Homemade Crispy Cheese Crackers

My favorite snack is cheese crackers. I love them. Once or twice a year I get to get away by myself to rest and catch up on work for a day. My friends will ask what kind of wine I’m taking and I quickly respond that I don’t need any wine, just a box of Cheez Its.

The cracker dough comes together quickly in the food processor. I tested several ways of rolling out the dough and found that the crispiest crackers came from the dough that was chilled before rolling. It is also important to roll the dough very thin. This recipe almost fills 2 cookie sheets. I rolled it in one sheet and it was too thick, the crackers were gummy and not crisp.

Crispy Cheese Crackers

8 oz Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

5 Tablespoons Butter, softened slightly

1 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour

1/8 teaspoon Onion Powder

1/4 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt

Pinch of Cayenne

Directions

Add all ingredients to a food processor. Process 1-2 minutes until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap and divide into to parts. Shape each half of the dough into a rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once the dough is chilled, work with one block at a time. Place the dough on a silicone baking mat or a piece of parchment paper. (I prefer to use a silicone mat, but parchment will work.) Roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut the dough into 1 inch squares and use the back of a bamboo skewer to poke a hole in the center of each square.

Transfer the silicone mat or parchment to a baking sheet and bake for 16-18 minutes. The crackers should be slightly brown on the edges. Let the sheet of crackers cool and repeat with the second block of dough.

Once the sheet of crackers have cooled, break apart the squares to form individual crackers. They should snap apart very easily. The crackers will keep in an air tight container for up to a week. (But I have never been able to keep them around that long. They are just too tasty!)