A few weeks ago we had a lovely little discussion on the blog about organic cheddar bunnies. So after making my feelings clear about those crackers, what better thing to do than offer an alternative? After that discussion a few people sent me a link to homemade “goldfish” crackers. I tried the recipe (with several modifications) and while the outcome
tasted good the process of rolling out the dough took some time and made a huge mess. As a busy mom I am a big fan of shortcuts so the goldfish recipe inspired me to come up with these easy cheesy crackers. Making your own “crackers” from scratch sounds like such a daunting task, but trust me…this recipe is ridiculously easy!
Of course if you make this “easy” version you end up with round crackers as opposed to fun little shapes, but the last time I checked my daughters didn’t discriminate against a circle. They were too busy gobbling up these crackers and asking for more to even think about what shape they were eating. And these are by no means just for kids. There are so many ways to get creative, which would surely impress any adult as well. Before baking experiment with adding some of these spices to the dough: black and red pepper, fresh or dried rosemary, diced olives, or jalapeños. Or instead of mixing in herbs and spices, just top off the baked cheese crackers with something fun like pesto and grape tomatoes (just like we did for our dinner club last year). No matter what you end up doing have fun with it and enjoy!
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into tablespoon size chunks
- 4 oz. or 1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese…the sharper the cheese the cheesier the crackers
(Yep, that’s it…only 3 simple ingredients!)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine all three ingredients in a food processor and blend. The mixture will eventually turn into one big ball chasing itself around the bowl. Be patient because it can take a few minutes.
- Roll the ball into a log about 1 ½” in diameter. At this point you could refrigerate the dough until later.
- With a sharp knife slice ¼” thick pieces off the log (pictured above) and place each one flat on an ungreased baking sheet. Try to rotate which side you are cutting down on because the top of the log does start to flatten a little. It is like your very own homemade slice and bake!
- If you want your crackers to look a little fancy (as pictured above) take a fork and gently mash down the top of each one before baking.
- Bake for 8 – 14 minutes or until golden brown. The thicker the crackers the longer it will take.
These crackers can be stored in the freezer so double the recipe and save some for later!
Entered on Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday
[...] am I so tired? I helped my sister paint her bathroom, went on a 5-mile run, made these crackers, went out to dinner with my family to celebrate my brother-in-law’s birthday, ran to Whole [...]
when making a double batch, do you freeze as log or after baked as crackers?
Hi Jodi. It is more convenient to freeze them after they are baked but you could try to freeze the log. Let us know how it goes if you do. ~Amy
How long will these stay fresh after baking? They are so yummy. Bye bye cheddar bunnies
Hi Miriam. You can keep them in a sealed container for a little less than a week. You can always freeze them. ~Amy
I was hoping my girls would like these but they did not. Mine turned out kind of gritty and sandy like which is probably why they didnt’ like it. Any idea?
Hi Misti. One reader suggested making sure to not use a low moisture cheese. I have made these using white whole wheat flour and I would not have described them as gritty. Maybe give that a try? ~Amy
Thank you. THis worked. Turned out much better this time
I have eliminated butter from diet…could you make these crackers using coconut oil instead?
Hello Belinda. I don’t see why not. Try it and let us know how it works. ~Amy
Food processor broke, I used my kitchenaid mixer. It took a couple splashes of water to make it dough like. I also should have sprayed the bottom of my pan. They are not the tastiest, but we will see if they work in a hungry pinch.
I’ve scanned through a few pages worth of comments, but couldn’t find what I was looking for. What would you say a serving size is? I can eat these all day. They are so delicious. Knowing what a serving size is might help me with my self control. Also, I made them with a bit of left over havarti and bleu cheese with a dash of hot sauce. My new go to recipe for cheese that is about to go.
Hi Tami. This post might help: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/23/portion-size-matters/. ~Amy
Mine turned out kind of soft, not so much like a cracker. My two yr old didn’t like them but my one yr old and my husband do. Why do you think they are smushy?
Hello Amber. Could you have gone a bit heavy on the cheese? I have gone heavy on the cheese twice, per my kid’s request, and they definitely turned out less crunchy…but really good.
Maybe give it another try? Also, be sure your butter is cold. ~Amy
These were MUCH easier to make than I expected. My son helped me run the food processor and then he placed them on the cookie sheet as I cut them. I cut them as thinly as I could, and they took about 12 minutes to bake. I used regular whole wheat flour and they turned out great. Next time I might try the white whole wheat.
These are fantastic!! I know my kids will love them. Off subject, my son is allergic to nuts and plain eggs and I see a lot of your recipes include those. Do you have an alternative suggestion to peanut butter (say in the pb&j smoothie?) Thank you~ Beth
Beth- Chiming in here…I just bought Sunbutter {sunflower seed butter}, my daughter prefers it to peanut butter & so do I!
I just made these & followed the recipe exactly. A few tips: I had to blend it in the processor for quite sometime{several minutes}before the dough stuck together & was no longer crumbly.
A few additions I made:
-Rolled the dough out on a cutting board{placed saran wrap between dough & rolling pin} and used these super small food cutters to make dime sized hearts & stars {like the kind used in Japanese cooking think “cute carrots}, that I bought off Amazon for less than $3. They are so cute!
-Sprayed them with a light coating of olive oil and then sprinkled onion salt on top {onion powder is what they put on goldfish}. This added that extra flavor & they are the perfect size for my 2yr old.
I think I will try garlic powder, seasoning salt, Italian herbs…the list is endless to make them more savory!
I just made these today. There should be a warning with the recipe because they are so delicious, they are dangerous! I stored them in the freezer just so I wouldn’t be tempted to over-snack. My toddler and husband really liked them too. I do have to say, they are more like cheese straws than crackers.