Cracker Jack Recipe Alton Brown Recipes Recipes Recipe Cards

SLACKER JACKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Spray a sheet pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray as well and set aside.
• Combine the popcorn and peanuts in a large mixing bowl. Set aside until ready to use.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla and stir until combined. Heat the mixture until it reaches 250 degrees F, approximately 10 minutes.
• Pour the syrup over the popcorn and stir to combine. You will need to work quickly because the syrup hardens rapidly. Spread the mixture onto the prepared sheet pan and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Cool completely.
• Break into pieces and serve immediately or store in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

SOURDOUGH CHEESE CRACKERS

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, cheese powder and salt together in a small bowl.
• Place 3 tablespoons of the butter and the starter in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and work on low speed until creamy and homogeneous, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and sift the flour mixture over the creamed starter, return the mixer to low and work until a soft dough forms, about 1 minute more.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Press each piece into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle and wrap in individual pieces of plastic wrap. Refrigerate between 8 and 24 hours (see Cook's Note).
• Place two racks nearest the center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees F. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Retrieve one piece of dough from the refrigerator and dust both the dough and your pasta maker with flour. (Continue to dust the pasta roller and the dough as needed to prevent sticking.) Starting on the widest setting, typically labeled "1," feed the dough through the roller. Then fold the dough into thirds, as you would a letter, turn 90 degrees and run it through again. Fold the dough into thirds again, turn, and pass it through the roller.
• Adjust your pasta maker to the next setting and roll the dough through 3 times without folding. Repeat this step 3 times more on both the 3rd and 4th settings. Transfer the dough to one of the prepared half-sheet pans and repeat the process with the remaining dough, arranging two sheets of dough per pan.
• Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and brush onto the dough. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of kosher salt. Dock the dough thoroughly with a fork and cut into 1-inch squares with a pizza wheel.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the pans 180 degrees and rotate from top to bottom. Continue baking until the crackers just begin to brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Remove from the oven and immediately transfer the crackers on the parchment to a rack to cool completely before serving, about 20 minutes.
• Lid tightly and store at room temperature.
• To begin: Mix together 125 grams flour and 125 grams water with a clean hand in a medium glass bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let sit undisturbed at room temperature until the mixture is full of bubbles and has nearly doubled in size, usually 2 to 3 days. During this time, yeasts and bacteria from the air and from the flour and probably from you will set up housekeeping in the bowl (see Cook's Note).
• For daily feeding: Peel back any crust that may have formed and transfer 20% of the culture (50 grams) to a clean, wide-mouthed jar. Stir in 100 grams flour and 100 grams water, loosely screw on the lid and stash at room temperature for 24 hours. (The culture will have a stinky-sour smell at this point.) Discard the rest of the original mixture.
• Repeat step 2 every 24 hours for 5 days. By then the culture should smell yeasty-sweet-sour, which means you're ready to put the starter to work. The cheese crackers are to be made with the discarded percentage of starter.

CLONE OF A CRACKER JACK®

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Spread popcorn in the bottom of a large, deep roasting pan. Sprinkle peanuts over the popcorn.
• Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt together in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until sugar and butter are melted and sauce is thick and caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour caramel sauce over the popcorn and peanuts and stir to coat popcorn and peanuts completely, scooping any peanuts and caramel that fall to the bottom of the roasting pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally, until caramel and popcorn are crisped, about 45 minutes. Turn popcorn out in a single layer on a sheet of parchment paper to cool completely.

CRACKER JACK - COPYCAT

Steps:

• Mix popcorn and peanuts in a large bowl or roasting pan. Keep warm in a 250°F oven.
• Melt butter in a 2 quart saucepan. Stir in sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla.
• Quickly pour over warm popcorn while tossing until well coated. Spread in a shallow baking pan or roasting pan.
• Bake at 250°F for 45 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes. Make sure every piece of popcorn has been moved around on the bottom.
• Remove from oven and turn out onto foil to let cool.
• Store in a tightly covered container.

SEEDED CRACKERS - ALTON BROWN

Steps:

• Combine in a medium bowl: both flours, both seeds, salt, baking powder. Stir well. Stir in oil. Add water and stir until just combined.
• Turn dough out onto a floured board. Knead a few times, to ensure dough is evenly mixed and smooth. Cut into 8 pieces and cover with a towel 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Flatten one dough ball and pass through a pasta roller at the widest setting. Reduce the pasta roller and continue rolling through and tightening down until dough is about 1/8" thick. Place dough sheet on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using pizza cutter, cut sheets into 2x2" squares, removing any leftover irregular edges. Bake 8-12 minutes or until browned and crisp. Transfer to a rack and cool completely. Store in a zip top bag with as much air removed as possible. Use within 2 week.s.

CRACKER JACK COOKIES II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, stir in the oatmeal, coconut, crisp rice cereal and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.