Copycat Hobi’s Bites Original Hot Crackers

These Copycat Hobi’s Bites Original Hot Crackers are crunchy, spicy and totally more-ish! When you cannot simply buy a favorite snack food, sometimes you just gotta make them yourself. 

A couple of years ago I invited a friend to join us for Sunday lunch and she arrived with hot boudin and Hobi’s Bites Original Hot Crackers to serve as an appetizer. The boudin - a Louisiana sausage made with cooked pork, rice, onions, peppers, and seasonings, all stuffed into a casing - was tasty but it was the spicy crackers that stole my heart. They were HOT.

I immediately asked where she had bought them and added Hobi’s Bites to the shopping list. I discovered that they come in many flavors but the original hot are the best, very spicy with a lovely crunch. I don’t buy them very often because they are that addictive, high in sodium and calories, and they disappear quickly. 

When our Sunday FunDay host proposed celebrating National Junk Food Day which is July 21st, I was excited to make my favorite spicy crackers, as a special treat. A little research revealed that some people call them fire crackers and recipes abound. 

Another thing I learned was that in the UK, they don’t have saltines! That ubiquitous cracker of my childhood, which, along with a glass of 7-Up, could cure any stomach bug. I guess they eat water crackers but those seemed too bland. I chose to use two different crackers, one French, the other from the Philippines. Both turned out great. 

In fact, I shared a bag of my copycats with my neighbors because I know they are fond of spicy food. I was hanging out the laundry yesterday when he popped over to tell me how addictively delicious they were and could he please put in an order for more! So you can bet I’ll be making these again! You know, just for them, because they are such good neighbors. 

Copycat Hobi’s Bites Original Hot Crackers

This recipe is adapted from one on the Southern Living website. Use whatever plain crackers you can find and as I mention below, buy some 2 or 2 1/2 gallon Ziploc bags, the better to coat the crackers evenly with the spicy oil.

Ingredients

1 cup or 240ml olive oil

1/4 cup or 60ml hot sauce (I used a mix of Louisiana Habanero and Dunn’s River Jamaican-style hot sauce.)

2 tablespoons ranch dressing mix

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

16 oz or 450g saltine or similar crackers

Method

Place oil, hot sauce, ranch dressing powder, crushed red pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika and salt in a small mixing bowl. 

Whisk to combine.

Add the crackers to a 2-gallon size Ziploc bag. (*See note below.) Pour the seasonings over them. 

Seal and gently turn the bag over several times to coat the crackers with the spice mixture. The more times you do, this the better the coating. 

*Note: As already mentioned but let me reiterate, when I make these again, I will use a bigger bag because I found that the crackers stuck together in the 1-gallon bag so it was hard to coat all sides. With more room in the bag, they’d be easier to shift around. I recommend using a 2- or 2 1/2-gallon Ziploc bag. 

Let crackers soak at room temperature at least 1 hour turning the bag over every 10 to 15 minutes. Be gently with them to keep the crackers mostly intact. 

Preheat your oven to 300°F or 149°C with racks in the upper third and lower third positions. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil.

Transfer the crackers to prepared baking pans, arranging cracker in a single layer. 

Bake in the preheated oven until dry, crisp, and golden, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating baking pans between top and bottom racks halfway through bake time.

Remove from oven. Carefully remove the crackers to wire racks to cool. 

Repeat the process to bake the remaining crackers. 

Let the baked crackers cool completely, about 30 minutes. 

Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are celebrating National Junk Food Day! Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam. Check out the links below.

• Brownie Pizza by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Copycat Hobi's Bites Original Hot Crackers by Food Lust People Love
• Crunch Bars (copycat) by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Donuts & Chicken Strips by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Roasted Pumpkin Hummus Veggie Wrap by Sneha's Recipe
• Walking Taco by Mayuri's Jikoni

 

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