the madness of march #HoopsWithCrunch

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I love basketball!

As someone who played the sport pretty much year-round from age 10 until I graduated high school, you could say I was a wee bit obsessed. I came thisclose to convincing myself to play at the college level too. I ultimately chickened out of what I deemed too much of a commitment and ran track instead, but our intramural basketball team was awesome--four-time champs!

I found that I couldn't help but stay involved with the sport, and actually filmed the men's games for a couple of seasons. To this day, I still love watching college ball, and I definitely get into the tournaments. Last year, my fiance's family did a bracket competition, and I finished second, that grand prize of an iTunes gift card just beyond my reach (my fiance won it...).

It just doesn't make sense to watch a basketball game (or four in a row) without some easy foods on which to munch, and Cheez-It Crackers are an ideal snack for game day! Not only are they tasty straight out of the box, but they also lend themselves to many applications as an ingredient as well. Yes, you can crush them up to make a coating for chicken fingers or a topping for a casserole, but you can also bring them more front and center, like with this cheesy cheezy Cheez-It toffee.

The toffee, which is based on the fantastic recipe from my all-time most popular post, is little labor-intensive, but the pay-off is HUGE. What a delightful combination of sweet, salty, and spicy! With all Cheez-It Baked Snacks, real cheese is key, and you can taste the difference the use of real cheese makes in their products.

I know you have a Target somewhere relatively close to your home and/or workplace, so be sure to pop by and pick up some Cheez-Its for all of your munching-while-game-watching needs. Large boxes of Cheez-It products are 3 for $8 the 3rd week of February through the 1st week of April, and these products are generally found in the Signal the Seasons Savor Spot section or near the Check Lane, so be on the lookout.

Cheez-It Toffee
(printable recipe)
Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (margarine is acceptable, but not nearly as marvelous)
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 cups morsels, whether semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate, butterscotch, or peanut butter
• about 96 Cheez-It Hot and Spicy Grooves

Directions:
Stage 1:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan or a 12x17-inch cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.
Lay a flat layer of crackers out on the foil.
Measure out your morsels and set them aside.
Stage 2:
Now you're ready to melt the brown sugar and butter until a boil is reached.
Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes or until mixture is thickened and sugar is completely dissolved. It should be pretty thick, but thin enough to pour and spread on its own.
Pour this mixture over the crackers and make sure all are coated fairly evenly.
Stage 3:
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the toffee becomes completely bubbly.
After removing the pan from the oven, let it sit for 3-5 minutes and begin to set up.
Sprinkle on the chips, let them soften and melt for about 5 minutes, and then spread them into an even layer.
You can sprinkle on nuts, cracker crumbs, or whatever else floats your boat at this point.
Let cool and, if desired for expediting purposes, refrigerate until hardened.
Break into pieces the size of your choice and enjoy!

Microwave version, using the same ingredients:
Place crackers on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Microwave sugar and butter for 4 minutes. Whisk to blend. Pour over crackers and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes and continue on with recipe above.

If you love sweepstakes and winning as much as I do, you should check out the Cheez-It Munch Mania Sweepstakes. Follow Cheez-It on Twitter and Facebook for more information about all of their wonderful products!