Celebrate the return of warmer weather with RITZ Cracker Canapés, a collection of colorfully topped RITZ crackers…layer them up and watch them disappear!
*This post in partnership with Mondelez International Group.
RITZ Cracker Canapés are perfect for whatever you’ve got going this season. At the first sign of spring we bring the food outdoors ~ there’s nothing better than eating outside after being cooped up all winter long. These colorful crackers are guaranteed to bring the family together ~ you can make them as elegant or as kid friendly as you want, depending on your toppings. Your crackers can actually include all the food groups, so I won’t judge if you decide to make a meal out of them…just add iced tea!
Making these RITZ Cracker canapés is as easy as 1, 2, 3
Step 1 ~ Head to your local supermarket and pick up a few essentials like sliced deli meats, cooked shrimp, cheeses, plus condiments like mustards and flavored mayos ~ hit up the olive bar and salad bar, and don’t forget the fresh herbs for garnishing.
Step 2 ~ Gather everything together and start mixing and matching as you layer up your crackers. Or lay out a make your own canapé bar, and let friends and family stack up their own unique RITZ Cracker creations.
Step 3 ~ Fill a platter with your creations and wait for the compliments to start flowing.
One of my favorite spots in my local supermarket is the deli counter. I’m always blown away by the quality and variety of meats and cheeses, and since they’ll form the base of my canapés, this was my first stop. I had trouble choosing, but I ended up with a smoked Black Forest ham, some maple glazed turkey, and a spicy salami. I found the most gorgeous blue marbled Monterey Jack, a dilled Havarti, and a pepper jack cheese. They have great flavor and they provide visual interest too. I cut out the meats and cheeses with my 1 1/2 inch circle cutter ~ it’s the perfect size to decorate the RITZ Crackers with.
I also picked up a handful of small cooked shrimp from the fish department, and a little bit of smoked salmon to round out the protein for my creatons. I grabbed some radishes, a cuke, and some fresh herbs, and then augmented what I already have in my pantry with some interesting mustards. You can see these RITZ Cracker Canapés can skew fun and festive or totally elegant!
I love RITZ
RITZ Crackers make the ideal foundation for these canapés ~ they’re not too big, or too small, for the perfect one or two bite appetizer. The texture is crisp, buttery, and easy to eat…no embarrassing cracker shards flying everywhere when you’re trying to socialize. And the flavor adds a rich delicious background without competing with your toppings.
related: Vidalia Ritz Pie
tips for making RITZ Cracker Canapés
- To make quick work of these canapés, stack your meats and cheeses so you can cut through several layers at once, then peel apart the layers and mix and match cheeses and meats on your crackers.
- Don’t assemble your canapés too far in advance or the crackers can soften from the moisture in the toppings. You can prep the ingredients ahead of time, just store them under damp paper towels (wrap in plastic) in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. Then assemble just before you need them.
- Get the kids involved! Set them up with a few small cookie cutters and let them get creative. This is fun for everything from birthday parties to after school snacks.
more fun appetizer ideas
Easy Springtime RITZ Cracker Canapés
Video
Equipment
- small round or shaped cookie or biscuit cutters
Ingredients
- 1 package Ritz crackers
- 1/4 lb sliced smoked turkey
- 1/4 lb sliced Black Forest ham
- 1/4 lb sliced salami
- 1/4 lb small cooked shrimp
- 1/4 lb smoked salmon
- 1/4 lb sliced cheese, your choice
- 1 hard boiled egg, sliced
spreads, your choice
- cream cheese, whipped or regular
- herbed cheese spread
- crumbled blue cheese
- hummus
- olive tapenade
- sun dried tomato tapenade
- guacamole
- wasabi sauce
- your favorite mustards
garnish your choice
- tiny cherry tomatoes
- gherkins
- cocktail onions
- capers
- pink peppercorns
- basil leaves
- fresh dill
- radishes
- Marcona almonds
- sliced stuffed olives
- chopped pistachios
- crumbled bacon
- chives
- sesame seeds
- paprika
- hot pepper flakes
- edible flowers
Instructions
- Cut your meats and cheeses into 1 1/2 inch rounds using a small cookie or biscuit cutter. If you don’t have a cutter you can cut small squares to fit on the RITZ Crackers.
- Layer your canapés in any order that you like, and add garnishes to make lots of different combinations. Finish each with a fresh herb or sprinkle of spice or nuts to add visual interest.
- Alternately you can lay out everything for your family and friends to create their own RITZ canapés.
- Serve your canapés right away.
Do you remember when ritz were made with bacon fat…….you are probably too young lol!
They were terribly addictive and I was so disappointed when they changed the recipe. Although they are still my favourite cracker too, I miss the old ones.
I pinned this for Christmas, great ideas!
Made these last su.mer for memorial day and they disappeared immediately!
I thought I saw a link here to Amazon for butterfly and other fancy cutters. I looked again and didn’t see it. If you still have a link, could you please provide it. The cutters were very pretty.
There are a couple of links in the text above, Mary, but they can be easy to miss ~ here’s a link to the ones I used: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000VLOYK?ie=UTF8
I love all these ideas!
These are so pretty and fun!