Sunday, July 21, 2013

Gold Stars for a Snacky #RecipeRedux

Were you a fan of Goldfish crackers growing up? For some reason I never fell into that "love" category with them - or Ritz either for that matter. I liked my plain, salted Triscuits and melba toast for snacks, given the option (until the Pretzel goldfish came along... those are delicious). However, my sister (who always loved things with cheese or dairy in general) went through a Goldfish phase if you will - meaning she was consuming so much of them that we joked she'd turn orange like in that Magic School Bus episode. The kids at school were hounds for the (admittedly cute) crackers too, and while they are certainly not the worst snack in the world, I knew that homemade could be that much better... plus, it would be a great way to use up any leftover cheese from the week's lunches.
Perfect! 
While I didn't have a tiny goldfish cookie cutter to make the "authentic-looking" crackers from Classic Snacks by Casey Barber, I did have a tiny star... so gold"fish" became either gold"starfish" or simply gold "stars", depending on the audience. After the first round of baking was a bit of a fiasco (my fault for not taking into account smaller cutters), the next batch (made with a spelt/whole wheat pastry/AP flour mix, a dash of black pepper, and a combination of shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese) was spot on.

For the adults, extra old Cheddar, a pinch of both jalapeno and chipotle chili powders and a chili pepper were on the menu - and were just as well received! 

This month's #RecipeRedux is all about the grab n' go snacks we love - be they for road trips, airport lines or late night outdoor movie screenings!


Gold Stars 
Makes about 85
4 oz shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese (or just Cheddar)
2 oz flour
2 1/4 oz spelt flour
1 tbsp Cheddar cheese powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
generous pinch black pepper
1/4 cup 1% milk
1 tbsp canola oil
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
  2. Knead by hand in the bowl until a stiff, slightly dry "doughy" mass forms.
  3. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour, up to 1 day.
  4. Preheat oven to 375F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
  5. Roll dough out to 1/8" thickness and cut with star-shaped cutters (or your favourite small cutter).
  6. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely on the sheets.
  7. Transfer to an airtight container and eat within a few days.
Amount Per Cracker
Calories: 12.2
Total Fat: 0.6 g
Cholesterol: 1.4 mg
Sodium: 24.5 mg
Total Carbs: 0.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.1 g
Protein: 0.4 g

No comments :

Post a Comment

Thanks for the feedback!