Read Classic Snacks Made from Scratch Online
Authors: Casey Barber
Classic Snacks Made from Scratch
Copyright text © 2013 by Casey Barber. Copyright photographs © 2013 by
JudiSwinksPhotography.com
.
Copyright design © 2013 by Ulysses Press and its licensors. All Rights Reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic bulletin boards, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Published by Ulysses Press P.O. Box 3440 Berkeley, CA 94703
www.ulyssespress.com
ISBN: 978-1-61243-153-6 Library of Congress Catalog Number 2012951887
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Acquisitions Editor: Kelly Reed Managing Editor: Claire Chun Project Editor: Alice RiegertEditor: Phyllis ElvingProofreader: Lauren Harrison Design and layout: what!
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Illustrations: Suman Kasturia
IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands or other products mentioned or pictured within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in ingredient lists, photographs, and elsewhere in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The authors and publishers encourage readers to patronize the quality brands mentioned and pictured in this book.
For Dan, who’s still waiting for his deep-fried Snickers bar
Tastykake Butterscotch Krimpets
Tastykake Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes
Cheddar–Peanut Butter Crackers
Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips
Neapolitan Ice Cream Sandwiches
A Pudding Trio: Chocolate, Vanilla, and Tapioca
You wouldn’t be holding this book in your (sticky, marshmallow-covered) hands right now without the guidance of my agent, Jason Yarn, who was converted to the cult of DIY snacks with a well-timed bag of homemade Cheez-Its; and the Ulysses Press editorial team of Kelly Reed and Alice Riegert.
Much love and appreciation to my intrepid, unflagging army of testers: Vera Marie Badertscher, Christine Beidel, Julie Bissell, Ridgely Brode, Denise Campbell, Robin Carpenter, Nikki Gardner, Allison Hernandez Gosselin, Emily Hanhan, Jake Johnson, Thad Jones, Debbie Koenig, Kathleen LeBlanc, Christina Loccke, Jamie Lothridge, Shana Opdyke-Carroll, Amy Palanjian, Matt Rolak, Lauren Shotwell, Andrea Slonecker, Emily Thorne, and Beth Zeder. I know it wasn’t easy to translate my mad-scientist ravings into recipes for everyone, but you helped make it happen.
Special thanks to my mental health team: Tessa Barber, Amber Bracegirdle, Lisa Cericola, Andrea Lynn, Garrett McCord, Sarah Olson, Danielle Oteri, Rebecca Peters-Golden, Stephanie Stiavetti, and Amanda Whitehead; my unofficial PR teams of Bryan Furze and LeeMichael McLean, and Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan; the
MLB.com
bullpen and my crew at Williams-Sonoma for eating all the leftover snacks, whether or not they were successful; and my parents, Nancy Statler, Jim and Carol Barber, and Joan and Joe Cichalski. Someday I’ll pay you guys in more than food.
And the biggest thanks of all to Dan, always and forever.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the nostalgic foods of my childhood. Pleading for Fruit Roll-Ups in my lunchbox, eating entire pans of Rice Krispies Treats every high school afternoon, downing bags of Doritos as midnight snacks in the dorm room, using handfuls of Corn Nuts to keep me awake on road trips home from grad school—snacks have always been there for me. I’m also a little bit of a DIY fanatic. And while I’m not as handy with a circular saw or sewing machine as I am with a stand mixer, I’m fascinated by the process of making things from scratch—just to prove it can be done.
A few years ago while my husband, Dan, and I were strolling the aisles of Target (as we do), he commented that Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food would be his favorite ice cream flavor—if only it had a vanilla base instead of chocolate. “Oh, I can make that for you,” I blurted out. His excited face meant I couldn’t take those words back, so I went forth and whipped up homemade fudge, caramel sauce, marshmallow fluff, and vanilla ice cream to create his ultimate frozen treat.
It was so worth it. I wanted—no, needed—to make more DIY versions of our favorite snacks.
There’s a “mad scientist” feel to reverse-engineering these treats, dissecting each layer of an oatmeal crème pie or licking the life out of a barbecue potato chip to analyze the exact spice blend. But it’s also supremely gratifying to nail a recipe and find those flavors that have such strong emotional connections, but without preservatives or a weird chemical aftertaste.
The surprised and gleeful reactions when people bite into a homemade Dorito, Combo, or Twinkie never get old. “You made this?” my friends ask incredulously. I can see the recognition and remembrance on their faces, their taste memories firing to life. Whether you’re baking up a quick batch of Wheat Thins or taking on Good Humor bars as a weekend project, I hope you feel the same sense of wonder and accomplishment when making these classic snacks at home.
Make a pan of Tastykakes with your kids and pass on the excitement you felt when unwrapping a package of your favorite cookies. Store a dozen Mallo Cups in the freezer for a special treat. Bring a bowl of homemade caramel corn to your next potluck and watch the crowd go wild. These recipes are all about sharing the love of making food from scratch and the pleasure that comes from bringing smiles to the table. I guarantee that you’ll impress your family and friends, but more than that, I hope you make yourself happy, too.
Not to sound like a professional organizer, but apart from your
mise en place
(that’s the French term for measuring your ingredients and placing them at the ready in little bowls around your workspace before you begin to cook), a well-equipped kitchen is the best tool at your disposal for becoming a better cook and baker. If you’ve got the following pieces at hand, you’re well on your way—and don’t forget, as Grandma always said, “You buy cheap, you buy twice.”
KITCHEN SCALE
The best way to guarantee accuracy and consistency when measuring isn’t to use cups or spoons; it’s to use a kitchen scale. Even careful measuring has a margin of error, and being able to dump ingredients into one bowl set atop a scale is much less messy and leaves far fewer items to wash. Each recipe in this book gives measurements in both volume (cups and tablespoons) and weight (ounces) where applicable.
A note on measurements: I use the “spoon and sweep” method for measuring flour (and other dry ingredients), stirring and aerating the flour with a spoon before using the spoon to fill my measuring cup, then leveling off the excess with a knife or bench scraper. Scooping flour with the measuring cup itself can compact the flour and give you as much as an ounce/quarter cup more per scoop, which can make a big difference in many baking recipes. Spooning the flour into the cup provides more reliable results. All measurements in the book are for unsifted ingredients.
STAND MIXER
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me if it was worth it to buy a stand mixer, I wouldn’t need a book deal to keep me employed! Yes, unequivocally, a stand mixer is worth it and pays for itself. The overwhelming benefit of a stand mixer is that it handles tasks that would otherwise kill your arms or take a lot of time to do by hand. While it’s completely possible to make the majority of the recipes in this book with an electric hand mixer (the exception from a practical and mess-related standpoint being marshmallows—that stuff fluffs up big, takes a lot of horsepower, and has the potential to splatter everywhere), you’ll save time and energy by investing in a stand mixer.