: from the initial idea to the adorably appetizing photos to opportunities to eat snacks with me in person. And now our long national wait for homemade Twinkies, Oreos, Zingers, and Cheetos is over: the book is on shelves and waiting for you to take it home!
I’m so excited about the book’s release that today I’m giving away a signed copy of Classic Snacks Made from Scratch
plus an 8-oz. jar of King Arthur Flour Vermont cheese powder plus a fish-shaped copper cookie cutter from CopperGifts.com that’s just the right size for making homemade Goldfish. These are the exact tools I use for my recipe, which follows below—and which has already been taste-tested and approved many times over by the under-six set.
(The cheese powder, by the way, is one of the very few ingredients in the book that I recommend buying online. While you can find other versions from other brands at your local health food or specialty grocery stores—and at Wal-Mart, as some of my testers report—the King Arthur Flour version is pure Vermont cheddar cheese, so tart, tangy, and creamy that it’s become indispensable in my kitchen. In addition to the Goldfish recipe, I use it as a crucial ingredient in both Cool Ranch and Nacho Doritos, Cheetos, cheddar popcorn, and more in the book. So it’s worth getting your hands on this generous half-pound tub to see what you can do with it.)
My friends and fellow food writers around the globe are already hard at work trying their hands at recipes from the book, making Nutter Butters, soft pretzels, Mint Milanos, oatmeal creme pies, cinnamon Pop-Tarts, and other fun-to-eat creations. If you haven’t yet bought your copy and want more chances to win, keep your eye on the Classic Snacks Made from Scratch website, where I’ll be posting updates on additional giveaways, book tour updates, and more news.
Homemade Goldfish Crackers
from Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-Name Treats
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Makes 10 to 15 dozen crackers (depending on cookie cutter size)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (4 ounces) very finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup (2 1⁄8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (2 1⁄8 ounces) cake flour
- 1 tablespoon cheddar cheese powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 cup whole or reduced-fat milk
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Method:
Stir the cheese, flours, cheddar cheese powder, salt, baking powder, and onion powder together in a large bowl until the cheese is evenly distributed and coated.
Add the milk and vegetable oil and continue to stir with a spatula, then knead in the bowl with your hands until a cohesive dough forms. It will be crumbly at first, but continue to press and knead the dough until any dry bits are incorporated.
Transfer the dough to your work surface, cover with the upside-down bowl, and let rest for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat liners.
Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Refrigerate one piece while you roll the second piece as thin as humanly possible, no more than 1/8-inch thick. (The thinner your dough, the crispier your crackers will be; thicker dough means puffier, more bread-like crackers.)
Stamp out cracker shapes with your cookie cutter of choice: a fish is the traditional shape, of course, but the crackers taste just as good as hearts, stars, circles, or small squares. Transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until the crackers are crispy and just turning golden at the edges. The timing will vary according to the size and shape of your crackers.
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
The crackers will soften when kept in an airtight container, so they’re best eaten within a day or two.
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I love fishy crackers but truly consider selling my soul for a Twinkie right now, so I scooted over to Facebook and liked your page
I always consider junk food to be good news, so I subscribed to your newsletter about 10 seconds ago!
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