Ritz Peanut Butter Crackers
It’s finally here! The peanut butter recipe I’ve had in my back pocket and have been so impatient to share with you! I hope you think the hype was worth the wait. These little copycat ritz peanut butter crackers were my favorite snack growing up.
If I bought them now, I’d still eat the whole box, but making them homemade was so much fun. They’re actually quite easy to make and I now have a few tricks to share!
After making them I stored them in my freezer so the peanut butter wouldn’t melt away, pulling one or two (sometimes three) out for snack time until they were all gone, which sadly came all too soon.
Next time I make them, I make add them to this kids snack board that’s perfect for adults too!!
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Ritz Peanut Butter Crackers
I used all natural peanut butter which meant that my sandwiches would start to slip and slide if left out for too long. If you use a Jif or Skippy-like peanut butter, they should stay at room temperature much better. I love the nuttiness of the all natural peanut butter, but it’s all up to you.
Homemade Ritz Crackers
If you like Ritz Crackers then you HAVE to make them yourself. The homemade buttery flavor is seriously unbeatable.
When making the crackers (for sandwiches or just to snack on crackers), it’s important to make them the same thickness. This matters more for even cooking than the deliciousness of the sandwich itself. You can see in the photo below that those thinner edges really start to crisp up quickly.
And when they’re cooked perfectly, they taste exactly like Ritz crackers and they’re divine. To make the perfect homemade ritz crackers with peanut butter, it all starts with recreating those delectable crackers first!!
And to be honest, you can just make these crackers and call it a day. They’re just as delicious as the real crackers, and obviously less work that adding peanut butter and making a “sandwich.”
Can You Use Other Nut Butters?
Yep. If you have other nut butters or can’t have peanuts in your house, other nut or seed butters are totally fine. You can imagine how the taste differs, but the basics are the same.
Try honey peanut butter or homemade nut butter with pecans and sunflower seeds (scrumptious!) to mix things up!
And I used olive oil in the crackers because I don’t bake much with vegetable oil. The vegetable oil might give you that exact Ritz Cracker flavor. I say use whatever you have on hand! With homemade peanut butter crackers to enjoy, who really cares?!
If you have some small, round thing (even a drink container mouth opening) that will work as a cutter, fabulous. If not, these nesting circle cutters are great to have on hand!
Storing Homemade Ritz Cracker Sandwiches
If you make these peanut butter cracker sandwiches with a shelf-stable peanut butter (i.e. one that doesn’t need to be refrigerated). Feel free to store these crackers in a sealed container on the counter for up to 3 days.
If you want to keep them longer and/or if you used a refrigerated peanut butter, you’ll want to keep these in the fridge or freezer.
I liked keeping them in the freezer (if only because it slowed down on my snacking), but it also meant we could keep them on hand much longer – at least a few weeks!
Homemade Cracker Recipes
RITZ PEANUT BUTTER CRACKERS
Ingredients
Butter Crackers
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cubed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil*
- ⅔ cup water
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- ½ teaspoons salt
Peanut Butter Cracker Sandwiches
- peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Pulse flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in food processor. Add half of cubed cold butter. Pulse to combine. Add remaining butter. Pulse to combine. Add oil. Pulse to combine. Slowly add water to flour mixture until dough forms ball and pulls away from sides. Mine took a little less than ⅔ Cup. Divide dough in three balls.
- Lay out parchment paper on flat surface. Sprinkle with flour. Roll out ball of dough to less than ¼-inch thick. Transfer flat dough on parchment paper to baking sheet. Cut out desired shapes. Use a fork for holes in dough (helps with even cooking). Roll tines of fork across cracker for easier removal. Pull excess dough away from crackers (see photo).
- Bake in oven for 11-13 minutes until beginning to brown.
- Meanwhile, melt 2 Tablespoons butter. Combine with ½ teaspoon salt in flat baking dish. Remove crackers from oven. Immediately transfer crackers to buttery pan. Gently stir crackers in salty butter. Repeat with remaining dough.
- When crackers have cooled, spoon roughly ½ teaspoon peanut butter on half of the crackers. Top with second cracker.
Can I use natural peanut butter? Will it make it soggy? Thanks!
Hi Courtney! You can use natural peanut butter, but the ‘sandwiches’ are likely going to slide around a bit. We keep our natural peanut butter in the fridge for the right consistency, so the ritz would hold together well like we’re all used to. The flavors wold be delicious, however!
This dough was an absolute dream to work with. Came together in the food processor very quickly. I only used a little more than 1/3 of a cup of water. It rolled out beautifully and did not stick. I would definitely make these again. I would like to know if you have a recipe for a cheese filling instead of the peanut butter
Hi Janis! I’m so happy you loved the recipe. i don’t have a recipe for that Ritz cheese filling. I can’t even quickly think how you’d get that dry cheese consistency. When I first read your comment, my mind went to a kind of whipped goat cheese in the middle, but that’s certainly nothing like the original. I wish I was more help here! xo Luci
Can you use coconut oil instead of olive oil?
Hi Jen. I haven’t tried it with coconut oil. I think the flavor might change a bit. Also, the olive or vegetable oil are liquid in consistency, so summertime coconut oil would probably be better (i.e. melty)! Let me know if you try it and how it goes!
What do you count as one serving?
You should get about 36 sandwiches. Mine were a bit bigger than the “real” ones because of the size of cutter I used.
These are so good! Loved how easy they are to make and even easier to snack on!
Homemade is the way to go! This copycat ritz recipe is spot on!
So fun! I would love to make these with my nephews sometime.
Whether as a quick snack or a party appetizer, these crackers are sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Kudos for sharing this simple yet incredibly delicious recipe that has now become a staple in my snack repertoire
These crackers look amazingly delicious. Thanks for sharing.
I like the idea of making mini crackers like these, quite different to what we have in the UK but wow, that seems like an awful lot of salt… 2tsp? Is that correct?
Hi Belinda! They are a fun snack. I tend to like things saltier, so this may be more than you’d want to add for preference (there was certainly salted, melted butter leftover). Start with 1/2 teaspoon in the melted butter and go from there! It can also depend on whether you’re using salted or unsalted peanut butter. It’s all about finding that right balance for you!
I need clarification on the melted butter. It says 6 tablespoons melted butter in the ingredient list, but in the recipe it only calls for 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
Hi Sarah, You’ll use 2 tablespoons of melted butter per baking sheet batch. Each “batch” will use about 1/3 of the dough. When each pan comes out of the oven, roll in 2T of melted butter and then repeat the process again for the remaining dough.
xo
Luci