This brittle is a scrumptious candy the whole family will love. (www.JasonCoblentz.com)

Here’s a quick and easy recipe for an inexpensive yet alarmingly addictive holiday treat. Who would think four simple ingredients could produce a scrumptious candy the whole family will love? It’s sweet and salty, chocolatey, buttery and crunchy all at once.

Long ago, I was looking for a simple recipe that was special enough to give as a gift but inexpensive enough that I could actually afford to make enough to give away. And while I’ve always been a fan of brittles and toffee, I never thought I could make them myself. I figured I would have to navigate complicated directions and, worse yet, try to find my candy thermometer. It must be in a drawer somewhere. But no! This recipe is so undemanding you can make it anytime you have a half-hour to spare.

Due diligence, here’s your warning; This is not a recipe for the kiddies to make. When you boil sugar and butter together, they become like molten lava, hot and sticky, so please use caution.

HOLIDAY CRACKER BRITTLE

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: About 40 pieces

2 sleeves of saltine crackers

1 cup brown or white sugar, or a combo

1 cup (two sticks) butter — no substitutions

1 bag (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Optional toppings — nuts and/or sprinkles

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Leave an overhang of foil when you line the baking sheet so the cracker brittle is easy to lift and remove. Next, spray your foil or parchment with cooking spray so it willingly comes off the brittle. Did I mention it’s sticky?

Cover the baking sheet with a single layer of saltine crackers, placing them as close together as possible, breaking some if necessary to cover the entire pan. Set aside.

In a saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter and sugar together, stirring frequently to avoid burning the mixture, until the sugar is dissolved and it’s smooth and bubbling. Allow the mixture to boil for 3 minutes.

Carefully pour the butter mixture over the crackers and quickly spread evenly with an offset metal spatula or the back of a spoon. This is incredibly hot, so be very careful.

Bake at 400 F for 5 minutes. It will be very bubbly. Watch that it doesn’t burn. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Now, you could stop right here and have a lovely treat. But if you’re adding chocolate pieces, immediately sprinkle them evenly over the hot brittle so they will melt. Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the melted chocolate evenly over the brittle. If you’re adding more toppings, sprinkle them evenly over the chocolate while it’s still warm. Let this cool completely to room temperature, and it will harden. Break it into pieces and serve, or package as a gift.

This recipe lends itself to wonderful variations. A personal favorite is to substitute graham crackers for the saltines. You can also use buttery rich, round crackers or even vanilla cookies. Any kind of chocolate chips will work, like milk chocolate, semi-sweet, dark, white chocolate or a mix.

You can also vary the toppings with nuts, coconut, chocolate-coated candies or crushed peppermint candies for an infinite number of variations.

Some favorite combinations are white chocolate and peppermint; milk chocolate with almonds and coconut; and dark chocolate, peanuts and pretzels. This is a real empty-out-the-pantry candy.

All of us at Divas an a Dime wish you happy holidays and a very merry Christmas!

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Lifestyle expert Patti Diamond is the penny-pinching, party-planning, recipe developer and content creator of the website Divas On A Dime — Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! Visit Patti at www.divasonadime.com and join the conversation on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom. Email Patti at divapatti@divasonadime.com

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