Oven Baked Pickles (And More Recipes) For Super Bowl Snacking…

I could eat fried pickles until I burst, if they are GOOD fried pickles that is, cause I’ve had some bad ones that are greasy, soggy and/or not properly seasoned. But I really don’t like frying food in my kitchen because the odor bothers me and plus, well, we all know frying isn’t that healthy, though what doesn’t taste good fried? Anyway, I saw this recipe for oven baked pickles that supposedly tastes as good as the fried version so I decided to give it a try. I did research some other recipes for oven baked pickles and found ones that included eggs, flour, panko, bread crumbs, etc. This particular recipe uses a minimum of ingredients, with most of them being items you most likely already have on hand and are inexpensive. The original recipe came from BigOven.com but I changed it up just a bit. I add Kosher salt and black pepper to the mix and flip the pickles halfway through cooking.

Here’s both recipes, (and more,) that are perfect for Super Bowl snacking or anytime snacking.

OVEN BAKED PICKLES – (My Version)

Prep Time: 8 minutes        Cook Time: 12 minutes       Makes: approx. 85 pickle chips

Ingredients:

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 32-ounce jar hamburger dill slices *check pickle label for gluten & this dish will be gluten free.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Drain pickles and pat dry with paper towel until just slightly moist. You want them wet enough so the dry ingredients adhere.
3. Mix all the ingredients (except for pickles,) in a medium bowl.
4. Dredge pickles in cornmeal mixture, making sure you get both sides coated.
5. Spritz baking sheet with cooking spray and place pickle slices on it. Lightly spray pickles with cooking spray.
6. Bake for 12 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Here’s a pic of how the pickles look flipped and not flipped…the bottom row were all flipped halfway through the cooking time. I think it’s just a matter of preference.

How did they taste? Well, honestly not quite as fabulous as fried pickles but they were pretty darn good and I’d definitely make them again. Each slice was nice and crunchy and the seasoning was perfect. You can of course change-up the seasoning, using more or less, depending on your taste. These were spicy without being overwhelmingly hot. (And they are definitely healthier than the fried version!)

** Two of my very favorite places to order Fried Pickles at are…

In Manitou Springs, the Manitou Brewing Company http://www.manitou-brewing.com/

And in Denver, the Mercantile http://mercantiledenver.com/our-story/

Both restaurants not only have the most delicious fried pickles, but the rest of their menu’s yummy too!

For the original oven baked pickle recipe and a few other tantalizing appetizers (I haven’t tried the Chipotle Meatballs yet but they look really, really good!)…

http://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/recipes/super-bowl-appetizers-that-will-score-a-touchdown/ss-BBMTLS?ocid=iehp#image=1