I have made this for years. My personal suggestion is 1 bag of oyster crackers 1/2 c. of oil (I prefer Olive or Canola) and a whole package of the ranch dressing. Like others have said play around with the spices -- I double all of them so the flavor stands out in salads etc. After all ingredients are combined I put them in a 325 oven for about 10-15 minutes. This helps the flavor to set and dry off some of the oil. When removed from the oven place them on brown paper or parchment paper to let the remaining oil absorb. Store in an airtight container to keep them fresh. This is a favorite snack at my house whether alone or in a salad. They are quick to make and fun to share.
There are a whole load of variations on the ranch cracker theme on this web site that all basically involve a packet of dry ranch dip/dressing mix, dried dill, lemon pepper and garlic powder. Obviously, you're just going to add how much of the seasonings you like. I went with a lot of dill and garlic, and cut back on the lemon pepper. It takes a little playing around, but you'll end up with something you really like.
These were a nice addition to my recent salad bar buffet.I sub'd 1/2 cup garlic flavored olive oil for the vegetable oil and used garlic powder instead of salt. Yummy! These are also great used in the Chex Party Mix. (I leave out the pretzels) Thanks Billie.
Here is a variation that our Bunco crowd and my grown children are addicted to. Combine 1 box Cheezit crackers, one box oyster crackers, 1 box Bugles, and one bag Snyders pretzel sticks broken in half. Mix together 1 cup canola oil, 2 packages Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix, 2 T dill weed. Drizzle over cracker mixture and toss. No baking required and it is not greasy. The lady who made this the first time I had it used the cracker combination I have listed, but she said to use whatever snack items you prefer.
It works best if you drizzle the seasoned oil over the crackers while stirring them - otherwise the oil won't get distributed well.
A very tasty snack - used only 1 bag of crackers and cut recipe in 1/2. Worked out fine. The big surprise was finding a very similar recipe printed on the back of the bag of oyster crackers!
I have used this recipe every Christmas since I was a child and lost it a couple of years ago - I'm thrilled to have it once again. It has always been my families' favorite holiday snack and makes a great party table item anytime of the year.
I've been making these since they were posted awhile back. Perfect snack while watching football on Sunday's. Love 'em. Too much!!!But boy are they GOOOOD.
