Cheese Crackers

We are a cracker family.  I would say we can go through at least 7 sleeves of saltines a week - hey it is something the Stinks will eat so we don't argue too much!  Cheez-its are always a good "fall back" food when you want something salty yet not too grease.

When I came across a recipe for goldfish crackers I decided to try my hand at adapting it to taste like cheez-its.  Now I am posting this recipe after only making it once, so you will have to excuse the "I think I will do this/that next time" comments.  They were just so yummy out of the oven that I had to share before I recreated!

Cheese Crackers

• 1 c Flour
• 4 T Butter or Margarine
• 8 oz Cheddar Cheese, shredded*
• 2 - 2 1/2 T Water, cold
• 1-2 t Salt

1. If you are using a cheese block, be sure to shred the cheese.  Combine cheese, flour, and butter in your food processor and pulse until mixed.  
2. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until a dough consistency can be formed.  Knead the dough on the counter a few times to bring it together.
3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  
4. Preheat your oven to 350 F and lined cookie sheets with parchment paper.
5. Roll out the dough into a THIN sheet.  Cut out the cracker shapes you desire and place them on the paper-lined sheets.  Repeat this process until all the dough it used.
6. Sprinkle the salt over the unbaked crackers.  
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes - the longer you bake them the crispier they are, however be careful not to burn the bottoms.  If you would like to bake longer than 20 minutes I suggest you flip the crackers to keep the bottoms from burning.
8. ENJOY!

*I used a reduced fat block of cheese that I shredded in the food processor prior to adding the flour and butter.  It worked out VERY well.


I have never had a warm cheez-it before and I have to say these were delicious!  The things I will do differently next time are as follows:

1. I will roll my dough a lot thinner.  The crackers don't expand, but they puff up quite a bit if the dough is thick.  Which takes away from the crunch.  Next time I will go for paper thin crackers.
2. I will try adding the salt directly into the dough instead of sprinkling it on top.  I think that will give the dough a nicer all around salty flavor without catching some that are too salty and others that have none.
3. I will cut out FUN SHAPES!

Seeing everyone will cut out different size and shaped crackers I can't give you a calorie count for yours.  I can say that I rolled out 120 crackers with this recipe.  The total recipe is about 1200 calories - please keep in mind that these are fairly thick!

All in all this is definitely something I will be making again.  I am already picturing all the different types of cheeses I want to try!