How To: Homemade Cheese Crackers

After eating exotic foods that I couldn’t pronounce and not knowing what I was pointing to on menus (see: Vietnam and Hong Kong), being back in the US of A is pretty comforting to the palate. I have made sure to eat a juicy burger covered in cheddar, gotten multiple tacos with sprinklings of cheese, and attended a football party where I brought spicy black bean dip covered in melty queso. Cheese is really what brings America together- from the dairyland to the mouths of our patriots. You can tell I missed cheese while I was in Asia.

Before I scare you all away with my patriotic rant, I have to introduce you to these pillowy, slightly crunchy crackers made with all American shredded orange-hued sharp cheddar cheese. With some whole wheat flour and sea salt, these crackers melt in your mouth and taste reminiscent to the old days of Cheez-Its (check out their ingredient list).  This recipe works for any type of hard cheese- from Manchego to Parmesan- so pick your favorite and use this recipe as a starting point.

Homemade Cheese Crackers (makes around 32 crackers) 

• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar (or another hard cheese)
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Up to 5 tablespoons water
• Optional: sea salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cut the butter into several pieces. In a food processor (or using a pastry cutter), pulse the shredded cheese, flours, butter and salt until the butter is incorporated in small pieces (see above).

Add one tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing the food processor until a shaggy dough forms (see above). You may not need the full 5 tablespoons of water. If you accidentally add too much water, just knead a bit more flour into the dough.

Scrape the dough out onto a floured surface and shape into a ball. Roll it out with plenty of extra flour to about a 1/4 of a inch thick. Form a square and cut the crackers into squares or rectangles. Poke them with a fork or a chopstick, and season them with salt and pepper if desired. Roll out any extra dough carefully so you don’t overwork it.

Move the crackers onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper using a spatula or a knife to avoid deforming the fragile and soft crackers. Bake them for around 15 minutes.

They will puff up a bit and taste delicious hot out of the oven. I recommend eating them the day they are made, but they will keep for an extra day or two in a tightly sealed container.

Marisa