Homemade Cheese It Crackers

I decided today to make cheese crackers which have been on my list for a long time.  I really wanted to make cookies but I knew that I was destined to eat half of the cookie dough so I decided that crackers were a much safer bet!  I told my mom that I made crackers and she said that I was a little over the top.

I don't know what was holding me back for so long because these were easy to make.  I am not the best at my cheese grating skills (and have been known to grate my nail or finger) but luckily I was able to grate the block of cheese without a problem.

It made a really thick dough which came together really easily.  Mixing the cheese with the butter and shortening.  Then, adding the flour.  Lastly, we added 2 tbsp of water and the dough was quick to form.

I put together all the dough and patted it into two small discs.  Then, I left it in the fridge to cool.  I didn't have plastic wrap so I wrapped the bottom one in non stick aluminum foil and then put the other on top and put them in a sealed container.

Afterwards, I took the dough out and rolled it out with a rolling pin on parchment paper.  I would have done it on the silpat but I was making rolls at the same time and they were on the silpats.  I wasn't sure how thick to roll it but I went until I couldn't roll anymore.

Then, I cut the dough with my new pastry cutter.  I got it just so that I could make crackers (yup, what a horrible thing to admit to).  I know that might be another ones of those kitchen gadget addictions but it was a birthday present and anyone who knows me knows that I love to get kitchen gadgets for any holiday.  So they were happy giving it to me and I was happy to get an excuse to finally make crackers.  If you don't have a neat pastry cutter, you can use a pizza cutter or a knife but it made it so pretty.  Of course, it probably means that you won't want to make them as often because you don't have a new pastry cutter starring out of the drawer at you :)

Then, I separated out the individual crackers and put them on the parchment paper on the cookie sheet.  I used the cake tester to make little holes in the middle or you could use a toothpick.

I added a little salt to the top before they cooked so that they would be just like the store bought cheese crackers.

The final product was about 100 crackers of various sizes since I am new at the pastry cutter.  They were all equally tasty!!  Check out how pretty they are when they are all toasted and brown.

They are really light and flaky with very little work.  It was super hard to get a picture of the layers but hopefully you can see them

I really suggest that you try this recipe sometime soon when you have an extra block of cheese in your refrigerator because you will be amazed at how quickly you can have crackers from one block of cheese and just how tasty they are.  The challenge now is to make sure that you save some for your family and friends to try too!!!

Homemade Cheese It Crackers

Ingredients:

·        8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated

·        3 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, room temperature

·        1 Tablespoon vegetable shortening*

·        ½ teaspoon salt

·        1 cup flour

·        2 Tablespoons ice water

·        Coarse salt for sprinkling

* The original recipe calls for 4Tablespoons of butter. I used 1 Tablespoon of shortening to help with the crisping. Whatever method you choose just be sure to monitor those last few minutes of baking as these will burn easily. There is a very fine line between done and crisp and overdone and burnt,

Directions:

Combine cheese, butter, shortening, and salt in the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. The mixture will be crumbly.

Slowly add flour and then the ice water. You may add a few more drops of water to help it come together but be careful not to add too much. You don’t want a wet dough.

Pat the dough into 2 discs and wrap in plastic wrap (or anything else that will seal) and chill for at least 30 minutes (or longer).

Preheat oven to 375⁰F.

Using parchment paper or a silicone mat roll each disc to 1/8 inch or less and cut into 1 inch squares (a pastry wheel or pizza wheel is easiest). Use a toothpick or cake tester to punch a hole into the center of each square.

Separate and place on baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.  If you have difficulty separating and transferring the crackers onto the baking sheet return the parchment paper/mat to the refrigerator for 10 minutes.  Top each cracker with salt (if desired) before baking.

Bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until puffed and browning around the edges. If you pull them out too soon and the crackers don’t have the desired crispiness you want then simply return them to the oven for 2-3 more minutes.

Move crackers to a cooling rack. Makes about 7 dozen crackers. Store in sealed container if they last that long.

Shared on Homemade Mondays and Healthy Tuesdays and Scratch Cookin' Tuesday