Homemade Cheese Crackers
on Feb 20, 2017, Updated Jun 29, 2023
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Use a food processor to do the work to make the dough for these homemade cheese crackers. Try a blend of cheeses including cheddar, jack, Parmesan and Asiago.
Addiction is a strong word. Perhaps obsession is a more appropriate way to describe my three-year-old’s love of a particular brand of snack mix.
I can still picture him in the riding in the grocery cart when we picked it out for the first time.
He was excited about the picture and cartoons on the box with a jumble of cheddar and butter bunny crackers with pretzels, too.
To be honest, if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have bought them.
Yes, they are organic, but that’s not an endorsement of nutrition.
My son is so hooked on them that it’s a full-on emergency situation if we run out.
Even though they take more time than just opening a box, sometimes we whip up our own homemade cheese crackers from scratch.
How To Make Homemade Cheese Crackers
The food processor does the heavy lifting in this recipe.
I love making dough with my food processor.
First, pulse together the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
Then add 3-1/2 cups of shredded cheese. I like to use a mix of cheddar, jack, Parmesan and Asiago.
This is a great opportunity to use up leftover chunks of cheese you might already have in your fridge.
I can’t be the only one who’s guilty of losing track of my cheese supply and not using every last bit before it goes bad.
Along with the cheese, room temperature butter also goes into the food processor.
After pulsing, a crumbly dough will form. Mixing in a couple tablespoons of ice water will help it all come together in a dough you can roll out.
Before rolling and cutting out the crackers, it is important to let the dough chill in the fridge for a half hour.
When the dough is ready, roll it out in a rectangle and use a fluted pastry wheel or pizza cutter to cut the dough into strips.
Poke a hole in the center of each square using s skewer.
Then transfer the dough to the freezer to chill again. This helps the crackers keep their shape as they bake.
Once they are frozen, you can break the strips into squares and arrange them on two parchment paper-lined sheet pans.
Brush the crackers with an egg wash and sprinkle them with salt.
Bake the crackers until they are puffed up and golden brown.
Homemade Cheese Crackers
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for sprinkling crackers
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 7-1/2 ounces about 3-1/2 cups finely grated cheese (cheddar, jack, Parmesan, Asiago)
- 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water
- 1 large egg white lightly beaten
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine the flour, baking, powder and salt. Add the butter and cheese and pulse into a crumbly dough. Mix in 2 tablespoons of water. The dough should hold together when squeezed. If not, add up to 2 tablespoons of water.
- Divide the dough in half and pat into a rectangle. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll out one rectangle of dough at a time until it is just less than 1/8-inch thick. Using a fluted pastry wheel, cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips and then cut into perpendicular 3/4-inch-wide strips. Use a skewer to poke a hole into the center of each square. Chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Brush the frozen crackers with egg white and sprinkle with salt. Use an offset spatula to transfer them to the prepared sheet pans and carefully break them apart. Bake for 14-16 minutes until the crackers are puffed up and golden brown. If the crackers are fully frozen, they will need to be baked longer.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
