How about spicy crackers, cookie dough or boiled peanut dip for your dad’s special day?
Hot crackers
Sherman Vanatta’s family recipe from Tennessee for spicy seasoned crackers was a longtime favorite at get-togethers. When Vanatta retired in 2019, he and his family launched Sherman’s Tennessee Hot Crackers. There are five flavors: original, sour cream and onion, garlic Parmesan, white cheddar and fiesta, which features Southwestern seasonings. Our taste testers enjoyed them straight out of the bag, but if there are any left over, the Vanattas suggest crumbling them to use as a topping for chili or casseroles, or crushing them to coat fried chicken or onion rings.
$7.99 per 6-ounce bag. Available at shermanstennesseehotcrackers.com.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Cookie dough
Erik Fraser of Atlanta-based Coco & Chip Cookie Dough spent years developing his recipe for frozen cookie dough that would result in a crisp exterior and soft interior. Fraser started with the classic chocolate chunk cookie that our taste testers loved, then developed a cake batter cookie dough and his bestselling toasted coconut toffee cookie dough. Stash the bags in the freezer and then Dad can bake one, two or a dozen cookies whenever the impulse strikes. Each package contains a packet of flaky sea salt to sprinkle on the cookies after they come out of the oven, so each sweet cookie gets a salty finish.
$18 per bag of 12 dough balls. Local delivery available within 10 miles of downtown Atlanta. Order at cocoandchipdough.com. Also available at Lucy’s Market, Casseroles and A Peach of a Party.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Boiled peanut dip
Mike McAndrew grew up in Pensacola, Florida, where no trip to the beach was complete without a bag of boiled peanuts. When he moved to San Antonio, Texas, he discovered the folks there didn’t know about boiled peanuts and turned up their noses at the texture. But when he used his boiled peanuts to make a dip, the response changed. Naming the company Lil Red’s after his two red-haired children, he began selling at farmers markets, starting with a dip flavored with smoked bell pepper and then adding cilantro jalapeno and lemon dill flavors. Dad can enjoy these in all the same ways he enjoys hummus, but McAndrew said the dips also make great sandwich spreads. In 2023, he was a runner-up in Garden & Gun’s Made in the South Awards.
$23.99 per two-pack of 11-ounce jars or $32.99 per pack of all three flavors. Available at lilredsboiledpeanuts.com.
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