Blue Ribbon Batter

After one crunchy bite, you might just hear arcade music and catch a whiff of cotton candy in the air… Everyone loves fried pickles and cheese sticks (to dunk in creamy ranch dressing or marinara sauce). So, we decided to make a Crispy Coating that makes it easy to savor the festive, crave-worthy goodness of carnival (and sports bar) snacks at home.

Serve 'em Hot

• Fry
• Air Fry
• Bake

Batter Up

• Fried Pickles
• Cheese Sticks
• Sliced Green Tomatoes
• Deviled Eggs
• Macaroni & Cheese Bites
• Jalapeno Poppers
• Whatever your inner carnie desires!

Recipe

Shopping List

• Approx 2 1/2 cups dill pickles slices or 18 cheese sticks
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg

Prep

1. Slice pickles into 1/2-inch rounds or cheese into 3-inch sticks, and then pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Place the dry mix in a separate bowl.
3. Working in batches, use one hand to dip the pickles or cheese sticks into the buttermilk mixture, allowing excess liquid to drain, then use your other hand to roll in the dry mix until well coated; repeat process, giving pickles and cheese a second dip in the wet and dry mixture.

Cook

• Fry the pickles or cheese sticks in 350°F vegetable oil until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Using a spider or tongs, transfer to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining batches of pickles (or cheese). Serve the pickles and cheese sticks hot with your favorite condiments (may we suggest marinara sauce and ranch dressing?).
• Bake pickles or cheese sticks at 425°F; coat the baking sheet and top surface of pickles and/or cheese sticks with spray oil before cooking. Flip after 5 minutes, and spray again with oil before cooking 5 more minutes.
• Air Fry pickles or cheese sticks at 350°F; coat the cooking surface and food with spray oil before Air Frying for 5 minutes. Flip the pickles and/or cheese, and spray again with oil before Air Frying an additional 5 minutes.

Kick it Up A Notch: Dunk the crispy pickles and cheese sticks with our recipe for Rodeo Ranch Dressing.