyway, my wife has taken up her mantle and has perfected them over the last 10 years. A couple of notes. We use a 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of light brown sugar - yeah that pushes the recipe to 5 ingredients but TRUST ME ON THIS. Also, you people talking about using almonds ought to banned from making them, JK but also kinda not ;). The mixture needs to be stirred consistently and cooked down for a good while until none of the yellow butter remnants are visible - otherwise the mixture will be grainy. Also, we break the graham crackers into 4’s ahead of time so that the mixture coats all sides of the cracker. As far as cooking goes, you want these cooked on the well done side. Dark and crispy is good in this case. I hope these tips help and please spread the Patrol Dilly name!
Blair
That's great, Ryan! I'll have to try the two different types of brown sugar. And Patrol Dilly's from here on out! 😉
Steven Akers
these are easy and tasty
Blair
Thank you!