When annual Sunflower State celebrations roll around each January 29th, Kansans arrive hungry for more than just historical insights and “Wizard of Oz” movie rewatches. Kansas Day calls for epic homegrown flavor conveying what makes the 34th state’s culinary scene special from milk and honey flowing central Plains farms to Santa Fe Trail-influenced Southwest fusion.
Luckily we’ve rounded up the ultimate game day menu from wholesome dips to nostalgic sweets befitting official state mottos. So take a tasty tour across the amber waves ahead to discover 10 iconic snacks saluting the past and future promising to make Kansas swell with pride.
Kansas Day Snack Ideas
| Category | Dishes |
|---|---|
| Savory bites | Sunflower cheese ball dip, wheat berry sliders, sun-dried tomato hummus |
| Sweet treats | Emerald City lime pie, wheat stalk wedding cookie pops, sunflower cake balls |
| Drinks | Ruby red slipper sangria, sunflower sunset punch, wheat grass limeades |
| Trail mixes/popcorn | Sunflower trail mix, tomato basil crackers, pizza popcorn |
| Cookies | Haystack candy clusters, brown sugar puff pinwheels, buffalo chip cookies |
| Sandwiches/pies | Sunflower crunch wraps, black bean veggie burgers, chicken pot pies |
| Breads | Sweet cream banana, monster granola bars, sunflower dinner rolls |
| Nostalgic sodas | Black squirrel cream soda, honey creek root beer, orange Nehi |
| Sheet cakes | Sunflower, red velvet with slippers, pumpkin spice toffee |
Savory Bites: Seasonings Greetings
Kickoff Kansas Day noshing with hearty appetizers guaranteed to score smiles at any Sunflower State house party.
Sunburst Cheesy Sunflower Dip
- Ingredients: Sour cream, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, Worcestershire sauce, sunflower seeds, assorted crackers & veggies
- Instructions: Blend the first 5 ingredients until smooth; fold in seeds. Chill for 2+ hours so flavours meld, then transfer to the hollowed bread bowl. Sprinkle extra seeds & paprika around the rim. Surround with crackers and crisp veggies for scooping taller than a sorghum stalk.
Wheat Berry Sliders with Sweet n’ Smoky BBQ Sauce
- Ingredients: Cooked wheat berries, onion, bell pepper, spinach, slider buns, BBQ sauce
- Instructions: Sauté veggie mixture in olive oil. Fold in cooled wheat berries with a touch of BBQ sauce. Pile onto mini toasted buns and slather more sauce atop.
Sun-Dried Tomato & Black Bean Hummus
- Ingredients: Chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, black beans, chilli powder, sea salt
- Instructions: Purée first 5 ingredients in a food processor into a smooth dip perfect for swiping with homemade seasoned pita chips or fresh-cut vegetables. Garnish with paprika.
Sunburst Cheesy Sunflower Dip surrounded by crackers conveys Kansas flair. Customize any party dip bowl with decals celebrating state pride.
Pairing beer bread, hearty dips and seasonal finger foods makes Super Bowl Sunday a top Kansas pastime. But our Jayhawk State munchie repertoire stretches far beyond spicy chicken wings.
Sweet Sunflower State Confection Creations
Balance game day grub guts with sweet Kansas confections reflecting beloved local lore.
Oz-some Emerald City Lime Pie
- Ingredients: Graham cracker crust, sweetened condensed milk, lime juice + zest, whipped cream, green food coloring
- Instructions: Mix first 4 ingredients for filling, adding coloring until vibrant light green. Pour into crust, chill minimum 2 hours. Pipe fluffy whipped cream topping and garnish with lime twist curls.
Wheat Stalk Wedding Cookie Pops
- Ingredients: Sugar cookie dough, white chocolate, green candy melts, lollipop sticks
- Instructions: Cut rolled dough into wheat stalk shapes. Half should be tall, the other half wider “vase” bases. Bake until lightly golden, and cool completely. Dip wheat tops in green candy coating; dip vase bottoms in white chocolate. Attach pairs together while the chocolate is still soft. Insert sticks at the base.
Sunflower Cake Ball Bouquet
- Ingredients: Box yellow cake mix baked per instructions, vanilla frosting, candy melts, lollipop sticks, ribbon
- Instructions: Crumble the cooled cake into a large bowl. Add a generous frosting amount and mix thoroughly forming a dough shape. Roll dough by tablespoonfuls into balls. Dip balls in yellow candy coating; place a lollipop stick into each right after. Tie ribbon around sticks to finish bright edible arrangements.
Wheat Stalk Wedding Cookie Pops celebrate Kansas agriculture while showcasing cookie art skills with their handmade quality.
Thirst-Quenching Kansas Day Beverages
Stay hydrated while heralding beloved state symbols and stories by sipping nostalgic Sunflower State-themed potions.
Dorothy’s Ruby Red Slipper Sangria
- Ingredients: Red wine, orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, sliced oranges, strawberries, raspberries
- Instructions: Combine liquid ingredients in a pitcher. Add generous fresh fruit slices/berries and refrigerate overnight so flavours infuse. When ready to serve, add sliced fruit into glasses and slowly top with infused wine mixture. Finish a dollop of frothy blood orange Italian soda over the sangria surface. Enjoy semi-sweet scarlet sensations.
**Sunflower Sunset Punch **
- Ingredients: Orange juice, pineapple juice, grenadine syrup, lemon-lime soda
- Instructions: Fill the glass halfway with OJ, top with equal parts pineapple juice then swirl in grenadine letting it gradually blend for an ombre effect to resemble a Kansas horizon at golden hour. Top off with lemon-lime soda and serve over ice garnished with orange slices.
Wheat Grass Sparkling Limeades
- Ingredients: Fresh squeezed lime juice, agave nectar/simple syrup, wheat grass powder, sparkling water
- Instructions: Mix sweetener of choice with lime juice to taste. Add a heaping scoop of wheatgrass powder and stir briskly to dissolve. Pour over ice, top with bubbly soda water and garnish glasses with curled lime wheels or fresh blueberries.
Savoury Sunflower Snacks
Beyond party dips and hors d’oeuvres, creative Sunflower State snacks incorporating iconic ingredients make quick anytime bites.
Sunflower Trail Mix Clusters
Roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, peanuts, semisweet chocolate chunks and pure Kansas honey hold endless energy to fuel frontier adventures. Customize clusters by mixing in dried fruits like cherries or cranberries.
Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Wheat Crackers Stretch hearty dough mixing cracked wheat kernels and white flour then knead in tangy oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes and fragrant basil pesto before slicing rolled sheets and baking until crisp.
Pizza Poppin’ Popcorn
Jazz up plain popcorn by drizzling with olive oil whisked with Italian herbs seasoning, shredded parmesan cheese and squirts of pizza sauce for added zing. Shake or stir to distribute savoury coating.
Nostalgic Old-Fashioned Cookie Jar Treats
No Kansas kitchen is complete without an overflowing vintage cookie jar perpetually ready to comfort sweet tooths.
Toasted Coconut Haystack Candy Cookies
Sweetened condensed milk combines with butter, rolled oats and toasted coconut flakes heating until thickened mix resembling stacked hay mounds. Scoop by tablespoons onto waxed paper, and allow cooling. Devour chewy rural confections.
Brown Sugar Prairie Puff Pastry Pinwheels
Buttery sheets of frozen puff pastry dough brushed with a mixture of soft butter, brown sugar and cinnamon before tightly rolling up. Chilled logs slice into spiraled half-inch segments conveying the laidback charm of Kansas countryside vistas, baked until golden brown.
Double Fudge Buffalo Chip Cookies
Pecans roasted with butter, brown sugar and Cayenne pepper mix into thick, chewy chocolate cookie dough studded with extra dark chocolate chunks evoking hearty High Plains trail cuisine around the nightly chuckwagon campfires.
Handheld Heartland Sandwiches & Savory Pies
What’s comfort food without hearty homegrown sandwiches for lunchboxes or open prairie picnics?
Sunflower Crunch Wrap Supreme
Toasty garlic tortillas cradle Mexican rice, black beans, shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and sunflower seed butter for max protein crunch.
Sorghum Glazed Black Bean Veggie Burger Slider
Puréed black beans and roasted eggplant bulk-up balanced veggie patties slathered in sweet amber sorghum syrup shining like Sunflower State inspiration under bright blue skies.
Chicken & Biscuit Pot Pie
Velvety chicken gravy chunky with sweet corn, carrots and peas fills fluffy baked biscuit bowls—the ultimate soulful sophistication capped with golden crispy lattice top crusts.
Nostalgic Old-Fashioned Cookie Jar Treats
Beyond ever-popular chocolate chip, peanut butter and iced cut-out cookie staples, what oddball old-timey biscuit and bread speciality speaks to your Kansas roots?
Sweet Cream Banana Bread Extra ripe speckled bananas mashed with brown sugar eggs, nutty wheat germ oil and buttermilk lightly sweetened by molasses for maximum rustic flavour. The toothsome quick bread sliced thick makes a hearty heritage breakfast with cream cheese shmear. But grab a secret second slice to stash in the pocket of your overalls for prairie adventures.
**Monster Cookie Granola Bars ** Colossal oats, peanut butter, M&Ms, raisins and chocolate chips pack these supersized granola bars filling Baker’s boxes statewide since the 1970s. They make the ultimate old-school brown bag treat.
Sunflower Dinner Rolls
Yeasty golden spirals brushed in melted honey butter will have the whole threshing crew later licking more than corn kernels from their whiskers once slices reveal delicate webbing inside concealing pockets of glorious melted sunshine.
Sunny Drink Ideas
Since 1887 when Doc Brown first mixed fizzy elixirs in Waco drugstore fountains, Kansas quenched thirst with flagship soda brands like Cheerwine, Moxie and Route 66 Pop. But lesser-known artisan options brew regional pride.
Black Squirrel Soda
This effervescent nutty-vanilla cream soda bottled in Marysville spots playful black fox squirrels scampering their Kansas State University campus sanctuary.
Honey Creek Root Beer
Smooth sippers handcrafted in quaint Haven tout subtle orange and liquorice botanic notes after bubble percolation magic melds premium Kansas honey and vanilla for balanced backbone sweetness.
Orange Nehi
Beloved grapefruit-orange citrus soda first bottled in Kansas dispensaries over 90 years ago still refreshes special occasion memories statewide with fizzy nostalgia.
Old Fashioned sodas like orange cream or black cherry remain favourite speciality soda options statewide for toasting Kansas Day.
Bright flavoured bubbly beverages balance hearty Sunflower State snacks. But no Kansas Day feast is complete without slabs of scrumptious sheet cakeWide pan confections feed whole homesteading harvest crews.
Sweet Sheet Cake Creations
Sunflower Sheet Cake
Moist white or golden base ices simply with tangy cream cheese frosting tinted vibrant yellow. Scatter dark chocolate morsels across the expanse to mimic cheerful ray-soaked sunflower faces.
Ruby Red Velvet Sheet Cake
Bright crimson red cake layers spread with silky white frosting then edged in ruby red candy melts with gel accents conjure Dorothy’s enchanted poppy fields and sparkling slippers transporting her back home again.
Pumpkin Spice Toffee Sheet Cake
Fall flavours spice up sunny January fetes with aromatic nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and ginger dancing among real pumpkin cake puree, crunchy Heath toffee bits and plenty of Cadbury milk chocolate chunks gracing the decadent sprawling caramel swirl iced confection.
No Kansas Day cuisine capsule feels complete without honoring the beloved Wizard of Oz ruby slipper imagery atop Velvet Sheet Cake.
The Feast is Not Over in Kansas
From jalapeno popper dip platters through nostalgic wheat stalk wedding cookie pops plus farm fresh sunflower sheet cakes, our whirlwind Kansas Day tasting tour proves America’s breadbasket overflows with iconic eats from Amber waves of grain baked into comforting homestead classics inventively reinvented for modern country cooks carrying traditions forward.
This roundup of savoury and sweet Sunflower State snacks immerses visitors in what sets the cuisine apart. It makes the quintessential game day grub and comforting farmhouse fare perfect for cosying in when cool winter wind gusts sweep the Plains. Or packing in picnic baskets venturing out exploring majestic native prairies under sunny bluebird skies.
Hopefully, this extensive Kanas Day snack and drinks highlight reel whets appetites coast-to-coast to salute a state seldom celebrated enough. But after just a small sample of everything quintessentially delicious and distinctive, everyone will crave a return to those ruby red slippers transporting lucky food pilgrims over proverbial rainbows back to this Land of Ahs time and again.
