Category Archives: Snacks

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Rice Krispy Treats

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup Karo light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 (12 oz.) package semisweet chocolate chips
Spray a 9×13″ baking pan with non-stick spray, set aside.
Mix sugar and corn syrup in large pot, heat to boil, remove from heat.  Mix in peanut butter til creamy, then add the cereal; mix until well coated.  Press in the prepared baking pan, using waxed paper.  Melt chocolate in microwave on defrost setting until melted.  Pour on cereal mixture and spread evenly over top.  Cut into squares before cool.
15  Servings

Homemade Saltine Crackers

Here’s a quick and easy homemade cracker recipe that tastes just like saltines. Often it ends up being cheaper to buy them at the store, but it’s fun to make them every once in a while. The taste is great and you can control the amount of salt (if any) you put on them.

Basic Saltines:

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
¼ cup butter
½ cup milk
1 large egg

You will also need a large mixing bowl and and a fine sieve to make your crackers.

Sift flour, salt and baking powder and place into a large mixing bowl.
Cut cold butter into small chunks and “cut” into the flour until it reaches a grainy consistency.
Add milk and egg and knead until it becomes a stiff dough. Roll the dough out really thin. You can cut the dough into squares or you can also cut circles.
Prick little holes in the crackers with a fork and bake them in a 400 degree preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

*Tip: If you would like to make round crackers and don’t have any cookie cutters, just use the rim of a small glass or cup. Dip the rim into a little flour first and then you can cut your crackers.

If you like salted crackers, sprinkle the uncooked crackers with a little bit of coarse salt.

Parmesan Herb Crackers:

1 stick unsalted butter
3 ozs grated Parmesan cheese
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Place butter into the bowl of your electric mixer and mix it until it becomes creamy.

Grate fresh Parmesan cheese (it’s okay if you need to buy already grated Parmesan from the market). Add cheese, flour, salt and thyme to the butter and mix until it form a ball of dough.

Place a long piece of plastic wrap on your work surface and place the dough ball in the center of one end. Form the dough into a log and roll it up in the plastic.Place the log into the freezer for 30 min.(this makes it easier to slice.)

Remove from the freezer after thirty minutes and cut the log into ¼ inch thick slices. Place the slices on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 20 minutes.

Sweet & Fruity Popcorn Bars

1 -3 oz. package corn kernels, popped, or 10 cups popped popcorn
3/4 cup white chocolate, chips
3/4 cup cranberries, sweetened, dried.
1/2 cup coconut flakes, sweetened
1/2 cup blanched almonds, slivered, coarsely chopped
1 -10 oz. package marshmallows
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a large bowl, combine popcorn, white chocolate chips, cranberries, coconut and almonds.  Toss to blend evenly.

Line a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan with nonstick foil.

In a medium-size saucepan, over medium heat, melt marshmallows and butter.  Stir until smooth.  Pour over popcorn mixture; stir to coat completely.

Quickly pour mixture into prepared pan.  Place a sheet of waxed paper over top of mixture.  Press down until top is level, compressing mixture slightly.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or until firm.

Use foil to lift bar completely from pan.  Cut lengthwise in half, then each piece crosswise into 8 pieces for 16 bars total.

16  Servings

Pretzel-Cherry Nut Clusters

1 -8 oz. package pretzels, oat bran sticks, broken
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup nuts, salted, mixed
1 cup granola, low-fat, no raisins – plus 2 tablespoons
1 -11 oz. package chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the pretzel pieces, cherries, nuts and 1 cup of the granola.  Toss to blend evenly.  In a small plastic bag, crush remaining 2 tablespoons granola.

Place chocolate chips in a glass bowl.  Microwave on high power for 1 minute.  Stir until smooth.  Pour over pretzel mixture; stir to coat completely.

Line two standard-size muffin pans with cupcake liners (24 total).  Divide mixture evenly among liners, about 1/2 cup mixture in each.  Sprinkle with crushed granola (about 1//4 teaspoon each).  Refrigerate at least 15 minutes, or until firm.

24  Servings

Pepper – Cheese Crackers

1 cup bread flour
1 cup corn meal, or instant polenta
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup cheddar cheese, sharp, finely grated
2 1/2 tablespoons butter, cut small
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.

Place bread flour, polenta, salt, baking soda, paprika, pepper, and cheese in the bowl of a food processor; pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, add buttermilk. Continue processing until dough just forms a ball. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few seconds. Wrap dough in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Cut dough into quarters. Using 1 piece at a time, roll out dough 1/16 inch thick on a lightly floured work surface. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off the excess flour. Keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap.

Using a 1 3/4-inch fluted round cookie cutter or a small fluted pastry wheel, cut out crackers and place on prepared baking sheet at least 1/2 inch apart. Roll out a second piece of dough 1/16 inch thick and repeat cutting process; place on second prepared baking sheet. Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake until crackers are golden brown and crisp, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating once halfway through baking. Transfer crackers immediately to a wire cooling rack; let cool completely. Repeat process with remaining dough.

10  Servings