Nabisco® Cheese Nips®

Here's a clone recipe that gets one very important

ingredient from another packaged product. The powdered

cheese included in the Kraft instant macaroni & cheese

kits flavors this homegrown version of the popular bright

orange crackers. You'll need a can of Kraft Macaroni &

Cheese Cheese Topping or two boxes of the most inexpensive

instant variety of macaroni & cheese; you know, the kind

with the cheese powder. Two boxes will give you enough

cheese to make 300 crackers. As for the macaroni left over

in the box, just use that for another recipe requiring elbow

macaroni.

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour (plus 1/2 cup divided and reserved

for kneading and rolling)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Cheese Topping powder (or 2 packages

dry cheese powder from 2 boxes Kraft macaroni & cheese)

3 tablespoons shortening

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon salt (for tops, optional)

1. Sift together 1 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder, and

cheese powder in a large bowl.

2. Cut in the shortening with a fork and knife with a crosswise

motion until dough is broken down into rice-size pieces. Mixture

will still be very dry.

3. Stir in buttermilk with a fork until dough becomes very moist

and sticky.

4. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the reserved flour over the

dough and work it in until the dough can be handled without

sticking, then turn it out onto a floured board, being sure to keep

1/4 cup of the reserve flour for later. Knead the dough well for

60 to 90 seconds, until the flour is well incorporated. Wrap the

dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.

5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a light coating of cooking

spray on a baking sheet.

6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and use the remaining

reserve flour to dust a rolling surface. Roll about one-third of

the dough to just under 1/16th of inch thick. Trim the edges square

(a pizza cutter or wheel works great for this), then transfer the

dough to a lightly greased baking sheet. Use the rolling pin to

transfer the dough. Simply pick up one end of the dough onto a

rolling pin, and roll the dough around the rolling pin. Reverse the

process onto the baking sheet to transfer the dough.

7. Use a pizza cutter to cut across and down the dough, creating

1-inch square pieces. Use the blunt end of a skewer or broken

toothpick to poke a hole in the center of each piece.

8. Sprinkle a very light coating of salt over the top of the crackers

(crackers will already be quite salty) and bake for 8 to 10 minutes

mix the crackers around (so those on the edge don’t burn) and bake

for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until some are just barely turning

a light brown. Repeat the rolling and baking process with the

remaining dough.

Makes approximately 300 crackers.