Prairie Cottage Corner - Home of Sunbonnet Sue and Friends

A Homemade Snack

My quilt friends and I were looking for a snack we could make at home with stuff on hand, for a quilting afternoon or a retreat.  We found this recipe from Martha Stewart online and paired it with a dip we have been making for years.

We just have one suggestion.  Be sure to minimize the amount of time you spend mixing the crackers in the food processor; AND, after refrigerating the dough, slice the chips 1/8" thick.  These two maneuvers will make a more tender cracker.  Honestly, these are almost as good as Cheese-Its.

Martha’s Cheddar Crackers

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup finely grated (2 1/2 ounces) Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
Directions

Combine flour, cornmeal, salt, cayenne, and nutmeg in bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cheese, and pulse until combined. With machine running, add milk. Process until dough comes together and is well combined.
Transfer dough to a clean work surface. Shape dough into a 1 3/4-inch-wide log. Wrap with 2 layers plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 4 weeks.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Slice well-chilled log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake immediately, rotating sheet halfway through baking, until crackers are golden brown and firm in the center, 25 to 35 minutes. (Crackers should not get too dark around edges.) Transfer to a rack to cool. Crackers may be made a day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Baked Dip

½ c. mayonnaise
½ c. sour cream
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped small
½ c. minced onion
1 T. lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, Parmesan and onion together in a small bowl.  Stir in hearts, lemon juice and seasonings.  Taste to adjust flavor.  Pour into a small, shallow baking dish.  Bake 20 minutes until light brown on top.  Serve with Martha’s Cheddar Crackers.  You can make this a day ahead and bake it at the last minute.


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Sunbonnet Sue is alive and well at Prairie Cottage Corner.  Please visit and see our new quilt patterns and selections.  There's a SALE going on now, too, in our catalog store.  Visit often, please, and tell us about your latest adventures in quilting with Sunbonnet Sue, quilting, applique and other needle adventures.