Hello, Superbowl Sunday! Although the closest I get to following a team is re-watching Friday Night Lights, the day does lend itself to festive party food – if only because it’s still dark as pitch outside.
Bring on the snack food!
And these crackers are delicious, simple to make and the ingredients are probably things that you have in your house right now. Seriously. So if you have a crowd coming over to watch the game, and are nervous you’re a little light on finger food, whip these together. No fuss, no muss.
Also, this recipe can be used as a blue print. If you’d rather make blue cheese and almond crackers, then swap out the olives and Swiss, and substitute in the blue cheese and almonds. Do it. You’ll like it. I consider these “pantry and refrigerator” crackers because I make them all the time with what I have on hand. Parsley, dill, oregano and parmesan? Sure! Pickled jalapenos, cheddar and cilantro? Sure!
The only drawback to these crackers, is that they are so simple to make that it’s easy to whip up a batch as a post-dinner snack before bed.
Bad crackers, bad!
Spicy Swiss Cheese and Green Olive Crackers
Makes approximately 100 crackers.
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups Swiss cheese, finely chopped
- ¾ cup warm water
- 2 scallions (white and green parts) roughly chopped or 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
- 2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika
- ¼ cup Spanish olives, roughly chopped
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, butter, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir well with a fork. Add the Swiss cheese, water, scallion or onion, paprika and olives. Quickly knead until all of the ingredients are incorporated. (It will be a wet dough, but that’s why we have reserved flour.)
Sprinkle work surface with remaining flour, and pat out the dough so it’s flat. Flip the dough over, so that both sides have flour. Roll the dough out, so that it’s ½-inch thick. (If the dough sticks to the board, add 1 tablespoon more at a time until it’s dry enough to be rolled out. It doesn’t need to be completely dry, it just needs to be able to be cut without sticking to the knife.)
Cut dough lengthwise and crosswise into 1-inch pieces, with a large knife or pastry cutter.
Divide the crackers between 2 large, rimmed cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes.
Set the timer or stand by the oven, because the difference between “10 minutes” and “13 minutes” on these little guys is the difference between “beautiful golden brown cheese” and “burnt embers.” It can happen in the blink of an eye. Trust me, I’ve made that mistake!
Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for 2 days.
(Photos by Launie K.)
