Have you ever made your own crunchy cheese crackers? It’s easier than you think and they taste better than anything you can buy at the store. After 6-year-old Owen tried out this recipe, he felt they should be called “chompers.” That it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?
Ingredients
- •227 grams (8 ounces/about 2 cups) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- •57 grams (¼ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- •2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) coarse salt
- •2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) paprika
- •120 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- •10 to 15 ml (2 to 3 tablespoons) ice water
Preparation
Heat the oven to 191°C (375°F). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the cheese, butter, salt, and paprika with an electric mixer or by hand with a wooden spoon until well combined.
Mix in the flour until the mixture forms small, pebble-like clumps.
Slowly add 10 ml (2 tablespoons) of the ice water and mix until the dough forms a ball; if the dough is too dry to form a ball, add the additional tablespoon of ice water a little at a time until the ball comes together.**
Sprinkle a bit of flour onto a rolling pin and a clean cutting board. Divide the dough in half, and roll out each piece into a very thin rectangle, about .3 cm (1/8-inch) thick, on the cutting board.
With a pizza cutter (or a sharp knife, with an adult’s help), cut the dough into 2.5 cm (1-inch) squares. Transfer the squares to the prepared baking sheets; (if you decide to bake one sheet at a time, put the second in the refrigerator while the first bakes).
Bake until the crackers are puffed and beginning to brown around the edges, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer the crackers to a wire rack to cool completely. The crackers will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to one week.
*To make ice water, simply add ice cubes to a little more cold water than the recipe requires and let it chill for a few minutes. Remove the ice cubes and measure out the amount of ice water you need.
**When you use a wooden spoon, it doesn’t form a ball on its own. You have to press it and see if it sticks together in order to test the dough.
WATCH FROM THE OVEN WINDOW: In the oven, the crackers bubble and squirm a bit while baking!
Adapted from The Lemonade Stand Cookbook: Step-by-Step Recipes and Crafts for Kids to Make…and Sell!, by Kathy Strahs. Burnt Cheese Press, 2017.