Cheese crackers—just like Cheez-It crackers—are relatively healthy and homemade with real ingredients that don’t include artificial colors, preservatives, hidden sugars, or multi-syllabic factory-made flavor enhancers.
Yup. We went there. To that homemade cheese crackers place. You know. Like Cheez-It crackers. No preservatives. No artificial colors. No lurid neon glow. Just real ingredients and cheesy crunchy awesomeness.–Renee Schettler
Cheese Crackers
Cheese crackers—just like Cheez-It crackers—that are relatively healthy and homemade with real ingredients that don’t include artificial colors, preservatives, hidden sugars, or multi-syllabic factory-made flavor enhancers.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Combine the cheese, wheat or whole-grain spelt flour, all-purpose or white spelt flour, butter, milk, onion powder, if using, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Pulse to form a ball, 1 to 2 minutes. If the dough appears oily from the cheese, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
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Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and roll it to 1/8 to 1/16-inch thickness. Lightly brush the dough with the milk. Using a pastry wheel or knife, cut the dough into 1-by-1-inch squares. Prick the center of each cracker with a skewer. Place the crackers on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least a 1/2 inch between crackers.
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Bake the crackers, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking, just until the crackers are slightly brown at the edges, about 10 minutes.
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The crackers will crisp up as they cool, so be careful not to overbake them, although if you like your crackers extra crunchy, leave them in the oven for 11 to 12 minutes. Gently move the crackers to a wire rack and cool completely.
Cheese Cracker variations
Non-Cheddar Cheese Crackers
You can go a little crazy and use a stronger cheese, like Camembert, as the author suggests. Although we also think the recipe would work well with all manner of other cheeses, including a nice aged Manchego or maybe even a salty Pecorino or…well, you get the idea.
Gluten-Free Cheese Crackers
You can substitute an equal amount of all-purpose gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose and spelt flours. You can use store-bought or homemade gluten-free flour blend but be certain that it does not contain xanthan gum. Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Vegan Cheese Crackers
Not surprisingly, cheese crackers don’t work well without real cheese. Do not attempt to make a vegan version of them.
Serving: 1crackerCalories: 14kcal (1%)Carbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1g (2%)Fat: 1g (2%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mg (1%)Sodium: 19mg (1%)Potassium: 4mgFiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 27IU (1%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 13mg (1%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Originally published January 28, 2013
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
