Step aside, Kellogg! Real crackers coming through.
CHEEZ-ITS are wonderful–and we all know this because we’ve been eating them since we were ten (unless you’re 75). We can each vouch for the fact that they have overly addictive properties–so many, apparently, that we’ve been instructed to get our own box. But, with all due respect to Kellogg and Sunshine Biscuits, I have to say that these homemade crackers are something else–they exceed all cheesetastic levels, and I wouldn’t doubt if the discernible tastes of real cheddar and butter send you over the moon (I suggest buckling up). They embody all of the characteristics that one loves about a CHEEZ-IT, including that salty and cheddar-cheesy crunch, as well as a new element of texture that Kool-Aid drinking, braces-wearing, CHEEZ-IT-eating ten-year-olds can’t quite yet appreciate. The texture is less like a snack you’d put into a paper bag lunch, and more like those gourmet cheese straws you’d pair with wine at a cocktail party.
Who has the mature cheese cracker now, Mr. CHEEZ-IT cheese-tester?
There are only two things separating these beauties from the original fluorescent orange crackers. The first, of course, is that they are homemade, and because these are homemade, they are made fresh and baked free of any preservatives or odd ingredients like “soy lecithin” or “paprika oleoresin.”
(Please excuse me while I fact-check real quick…okay, yep…only 5 ingredients down there. Way cool.)
The second difference is that they lack the notches that appear on all four sides of the store-bought cracker. CHEEZ-ITS pride themselves on their allegedly amazing grip, so shouldn’t these imitators, too? Well, no, because these easy-to-hold crackers won’t be dropped unless it is into a bowl of steaming tomato soup. They’re large and in charge–and I could probably dub them the pantry bully if they weren’t so easy to love.
While these crackers are lovable from all angles, what I adore most is that any taste-tester would be instantly able to tell that they weren’t poured from a box; that, and they would feel twice as mature eating these as they would forcing their hand down a narrow cardboard chute that is often too tiny to comfortably grab a decent amount of crackers anyway. These are great on their own, with some peanut butter, or in a bowl of soup. Whichever way you try them, I’ll bet you can’t eat just one.
Homemade Cheese Crackers
(Yields about 40 crackers — Adapted from Country Living goldfish crackers recipe)
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 (7-ounce) bag grated extra-sharp 2% reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or paprika)
5 tablespoons cold water
Combine flour, butter, cheese, salt, and cayenne in a medium-sized bowl. Stir until crumbly. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together, similar to making a pie crust. (You may not use all the water.)
Wrap dough in plastic wrap, press into a disc, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350º. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (this is important).
Place dough between two pieces of parchment paper. (It’s sticky!) Roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Carefully flip dough in parchment over, and gently peel off the top layer. Using a pizza cutter, trim dough into a rectangle, then cut into 2-inch squares. Carefully transfer squares onto baking sheets, using a spatula if needed. (I poked holes in the top of mine, though I’m not sure they made them puff up any less.)
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until crackers are just slightly turning light brown. Taste one for crispness. If they are not to your liking, bake just a few minutes longer–I baked mine for a full 25 minutes.
You can store these in an airtight container for up to 5 days–but I guarantee you they won’t last that long. If crackers are soggy after storing, re-crisp in a preheated 400º oven for about 4 minutes.
Looks tasty, I might try making these with vegan cheese!
Ooo, that could work! Let me know if it does–I haven’t done anything more with vegan cheddar than taken a bite of it!
I hate Cheez-its/Cheetoes/other cheese-FLAVOURED snacks. They taste so weird and fake and not like cheese at all. But I love cheesesticks and cheeseballs and all other things that are made from real cheese. I can’t wait to try these (:
Kyleen, I completely agree with you. I have never liked cheez-its and never understood what all the hype was about. But these definitely do look tasty and much better than cheez-its. Did you ever notice the weird taste they leave in the back of the throat? BLEH!
I have definitely noticed–it’s almost worse than the feeling that Cinnamon Toast Crunch leaves on the roof of your mouth. :)
I never had Cheez-its, and am only 40.
The internet, you know, isn’t just for US americans.
Great point, I apologize. When I wrote this I had just started my blog, so I had never dreamed that anyone outside the US would be reading it. My target audience is now in mind though and I appreciate you stopping by!
I’m from Australia and know exactly what you’re talking about, our versions are called cheds and they are processed cheese’s gift to humans :) Can’t get enough of your blog!!
I knew there was another reason to love the USA- Cheezits!! :-)
It was created by Americans, therefore it was originally intended for Americans.
OT: Making these Cheez-itz as I type this. I know it’ll be great
I just want to make the point that I am American and have a Mexican husband. I also have a best friend from Brazil. I THOROUGHLY enjoy cooking food from different cultures and places, no matter how simple or difficult they can be! But sometimes it is fun to share recipes that we are familiar with to others that may enjoy them, regardless of their location. It looks like many people are interested in this one!
Could you give me the tablespoons of butter in weight? in the uk here and we measure things a little differently, I always have to look up ‘cups’ on a conversion website I have bookmarked!
4 Tablespoons butter is approximately 57 grams. I am going to have to try these, too!
http://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/butter_converter.html#
Thank you Megan!
Hmm, some smoked cheddar would be wonderful in these. Thanks for sharing!
I have some leftover taco seasoned shredded cheese. I think these would taste so yummy w/ the taco flavor. *drools*
Mmm, I couldn’t agree more. Try it out and let me know how it goes.
I love you. I’m making these with cheddar and pepper jack
These look significantly better than ordinary Cheez-its.
These look AMAZING! I love Cheezits, but I feel guilty for purchasing them. Annie’s Organic Cheddar bunnies just aren’t are satisfying though. I amn going to try these this weekend. So glad StumbleUpon sent me here!
I’m glad too! I think you’ll enjoy them, our house ate the entire batch in 2 hours.
Stumble upon brought me here too and I’m so excited that it did! I would really love to try this recipe! In the middle of reading this I got up and grabbed a bowl of goldfish cheddar cheese crackers :) Thank you for sharing this with me!
Haha, that’s great! You are welcome, but thank you for visiting! I hope you enjoy the crackers, among other recipes :).
I make these with Earth Balance sticks in place of the butter and Daiya cheddar and they are yummy
These are delicious! I may have eaten them all already….. Ha! I’m going to make them again tomorrow so my friends can try them out.
Haha! This sounds familiar…
omg, i want to make these right now!
That would be fun for a wine party!
StumbleUpon rocks, and so do you! I always wanted to try my hand at making cheese crackers, but I never could find a recipe. Until now! Bookmarked and thumbs up! (yummmmm)
Thank you! I hope you love them as much as I do :). Reduce the cayenne a bit if you aren’t a fan of spicy!
These look delicious! A nice perservative free option!
these are great! me and my Fiance LOVE cheez-its!
The only thing I would change next time is to use less cayenne pepper, my mouth is a little on fire right now and my fiance wont eat them (he did try ONE). but all in all they’re good and I will probably end up eating the entire batch sitting here tonight :)
Just found this post and your site via stumbleupon… LOVE it! Can’t wait to make the crackers…
I’m glad you stopped by! Enjoy :)
these look delicious!
im so excited that i have everything to make these already in my refrigerator! good idea to whip up for unplanned guests :)
Good writing, Dish & Tell.
Thanks, Reuben!
aw man these look good. making them first thing tomorrow morning :D
Can’t wait to try this in the office
Great recipe and I will be trying. I agree about preservatives or additives. However, soy lecithin is a fantastic thing. It’s what the majority of our brains are made out of. When pregnant we often lose brain mass (soy lecithin) as we make the baby’s brain. Organ meats are high in soy lecithin but most people’s diets aren’t rich in organ meats (I know mines isn’t – gross). Many strange words in ingredient lists are actually vitamins and minerals. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater :)
Whoa – nothing in your body is made of SOY lecithin. Lecithin is a common substance in many organisms, but soy lecithin is derived from the soybean. Hexane, a carcinogen, may be used to separate lecithin from the intact soybean. So, it is not as natural as the lecithin present in intact plant or animal products. Just FYI.
Anybody a swiss-a-holic like me? I’m making these on my next day off with swiss and dill, wish me luck!
mmmm how yummy! :)
Can anyone tell me how long I can leave the dough refrigerated before baking? I want to make these for my family’s thanksgiving feast, but factoring travel, convenience, and quality, I would like to make the dough a few days ahead of time then bake them day of. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
The dough is similar to a pie crust, which I’ve always been able to refrigerate for up to 24-48 hours. As long as it is not exposed to air, I don’t think you would have any problems with the dough drying out, though I’ve never tried it myself. Enjoy your Thanksgiving! (You may want to bake a double batch!)
What a Great Idea. I try your Recipe this Weekend.
Bookmarking this to try later after my pancreas settles down. Just a quick FYI – soy lecithin is nothing to be scared of…basically, it’s the fat out of the soybean after the oil has been expressed & it’s perfectly healthy (you can find it granulated or in liquid form at your local health food market)….sunflower seeds produce lecithin as well….it’s used in foods as a binder. I use it in my homemade lotion as a binder for the oils…
♥hugs♥
“Large and In charge” Love it! Can’t wait to make ‘em!
I wonder if these could be dehydrated instead of baked?
Hmm…I’ve never dehydrated dairy products before and there isn’t much water content so I’m not sure. Maybe you could try it with half of a batch? Please let me know how it goes if you do!
Emily
Thank you for sharing!! We try to eat organic and healthy–yet are not crazy about it. We buy the occasional box of Cheez Its and bag of Doritos but now maybe we can love on these!
Great pictures!
Thank you, Tori!
yum! looks delicous i am definatly going to try these
Thanks for visiting, Savannah!
There’s a recipe exactly like this on Instructables, I’ve made them several times and they’re great. Following a suggestion in the comments there, flattening the dough is so much easier if you run it through the pasta machine.
Thanks for the suggestion, Meg, and thanks for stopping by!
Really yummy! Definitely hard to eat the whole batch at once as they are very filling! However, mine turned out a little salty, but it would taste amazing with some kind of dip. I added parmesan, garlic, paprika, and onion powder. I found it kind of hard to spread, but I managed. All in all they are very tasty and filling and I would most definitely make them again but alter the ingredients a little bit. Thanks for the badass recipe!
Thanks, Amelia. Your alterations sound terrific, I will definitely be trying these again with parmesan.
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Thanks for the recipe. Those looks great, and I bet I’d love them on my tomato soup.
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I just finished making these. Wonderful. So much better than Cheez-its. I think I would use salted butter instead of unsalted next time. Would it make that much of a difference?
I’m glad to hear that you like them, thanks for the comment. I don’t think it would make much difference to use salted butter, other than the fact that they would be saltier, of course! It just helps to use unsalted so you have control over how much salt is in the recipe (this sounds like one giant, salty tongue twister).
wow just looking at these makes me hungry!
I baked two batches at once, and it needed almost twice the baking time, in case anybody else tries it. But they are super delish (I used half cheddar and half mozzarella b/c that’s what I had)!
Thanks for your suggestion, El! Mozzarella is one of my favorite cheeses, I’ll try it next time around.
Recently I’ve been obsessed with making processed snacks homemade… salt and vinegar chips, chex mix, etc. I’ll add this to my list of things to make. Great post!
-Brandon
http://www.theyummybits.com
@theyummybits
Can’t wait to try these! Looks wonderful!
These sound beyond amazing! I’ll be making them for sure!
Made these tonight! They are SO good! Waaaaaaay better than any Cheez-it I’ve ever had :)
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I confess, I LOVE Cheezits, but I made these today and they are so very, very yummy, I may never buy the box again. Thanks for posting this recipe.
I feel the same way. Though I did enjoy some cheez-its the other day…:-x guilty!!
What a fabulous idea, love this recipe! So glad I found your blog, new follower! xoxo
:) Thank you Kelly!
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Ohhhh these look yummy!
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I think every thing made of cheese is wonderful….lets see how your recipe tastes.
I’ll try to do this recipe today :)
I’ll try to do this recipe today :)
Seems delicious. Nice pictures. Congratulations.
Thank you, Miguel. I appreciate it lots. And thanks for visiting!
What about using whole wheat flour? Could you just bake the crackers right on the parchment paper instead of transferring them off? I can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Not sure about the whole wheat flour but I don’t see a problem as to why it wouldn’t work! And yes!–definitely bake them on the parchment paper! They will stick and not come off if you don’t :). (When I said “transfer” I was just referring to from the parchment-covered work surface to the parchment-covered baking sheet)
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My grrandmother used to make these o so much better than cheeseits thank you for posting she passed before i could learn the recipe i ate these before i ever tasted a cheeseit when i was a kid and i loved them
Aw thank you, what a sweet story. I hope that these taste even half as good as your grandmother’s, as I’m sure they were delicious. Thanks for visiting :).
These are fantastic! They’re great with any cheese/herb combination. 2 inches was kind of big, I cut them into 1-inch squares and they were great. Dough kept fine overnight by the way.
I’m going to take your recipe and dust the crackers with bacon salt before baking. Let you know how it goes.
I’m sorry…did you just say bacon salt??? I think I’ve just died and gone to heaven. Please, let me know how they taste!
Just made a batch of these for the first time today! Delicious! Thanks so much for sharing!
You’re so welcome! Thanks for stopping by!
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