When we moved to Amish country a few years ago, one of the first things that surprised me was how ordinary the people I met seemed. I had imagined quaint accents or old-fashioned speech, maybe an occasional “thee” or “thou.” Instead I found regular conversation and everyday moments—like seeing a middle-aged Amish woman laughing at her bake stand while holding a slice of pizza and a 20-ounce Pepsi.
As a side note: they don’t speak with archaic pronouns. They actually call anyone who’s not Amish “English,” which is a bit ironic given my mistaken expectations.
I was also surprised to learn that they sometimes use store-bought ingredients. I pictured everything made from scratch, but while they do make more from scratch than most, they’re not opposed to transforming a packaged item into something special.
Friends of mine, Ada and Anna, have been raving for months about the seasoned snack crackers they make. They use them for snacking, as a crunchy salad topper, and as a soup or chili accompaniment. Every time they mentioned the crackers they’d already finished a batch and there was nothing left for me to try. Finally they wrote the recipe on a card and handed it to me, promising it was simple and required just four ingredients.
I already had the pantry staples: a box of saltines, cheddar cheese powder (which gives the bright orange color), sour cream and onion powder, and vegetable or canola oil. I mixed everything up and, twenty minutes later, pulled two half-sheet pans of perfectly seasoned crackers from the oven. They were crispy and fragrant, and the kids were drawn into the kitchen the moment the smell hit them. Little hands were already reaching for hot crackers and trying to cool them by tossing them back and forth.
There was chatter, laughter, tentative nibbles—and then the room fell into the satisfying sound of crunching. My husband and I grabbed a few and immediately thought of store-bought favorites like Goldfish or Cheese-Its. The crackers were addictive. The kids liked them with paper-thin slices of ham as little sandwiches. Before long the pans were empty and everyone was asking for more.
We now make these about once a week. A small bowl is left out for quick snacking, and the rest are saved to use as Ada and Anna suggested: as salad toppers, croutons, or accompaniments to soup and chili. They’re particularly good dunked into tomato soup or a spicy chili.
Giveaway details
Because cheddar cheese powder and sour cream-and-onion powder can be harder to find in some places, I offered a giveaway of a generous bag of each to two readers. The giveaway was limited to the continental United States due to shipping restrictions. To enter, readers were asked to leave a comment for each qualifying action they completed.
- Comment with your favorite quick snack or a surprising moment you experienced. (1 entry)
- Like Foodie With Family on Facebook. (1 entry)
- Follow Foodie With Family on Twitter. (1 entry)
- Kiss someone you love and tell me about it here—because I was feeling romantic. (1 entry)
Entries were tallied and winners were chosen at random by a visiting family member. As a bonus note, the cheese and sour cream-and-onion powders are spectacular on popcorn if you want another use for them.
Please note: links previously provided to purchase powders were affiliate links, and a small commission may be earned if a purchase is made through them.
Seasoned Snack Crackers (Amish Recipe) and a Simple Giveaway | Make Ahead Mondays
Rebecca Lindamood
Ingredients
- 1 pound box of saltines Low- or no-salt crackers are recommended because the seasoning powders can be salty.
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1/4 cup sour cream and onion powder
- 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese powder
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 250°F (about 120°C). Prepare two rimmed half-sheet pans.
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Open all the sleeves of saltines and place the crackers in a large mixing bowl. In a measuring cup, whisk the oil with the sour cream-and-onion powder and the cheddar cheese powder until smooth. Drizzle the mixture over the crackers and toss gently with your hands to coat evenly.
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Spread the crackers evenly between the two prepared pans, using your hands to arrange them in a thin layer. Bake for about 20 minutes, stirring two or three times, until the crackers feel mostly dry to the touch.
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Remove the pans from the oven and let the crackers cool completely. Store in an airtight container; they stay crisp for about two weeks. If they lose crunch, return them to a 250°F oven for 5 minutes to refresh.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use and your preferred nutrition calculator.
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