I picked up a new cookbook, well…
I bought one for my sister’s birthday, and then thought I may as well have one myself – so we could compare notes, y’know?
Anywho; the author, Jeff Mauro, had a recipe where he spiced and then smoked a box or two of Cheez-Its crackers, and boy, did they look and sound good!
Except, we do not have a smoker, so off I went to da Google for help…
And I found a fair number of recipes and options for spicing and baking Cheez-Its; but no one seemed to be what I wanted, so I went off on my own.
I don’t think I did do too, too bad, either.
INGREDIENTS
•1 (12.4 oz) box Cheez-Its
•1 packet ranch dressing mix*
•1 tsp black pepper
•1 tsp garlic powder
•1 tsp onion powder
•1 tsp dried parsley
•1/4 cup canola oil
*I used a local all natural Southwest Ranch mix from Mama Mia Beer Foods, but your own fave Ranch mix will work a treat, too.
Heat your oven to 325º and grab your big roasting pan – or any large, rimmed baking pan, but I like a roasting pan for projects like this.
Whisk the ranch dressing mix together with the other seasonings and pour over the Cheez-Its in the roasting pan.
Drizzle with the canola oil, then stir to coat all the pieces more or less evenly.
Bake for ten minutes, then pull the pan out and give it all a good stir before returning to the oven for another 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before storing in an airtight container.