Cheese Crackers

There is a long list of foods that I would never have even thought could be made at home. Things like cereal, Doritos (how I wish there was a healthy homemade version!), and crackers. Crackers are something that I never would have tried to make, but when you see the list of ingredients it really makes sense to make them at home, so easy! These crackers taste like a cross between a Goldfish cracker and a Cheez-it. Mine came out looking a little bit like croutons, I think the trick is to get the dough super super thin before baking as they rise a lot. That being said, even as little croutons they were crunchy and cheesy, easy to eat an entire bowl without thinking.

Cheese Crackers
from CountryLiving.com

1 c. all-purpose flour
8 oz. grated cheddar cheese ( I used sharp cheddar)
4 tbl. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

In a food processor pulse together the flour, cheese, butter, salt, and pepper until the mixtures looks like coarse meal. Then, add water one tablespoon at a time while pulsing until the dough forms a ball and rides on the blade. The recipe called for 3-4 tbl, but I ended up with 5 1/2 tbl at the end of it, just keep pulsing until it forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 20 minutes.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough to about 1/8 inch (I'll be honest, I have no idea how thick this is, and I wasn't about to go rummage to find a ruler, just make sure it's as thin as you can get it.) Cut the dough into whatever shape you want and however big of crackers you'd like. I'm sure there are some pretty spectacular cookie cutters out there just for this. Keep in mind that if you cut them real small (like goldfish) you'll have to cut each individual one, in my mind that would have taken 100 years so I just used a pizza cutter.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden and crispy. Make sure to really watch these near the end as they are really easy to overcook!

-D