Firecrackers

These crackers were a staple at any party my parents threw when I was a kid. The traditional recipe uses larger saltine crackers, while this riff uses smaller soup & oyster crackers, which are easier to pick at and eat with your fingers or shovel into your mouth at once. I prefer Nabisco’s Premium brand, but any brand will do. Look for them in the cracker and cookie aisle of any grocery store.

Don’t be tempted to use olive oil or butter here. You want a flavorless oil to let the seasonings shine through, unadulterated. And melted butter contains some water, which tends to make the crackers go soggy or have a stale chew to them. The traditional recipe uses packets of dry ranch seasoning mix; in lieu of that mix, which contains dairy and MSG, I use nutritional yeast to keep the mix vegan while also retaining its cheese-like, umami bite. If you’d like, however, use two 1-ounce packets (or 1/4 cup) dry ranch seasoning mix instead of the nutritional yeast.

As for the salt, I know it may look like a lot, but the original recipes call for double the amount listed here. This is an intentionally salty snack, meant to be served with cocktails during a party or at the beginning of a meal. If you want, you can halve the amounts of all ingredients and make less, but I guarantee you won’t have a problem eating them all very quickly.