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.
Never thought that so many different shapes and colors could balance so well on such a little cracker! Great styling Sue! So many options piled up!
Thanks Alexandra <3
Wow! these are gorgeous Sue, you certainly pulled out all the stops on these canapes, the edible flowers are a nice touch.
So pretty and so creative! Love the video, too 🙂
What a great party food. I love how you used the cookie cutters for the cheese!
And there are so many great small cutters out there, you could customize it to any theme…
I love the cheese butterflies! I can see how these canapes will make a craft beer tasting that much better with all the different options you created.
These totally go with craft beer 🙂
Your photos just scream spring! I love the idea of using cookie cutters to make cute shapes out of the cheese. This is a great post with so many ideas!
I love these! I would be so happy to see someone bring these to a party…of course, I wouldn’t be averse to making them myself either!
I admit it, I love to see guests bearing goodies, but in this case, these canapés are so easy, I don’t mind being the head chef.
These are soooo cute! I love that marbled cheese, its so pretty! They look perfect for a spring party
Thanks jenny ~ and who knew you could get sliced blue cheese at the deli counter?
It’s always a good time for Ritz cracker, on their own or dressed-up like this. Great post.
Thanks Jeanette!
I’ve done canapes like this before, but on little pieces of bread, and now that I think about it, the Ritz crackers seem like a much better idea, i think they’d hold up better and keep their crunch, thanks!
Yes, exactly, bread goes stale really quickly.