Crispy crackers

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I'll spare you the anticipation: these crackers are good. Way good. So good that they were gone about 10 minutes after I set them out for an appetizer at a recent dinner party. So good that no one believed they were handmade and I had to pull up the recipe to prove it.
I've never used our food processor to make a dough before, and it seemed unlikely that a few tablespoons of water would transform the crumbly mixture of cheese and flour into an actual dough. But it came together like magic. One second, crumbs - the next second, dough!
I know from experience that a well-chilled dough will puff better in the oven, so I let the this one chill for a good two hours before rolling out the dough. You could definitely make the dough the day before, if you wanted.
The dough was very easy to roll out. It didn't crack or feel too sticky. I used a bench scraper to first section the dough into strips and then cut each strip into small triangles. A rolling pizza cutter would also have worked well.
Into the oven the crackers went and I waited with eager anticipation. In about 17 minutes, the tops were puffed and shiny, the edges were starting to darken, and the bottoms (when I flipped a few over) were a golden brown. I called it good and took them out to cool.
It was so hard to resist eating them all right then. They really did taste like goldfish crackers - rich and cheesy, but not at all greasy, and perfectly wonderfully amazingly crunchy. So good.
The only slight snafu is that the crackers didn't stay this crunchy. I packed them away in an air-tight container for the dinner party, but by the next evening, they had lost a lot of their crispness. They were still flaky and airy, definitely still delicious, but much softer. My guests insisted they liked them just they way were, but I wished they had been able to try them straight from the oven.
This recipe is definitely a keeper, though. We're excited to experiment with other cheeses and additional spices. And if you've been looking for a homemade cheese cracker for your kids, give this one a shot!

Cheddar Crackers...Reminiscent of Goldfish Crakers(or Cheez-it) Did you know that you can make Goldfish Crackers at home? Well, I came across this recipe posted at Savory Seasonings. Emily has a wonderful blog with so much useful information. She is amazing! Go check it out sometime. I was so excited to see her post a recipe for Goldfish crackers! I enjoyed munching on Goldfish crackers when I was younger. They were cripsy, cheesy and full of air pockets. I loved to bite into them and split them open. Just loved the cracker... But to make the Goldfish crackers at home?! You got to be kidding me! Of course, I decided to try them out for myself. They were incredible... crispy, buttery, cheese-flavored crackers. It instantly brought back fond memories of me eating them while in college, studying for an exam, and munching away:). These crackers tasted just like the Goldfish crackers I knew... maybe better. I decided to split the recipe in 2. I made one like the original, with white flour. The other half, I substituted whole wheat flour for the white flour. You couldn't really tell too much of a difference. The color of the whole wheat cracker was a bit darker and maybe they weren't as "puffy". I still would recommend them if you want to make the whole wheat version. They are just as delicious.
The directions for the recipe has you roll out the dough in a sheet pan and then cut them in squares. I like to roll out my dough between parchment and/or wax paper(This helps me to get them as close to 1/8 th of an inch thick as possible) I usually just take a chunk of dough and roll it out. I cut the shapes and place them on the pan. I continue to do that until I use all the dough. This way I have neat crackers.... But, if you don't care how they look, you can just follow the original directions and they will still be delicious. I chose to use a square and a triangle cutter for my crackers. But if you have a fish cutter, that would be ideal. In case you want them to look like the fish crackers, you can make your own fish cutter by going HERE. It is pretty cool, they show you how to make a fish cutter out of cans. Pretty ingenious! These crackers would definitely be a fun activity to make with your kids. Give them a try, I think you will like them. Hope you enjoy....
You will need: inspired by Savory Seasonings and adapted from Country Living

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour(can use whole wheat for healthier alternative)
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground pepper (optional)
  • 4 TBSP cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 8 ounces grated cheddar cheese( I ran out of cheddar, so I substituted about 2 oz Monterey Jack)
  • 3-4 TBSP water
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour(can use whole wheat for healthier alternative)
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground pepper (optional)
  • 4 TBSP cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 8 ounces grated cheddar cheese( I ran out of cheddar, so I substituted about 2 oz Monterey Jack)
  • 3-4 TBSP water

Preparation

Step 1

Directions:
Pulse the flour, salt and pepper, then add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add grated cheese a little at a time until the mixture again resembles coarse meal.


Pulse in 3 to 4 tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms into a ball. It will probably take a minute or so.


Remove, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes or up to 24 hours. I left mine overnight. This way the butter has time to solidify and I think makes for puffier crackers.

Roll the dough out to 1/8th-inch thickness directly onto a baking sheet. You don't want to roll them paper thin, neither do you want to roll them too thick. If they are too thin, they will not puff up as much. If they are too thick, they will not be as crispy.

Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut 1 inch squares,...I like to use cookie cutters/shapes. I noticed the square crackers don't keep their square shape as much. Some do and some don't ...Some form into diamond shapes as it bakes. The dough sort of shrinks and puffs up. But that is ok. I liked the triangles better, so I did more of those


Bake at 350° F for 15-20 minutes or until crackers are golden brown. Watch them after the 10 minute mark.

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