Who knew that crackers, sugar, butter and a few toppings could make something so delicious? Senior editor Amy Valm did. Behold, the Breton Brittle recipe her family has on repeat.

My mom tells me of a time in the olden days (see: the '90s) when you had to ask if people shared their recipes. This was before the surplus of 1,000 ways to garnish with pickles or 37.5 sugar cookie cheats that will absolutely change your life. 

I didn't grow up in a family of serious bakers with a binder full of classics. A muffin here, a dece cookie dough there. But Christmas was when no-bake, low-bake, roll-and-set endeavours really shone. And those easy baking projects populated our family treat tray—a platter that we broke out to accompany us for hosting, tree-trimming and movie-watching. 

The great news is that this recipe never needed to defeat a gatekeeper who may or may not share their recipes. It's no paper, no pen. And for those of us who have never properly latched onto the thrill of baking, it is infinitely forgiving. It's the simple act of knowing that when you melt butter with sugar and mix, it will caramelize. No candy thermometer needed. It makes use of wheat crackers, matzah or saltines. It's humble and yet always the star of the holiday baking swap. It is known colloquially as crack. But for those PG moms, including my own, it is Breton Brittle.

P.S. My mother would probably like you to know that she does, in fact, properly bake, too. She just has a work-smart daughter who only paid attention to the extremely easy stuff. No Chelsea buns for you. 

—Amy Valm, senior editor

Ingredients for Breton Brittle

A sleeve of Breton crackers, saltines or a box of matzah (maybe more, just depends on the size of your cookie sheet)
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar 
1 cup milk chocolate chips (don't get semi-sweet, you hater) 
Sprinkles, coarse sea salt, chopped nuts, whatever you want 

Directions for Breton Brittle

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Arrange crackers on the foil-lined sheet. Break some to fill the gaps. It doesn't have to look great. 
3. Melt butter and sugar together over medium heat. Allow to come to a boil while stirring to combine. Pour over the crackers evenly. 
4. Bake for 15 min, remove from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over top. As soon as chocolate starts to melt, spread it out. Add sprinkles, sea salt or chopped pistachios and let cool completely. Break into chunks and bask in the glory of your minimal labour.