The following “Chew This!” column originally appeared in “The Courier-Times” and / or “The Shelbyville News”. Check their websites for further information and dates.

RITZ cracker cookies are new and different twist

Blaise Doubman

I love anything sweet, salty, buttery and crunchy and these cookies check every single box. If you are looking for something different, I am highly recommending that you try these cookies! First though, let me backtrack a little bit and talk you through how I got to the idea of crunching up RITZ crackers and stirring them into a cookie dough! Ha! I have always loved experimenting with cookies and their flavors and textures, so I guess you could say this recipe is not really that much of a stretch. I have been known to stir crushed potato chips into a vanilla cookie dough base, as well as Rice Krispie cereal, Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks and even chocolate covered raisins. Yes, chocolate covered raisins are far better in oatmeal raisin cookies that just plain old raisins! Wouldn’t you agree!? Yes! Anyways, growing up, my Grandma Deloris and Grandpa Max would always have RITZ crackers around the house and would snack on them. That is one of my kitchen memories of both of them; always having RITZ crackers in the kitchen.

Growing up, my family would always buy saltine crackers, or Club crackers. I am not a fan of Club crackers. They always seem stale and slightly off putting to me. Anyone else? I got to thinking about developing a new cookie recipe and somehow combining cracker and cookie, although, the idea initially started out with adding crushed iced animal crackers to cookie dough, but my mind let me to RITZ crackers soon thereafter. I thought, how bad could that be? RITZ crackers are buttery flavored with a kind of salt and sugar. I added in some RITZ cracker crumbs and added it to the cookie dough and baked them off. They were good but not really the texture I was looking for. I then decided to add the whole sleeve of crackers, whole. Perfect! While stirring, the crackers crushed up just enough, not too much, which gave me the crunch and big bursts of flavor I was looking for. I have made these again and again and people literally go crazy for them! They are always a big topic of discussion at the dessert table. Ritz cracker brand is currently owned by Mondelēz International brands. Try these and enjoy!

RITZ cracker cookies

Do not substitute any other flavor or variety of RITZ cracker for these cookies. Original works best.

2 sticks unsalted butter, soft
1 3/4 cups white granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups white all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 sleeve RITZ crackers, whole

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream together the soft unsalted butter with the white granulated sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in the large egg.

Beat in the white all-purpose flour, milk powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

Add in the RITZ crackers and mix only until crackers break up. You do not want cracker crumbs, just broken up crackers into small to medium sized pieces.

Place tablespoon size balls of dough into the parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake, one sheet at a time, in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Ask and Answer: I received a question a couple of weeks ago from a reader in New Castle, wondering if I had a recipe for bread pudding. Yes, I do! Donut bread pudding, using yeast donut rings from Jack’s Donuts and it is fabulous! You can find the recipe on my website.