Cracker Jack has enjoyed an all-American reputation as the iconic snack of the national pastime for more than a century.
“Buy me peanuts and Cracker Jack/I don’t care if I ever come back,” is one of the choruses of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
This iconic tune, written in 1908, is traditionally sung during the seventh inning of baseball games. It is loved by generations of Americans.
THE “BEER OF MARS” WAS EVER LUBRICATING THE FAMOUS MUNICH AUTUMN FESTIVAL, NOW FOUND YEAR ROUND ONLY IN THE USA
But the appeal of baseball and Cracker Jack Stadium is international.
“You have salty, sweet and crunchy in one bite,” enthused French-Canadian recipe expert Francine Lizotte to Fox News Digital, describing the mix of popcorn and peanuts cooked with molasses.
Cracker Jack is a sweet, salty and crunchy snack loved by children and easy to prepare at home, explains Francine Lizotte, editor of Club Foody. (Francine Lizotte/ClubFoody.com)
Lizotte is the publisher of ClubFoody.com. She was born in Montreal, Quebec and now lives 3,000 miles away in Vancouver, British Columbia.
She considers baseball her favorite sport and Cracker Jack her favorite snack at the stadium and at home.
The Toronto Blue Jays – Canada's only Major League Baseball club – are Lizotte's favorite baseball team.
“You should see every time the Blue Jays play in Seattle,” she said. “It’s a sea of blue inside the stadium because people from Vancouver are turning out to support them.”
Cooper Hertz, 3, digs through a Cracker Jack package at a Colorado Rockies baseball game, 2007. (Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
America's iconic snack has its own international heritage.
This sweet and savory dessert was created in Chicago by German immigrant Frederick William Rueckheim in the late 1800s.
He gained his famous name Cracker Jack in 1896.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, FEBRUARY 19, 1912, CRACKER JACK’S “PRICE IN EVERY BOX” BEGAN
“The phrase 'cracker jack,' meaning excellent, was applied to baseball players long before the invention of candy,” John Thorn, the official historian of Major League Baseball, told Fox News Digital.
Baseball players' cards were often buried as rewards in cans of candied peanuts and popcorn.
Marjorie Adams is the great-granddaughter of Daniel “Doc” Adams, known by some as the “real father of baseball.” (Roger Ratzenberger/DocAdamsBaseball.org)
However, why Cracker Jack became a rough sensation is largely unknown, Thorn said.
Whatever the reason, Cracker Jack gained enough popularity in 1908 to be mentioned in the rough anthem “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” written in New York by Tin Pan Alley songwriters Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer.
Lizotte dreams of someone retiring with her husband and visiting every Major League Baseball park.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
But for now, she's content to make Cracker Jack at home whenever she needs a rough dose of flavor and tradition.
“It’s perfect for movie night and with kids,” Lizotte said.
Advertisement for baseball cards included in boxes of Cracker Jack, “the famous popcorn confection”, 1914. (Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images)
Cracker Jack recipe to make at home
Ingredients (for 8 people)
14 cups popcorn, with unpopped kernels discarded
2½ cups roasted peanuts
1/4 cup unflavored oil (canola, grapeseed)
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1½ cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
3 tablespoons of molasses
1/2 tablespoon ground sea salt, divided and to taste
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Francine Lizotte of Vancouver, British Columbia, is the publisher of ClubFoody.com and an avid baseball and Cracker Jack fan. (Francine Lizotte/ClubFoody.com)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Combine popcorn and peanuts in a large bowl (or two). Stir and set aside.
Grease two large baking sheets with oil. Put aside.
Combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses, and ⅓ teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter and sugar are melted.
Attach a candy thermometer. Simmer over low heat, undisturbed, until the temperature reaches 250 degrees F, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Remove from fire. Stir in vanilla and baking soda.
Immediately pour over the popcorn-peanut mixture. Stir to coat evenly.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Divide the popcorn mixture between the two prepared baking sheets and spread it out evenly in a single layer. Sprinkle salt on top.
Bake until mixture begins to dry out, about 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow popcorn and peanuts to cool completely, about 2 minutes.
Pour into a bowl or bucket and serve.
For more lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.