Alabama Fire Crackers

Alabama Fire Crackers is a pretty bold name, but there’s nothing to be scared of here. These little babies will kick you a little, sure, but not enough to actually hurt. It’s a simple and spicy way to dress up a cracker into something that’s addictively delicious. As in, it’s literally impossible to stop at just one with these. So they make the perfect party snack. Or the perfect road trip snack. Or a snack you don’t need any reason at all for.

So what are they? They’re saltines that are coated in a seriously yummy combination of olive oil, ranch seasoning, onion and garlic powders, and an ample helping of crushed red pepper. The method here is incredibly easy, but you do need to plan a day ahead because the magic is in letting the crackers soak in that goodness overnight. They absorb all of the flavor-infused oil and then you give them a little time in a low oven, which makes them far crispier than they were in their original state.

All you do is combine the oil, ranch mix, crushed red pepper and other seasonings in a zip-top bag and shake or knead it until it’s all nice and combined before you add the crackers in. Then, you seal the bag and gently turn it over and over until everything is coated… But hang on. When you see that there are three tablespoons of red pepper flake meant to go in the bag, you might balk and think it’s far too many. But it’s not. Go ahead and put ’em all in. The crackers can handle it and you can too.

Alabama Fire Crackers

15 minutes active, 24 hours inactive to prepare serves 8-10

Ingredients

  • 2 cups olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 (1 oz) packages ranch dressing mix
  • 3 tablespoons crushed red pepper
  • 1 (16 oz) package of saltine crackers

Preparation

  1. To a gallon zip-top bag, add the olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, ranch dressing mix, and red pepper flake. Close bag and knead or shake to combine ingredients.
  2. Place all the saltine crackers in the bag, seal and turn bag over gently until crackers are coated with seasoning.
  3. Let sit in bag overnight.
  4. Preheat oven to 250°F and lay crackers out on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and oil has absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Daily Dish Recipes.