Disclaimer: This #bloganuary post was not sponsored in any way. Might I be fishing for some free product? I wouldn’t think of it, and shame on you for thinking of it.
I believe it has been well-established by now that Cheez-It® crackers are the best snack crackers on this or any other planet. Not the store-brand knock-offs, either, and (IMHO) definitely not the alternate flavors of Cheez-It®, such as the “extra toasty” and the “white cheddar” variants (yecch). I’m talking plain, original Cheez-It® snack crackers. I am sad to say that I buy them only on rare occasions–I simply can’t be trusted not to wolf down half a box in one sitting–but I never pass up an opportunity to grab a handful (or three, or five) when they are offered at a party or a family gathering, or, as is often the case, as a post-blood-donation snack whenever I give blood.*
But the past couple of Christmases, my oldest daughter has brought over a snack made with Cheez-It®** that incorporates ingredients such as butter, brown sugar and smoked paprika and crushed red pepper flakes, and a re-baking of the crackers that results in a new Cheez-It® experience that is totally next-level yummy. So while Cheez-It® crackers are perfect as they are, they are somehow capable of becoming even more perfect. (I understand that such a statement wanders recklessly near a discussion of metaphysics or perhaps even ontology, but I assure you I didn’t think it through that carefully. And–full disclosure–I had to look up the meanings of those words.)
The simple truth is that I would eat this stuff right now, and any other time of any other day. You should really give it a try.
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*I try to give blood every three or four months. If you can, you should, too. Just sayin’.
**My daughter adapted a recipe for Smoky Savory Firecrackers, which used regular saltine crackers, to use Cheez-It® crackers. She used about a box and a half of Cheez-It® crackers (the “family-size” boxes–totaling about 24 ounces) and doubled the spices the original recipe recommends for 16 ounces of saltines. She melted the butter and mixed in the sugar and spices, then poured it over the Cheez-It® crackers, which were spread out over foil in a couple of baking sheets, then baked them for 30-40 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. If you use a single 16-ounce “family-size” box, she recommends adjusting the ingredients to about 2/3 of a cup of butter, four tablespoons of brown sugar, 1-1/2 tablespoons of garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika, 1-1/2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes and oregano, and a heaping half teaspoon of salt and black pepper.
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(Posted in response to 1/12/2024 prompt)
doug heacock: words 