Picnic Snack Box Sourdough (Printable Version)

Tangy sourdough Cheez-Its paired with fresh grapes for a perfect portable snack.

# What You'll Need:

→ Sourdough Cheez-Its

01 - 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
02 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
03 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
04 - 2 tablespoons sourdough starter, discard or active unfed
05 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
06 - 1/4 teaspoon paprika
07 - 1 to 2 teaspoons cold water, as needed

→ Grapes

08 - 1 1/3 cups seedless red or green grapes, washed and dried

→ Optional Additions

09 - 1 ounce roasted almonds or walnuts
10 - 1.5 ounces dark chocolate squares

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a food processor, combine cheddar cheese, flour, cold cubed butter, salt, and paprika. Pulse until mixture becomes crumbly.
03 - Add sourdough starter to food processor and pulse until dough begins to form. Add cold water one teaspoon at a time if needed to bring dough together completely.
04 - Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/8 inch thickness.
05 - Cut dough into 3/4 inch squares using a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Poke a hole in the center of each square with a skewer or fork for authentic appearance.
06 - Transfer squares to prepared baking sheet, spacing them slightly apart.
07 - Bake for 16 to 18 minutes until golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet.
08 - Divide cooled Cheez-Its and grapes among four containers. Add optional nuts or chocolate if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Your guests will ask for the recipe because homemade always beats store-bought, and these taste like a secret worth keeping.
  • The sourdough starter gives you a tangy depth that rounds out the sharp cheddar in ways plain crackers never could.
  • Assembling snack boxes feels like creating little edible gifts, and the whole thing takes less time than binge-watching a show.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cooling step—I learned this by wrapping warm crackers and creating a steam bath that turned them chewy and sad within hours.
  • Your sourdough starter doesn't need to be active or bubbly; discard works beautifully and means you're not wasting anything.
03 -
  • Age your finished Cheez-Its in an airtight container for 24 hours before serving—they crisp up even more and the flavors deepen and marry together beautifully.
  • If your dough feels sticky, your kitchen is probably humid; dust lightly with flour and work quickly, or chill between steps.
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