Plastic-Free Ritz Crackers

Back when my kids went to school (we're homeschooling this year), my son always wanted me to buy him Lunchables (ummm... no way.... besides being nutritional crap... they're way over packaged).  To give him what he wanted without giving into crap food.... I invested in a LapTop lunch** and would buy all the "ingredients" for my son to make his own "Lunchable"...including "Ritz-type" crackers.... my kids just LOVE those buttery crackers.  Now that I'm really striving to avoid plastics whenever I can... I haven't bought them in a LONG time.

**If I wanted to purchase this today, I wouldn't... unfortunately, LapTop lunches are made from plastic :(   I would, instead, purchase the stainless steel PlanetBox.

Soooo... you can imagine my excitement (and my kids excitement) when on Thursday, one of my favorite blogs to drool over-- The Cupcake Project-- posted a recipe for Homemade Ritz Crackers!!!!!!  Obviously, we made them...

Plastic-Free Ritz Crackers  

from Cupcake Project

2 c all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 TBSP cold unsalted butter, cut in pats
2 TBSP vegetable oil (I buy my veg. oil in bulk)
2/3 c water


Topping:
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBSP unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Put the flour, baking powder, sugar, and 1/2 tsp of salt in the food processor and pulse to combine.
3. Add cold butter, pulse to combine.
4. Add vegetable oil.  Pulse to combine.
5. Add water a bit at a time.  Pulse, until the dough begins to form a ball.
6. Roll dough out as thin as you can.  The thinner they are the more crisp and cracker like they are.
7. Use cookie cutters (or a ruler and knife) to cut the dough out.  Make whatever shape you like.

 >> After rolling and cutting the crackers, I was left with a good amount of dough... I rerolled it all to see if the crackers would be as good as the first rolled batch... and they ARE!!! :)  So reroll the dough scraps!!!<<

8.  Poke holes in the dough.  We used a fork.  

9.  Bake the crackers for 10 minutes or until golden in color. <-- I baked mine a bit longer to get them more golden and crisper.  (The Cupcake Project recommends using parchment or Silpat lined baking sheets... and I did a batch with and without... I like the coloring that the crackers get when baked on an unlined baking sheet. Don't worry about greasing the baking sheet, the crackers don't stick ;) )

10.  As soon as the crackers are done baking brush them with the butter and salt.  NOTE:  I wasn't sure about how the crackers would store if I brushed the butter on them after baking... so I brushed the cracker dough with the butter and sprinkled on the salt BEFORE I popped them in the oven.

11.  Let the crackers cool... then store in an airtight container...