You may not believe me, but my oldest nephew is the pickiest eater alive.  He follows no eating norms of a 3 year old.  I have recently taken up a personal quest to give him healthier alternatives to what he does eat.  When I stumbled upon a recipe for homemade cheese crackers from A Cozy Kitchen I figured it was worth a shot.  He loves his goldfish, so I only assume that transfers to crackers.  We shall see.

 

Homemade Cheese Crackers (adapted from A Cozy Kitchen)
yields about  50-60 crackers

  • 1 1/2 cups(6 oz.) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 4 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter, cut into 1 tbsp pieces
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon half-and-half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a food processor(or bowl with hand mixer), combine the cheese, butter, flour, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Pulse once.  Add the half-and-half and mix until dough forms a cohesive ball, no more than 20 seconds.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rough square or rectangle about 1/8-1/16″ thick.  You can choose to roll out multiple squares/rectangles, or make one large rectangle.  Thickness depends on how you like your crackers. With a pastry wheel(or crinkle cutter) trim off the sides to make four straight edges.  Next, cut the dough into 1  by 1-inch squares with pastry wheel.  Using any kitchen tool you have available, make a small hole in each cracker.  Gently use a spatula to move crackers onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of coarse salt evenly over cracker dough.

Bake the crackers for 12-15 minutes, edges will be just starting to brown.  Place baking sheet on a cooling rack and allow crackers to cool for 10-15 minutes. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!

  • 1 1/2 cups(6 oz.) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 4 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter, cut into 1 tbsp pieces
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon half-and-half