Makes 40 crackers
40 fat-free or regular saltines
10 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons red pepper spice blend (such as McCormick Smoky Sweet Pepper Blend)
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees (450 to 475 degrees if your oven runs hot).
Arrange crackers in rows on a 10-by-15-inch jellyroll pan so that crackers are touching each other. One sleeve of crackers fits almost perfectly in this size pan. Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese. Top evenly with seasoning, then sprinkle with as many pepper flakes as you dare.
Place pan on center shelf of oven, close door and turn oven off. Leave in oven overnight or at least about 4 hours. The hot oven melts and browns cheese, producing an even coating of crisp brown. Fat from the cheese soaks into crackers and puffs them slightly. Leaving them in the oven dries them out well so that they are super crunchy. Break apart and eat or store; they keep well for several weeks sealed in an airtight container.
Basic recipe adapted from Shirley Corriher. Here are a few tips to remember as you make these snacks at home:
• Use any type of saltine cracker you like.
• Finely shred the cheese using the small holes on the grater, so it melts into a uniform layer.
• Don't be afraid to improvise; any kind of cheese/herb combo is fair game, though we especially like spice blends combining some heat and a bit of sweetness.
Fire Cracker variations
Smoky cheddar crackers
6 ounces of smoked cheddar (shredded on the finest holes of a grater)
1 tablespoon barbecue seasoning blend (such as KC Masterpiece BBQ Seasoning)
Spicy jack crackers
6 ounces pepper jack (shredded on the finest holes of a grater)
1 tablespoon Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning (McCormick)
Gouda and seed crackers
6 ounces gouda (shredded on the finest holes of a grater)
½ teaspoon dehydrated garlic flakes
½ teaspoon dehydrated onion flakes
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
½ teaspoon black sesame seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Lemon-parmesan crackers
5 ounces shredded parmesan cheese (shredded on the finest holes of a grater)
Grated zest of 2 lemons
40 fat-free or regular saltines
10 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons red pepper spice blend (such as McCormick Smoky Sweet Pepper Blend)
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees (450 to 475 degrees if your oven runs hot).
Arrange crackers in rows on a 10-by-15-inch jellyroll pan so that crackers are touching each other. One sleeve of crackers fits almost perfectly in this size pan. Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese. Top evenly with seasoning, then sprinkle with as many pepper flakes as you dare.
Place pan on center shelf of oven, close door and turn oven off. Leave in oven overnight or at least about 4 hours. The hot oven melts and browns cheese, producing an even coating of crisp brown. Fat from the cheese soaks into crackers and puffs them slightly. Leaving them in the oven dries them out well so that they are super crunchy. Break apart and eat or store; they keep well for several weeks sealed in an airtight container.
Basic recipe adapted from Shirley Corriher. Here are a few tips to remember as you make these snacks at home:
• Use any type of saltine cracker you like.
• Finely shred the cheese using the small holes on the grater, so it melts into a uniform layer.
• Don't be afraid to improvise; any kind of cheese/herb combo is fair game, though we especially like spice blends combining some heat and a bit of sweetness.
Fire Cracker variations
Smoky cheddar crackers
6 ounces of smoked cheddar (shredded on the finest holes of a grater)
1 tablespoon barbecue seasoning blend (such as KC Masterpiece BBQ Seasoning)
Spicy jack crackers
6 ounces pepper jack (shredded on the finest holes of a grater)
1 tablespoon Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning (McCormick)
Gouda and seed crackers
6 ounces gouda (shredded on the finest holes of a grater)
½ teaspoon dehydrated garlic flakes
½ teaspoon dehydrated onion flakes
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
½ teaspoon black sesame seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Lemon-parmesan crackers
5 ounces shredded parmesan cheese (shredded on the finest holes of a grater)
Grated zest of 2 lemons
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