Maybe it's the time of year, but We keep seeing homemade Cheez-Its crackers recipes all over the internet, including Pinterest, so We decided to give them a try.
The kids are back in school, and it's time to stock up on after-school snacks again. We'm all for everything in moderation, and that includes processed foods like packaged Cheez-It crackers, every once in a while. But the ingredient list on packaged foods continues to give me hives — mentally, and physically. So We wanted to see if We could make them with fresh ingredients of the own.
In terms of ingredients, you can't get much simpler than this — there are four ingredients total: sharp cheddar cheese, flour, butter, salt. Simple peasy.
You start by simply tossing all ingredients into a food processor. Again: simple enough. We love it!
But then, the work begins.
You form two disks with the dough and refrigerate them for about 30 minutes. Then you take them out, roll them, use a pastry wheel to cut them into cute little squares, then refrigerate them again for about 10 minutes. Maybe you're more talented (and surely more patient) than We am, but We found it difficult to roll that pastry wheel into straight lines.
You then take the cute little squares (or in the case, some squares, rectangles, and even circles — oops) out of the refrigerator and place them onto a baking sheet (We always use a Silpat on top of a perforated sheet).
Bake these homemade cheez-its at 350 degrees for about 9-11 minutes.
We would definitely make these again. We may also buy the packaged version again. The return on investment on these tasty crackers (and they are tasty) may not be worth it for most busy moms. We wouldn't do these on a weeknight after work; they're definitely a weekend project.
These homemade Cheez-Its crackers should stay fresh if kept in an airtight container for up to a week.
Happy back-to-school season, everyone!
Homemade Cheez-It Crackers
Homemade Cheez-Its Crackers
By Marlynn Schotland Prep Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 10 mins
Ingredients
- 1.5 Sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling on before baking
Instructions
- Put all four ingredients into a food processor and mix until ingredients form a ball, which takes about two minutes.
- Divide the ball into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Take dough out and place between two Silpats, Rolpats, or sheets of parchment paper. Roll the dough until it's about 1/8" flat. Remove top parchment paper/Silpat.
- Using a pastry wheel to get the cute scalloped edges (or you can use a pizza cutter for straight edges), cut dough into 1" squares.
- Place dough on the Silpat/Rolpat/parchment paper into the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to help chill the dough, which makes it easier to lift individual pieces out for baking.
- After 10 minutes, remove from the refrigerator and place individual crackers about 1/2" apart from each other on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or onto a Silpat.
- Bake for about 8-10 minutes.
