Homemade Cheez-Its
These Homemade Cheese Crackers are made with only a handful of ingredients and create a crispy, crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth cheese cracker reminiscent of Cheez-Its.
Servings: 16
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more for serving
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- Using a food processor fitted with a grating blade or a box grater, grate 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese and remove the cheese from the food processor. Alternatively, use a box grater to grate the cheese.
- Fit a food processor with a dough blade. Place the grated cheese into the food processor, with 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon onion powder. Pulse until the butter is distributed throughout cheese and mixture begins to resemble coarse sand.
- Add 1 cup all-purpose flour to the food processor and pulse 2-5 times just until dough comes together. Add in 2 tablespoons cold water and pulse 2-3 times, until a dough begins to form.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently form into a flat disk, no more than ½-inch thick. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- When ready to shape and bake the cheese crackers, preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place between two pieces of parchment paper. Gently roll the disk out to about ⅛-inch thick. Remove the top layer of parchment paper, and use a knife, pizza cutter, or pastry cutter, cut the dough into ~1-inch strips lengthwise and then repeat width-wise to form ~1-inch squares.
- Place cheese crackers onto a baking sheet about 1-inch apart from each other. Using, a toothpick or end of a skewer, poke a hole in the center of each cracker.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes or until crackers are just set and edges slightly browned. Be sure to watch carefully last couple minutes so crackers don't burn.
- Let cool fully before enjoying or storing the cheese crackers.
Notes
Cheese: Use a block of white or yellow sharp cheddar cheese, not pre-grated cheese, so that the cheese does not contain any anti-caking agents, as that would change the consistency of these crackers. Replace up to 4 ounces of the cheddar cheese with Monterey Jack, Gouda, Colby, or Swiss cheese. If you would like to add parmesan, use no more than 1 ounce of freshly grated parmesan combined with 7 ounces of cheddar cheese.
Flour: Feel free to replace the flour with whole wheat flour or an all-purpose gluten-free 1:1 flour blend.
No Food Processor? If you happen to not have a food processor, hand grate your cheese and then use 2 forks or pastry cutter to mix the dough.
Add Additional Seasonings: Feel free to add up to 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder and/or paprika in addition to the
Storage: Once cooled, transfer the crackers to an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days. Alternatively, place the crackers in a freezer bag and seal tight. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 107kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 185mg | Potassium: 41mg | Vitamin A: 230IU | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 0.4mg
