Puffed Cheddar Jalapeño Crackers

By bsmyth10

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb jalapeno peppers
• 8 oz block sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
• 4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes (1/2 stick)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• a few cracks of black pepper
• 5 oz flour (1 cup)

Details

Servings 3
Adapted from fifteenspatulas.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Turn the oven broiler on high and place the jalapeños on a sheet pan. Stick the jalapeños directly under the broiler for a few minutes on each side, until the skin is blackened. Place the blackened jalapeños in a bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the jalapeños sit for 10 minutes to steam, then peel the skins off. Remove the stems and inner seeds, and chop the peeled jalapeños finely. Set aside. Be sure to wash your hands very well and do not touch your eyes for the rest of the day...those peppers are hot!

2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the cheddar, butter, salt, pepper, and chopped jalapeños (but do not add any excess jalapeño juice)* in a stand mixer on medium low for 60 seconds, until the butter is broken down and everything is distributed. Add the flour and mix until just combined (it will look crumbly but should pinch together well). Do not over mix the dough, or your crackers will be chewy instead of crisp. Scrape the crumbly dough out into plastic wrap, shape it into disk and refrigerate for 2 hours until firm.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

4. Roll out one half of the dough at a time (keep the other half cool in the fridge), and roll the dough out to about 1/8 to 1/16th of an inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Use small cutters to cut out little shapes from the cracker dough, and place on a sheet pan. Make sure that your cracker shapes are no larger than about the size of a Cheez-It. If the shapes are too big, they won't crisp. Bake the crackers for about 9-10 minutes until crisp, golden, and puffy, then let them cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Enjoy!

*Note: there should be enough moisture from the jalapeños that you shouldn't need to add water to the dough. If the dough is too crumbly, you may add 1-2 tbsp of water, but mine didn't need any.

add one

I am excited to make these! However, not sure my kids will love the heat of the jalapeños! Can I skip the jalapeño or any thoughts on a substitute!? Thanks

Hi Andrea, thank you! I am so glad to hear that =) LOL yes, jalapeños can be quite hot. I think you could just omit them altogether, though you will probably need to add some moisture (water, cream, etc) to bind the dough. I would say start with 1 tbsp, and don’t go beyond 2. You could add paprika or something like that if you want to add another flavor. But just plain old cheddar cheese is good too =)

This recipe sounds amazing, however, I don’t have a mixer with the paddle that you suggest – anything else I can use?

I don’t have a stand mixer either! I just mix things the old fashioned way. I made these without the mixer and they turned out perfect!

Hi Chrissy, do you have a hand mixer? That would work well too. I don’t serve them with a dip but you certainly could! Maybe ranch or something?

Jessica@AKitchenAddiction

How cute are those?! They sound yummy too. I love the addition of jalapeno. I hope you get settled in your new home quickly and come to love your new kitchen as well

Glad you are all moved and slowly getting settled! Love the jalapenos in here, what a great addition, my husband would love it!

I get the same comments when I buy one martini glass. I buy one of a kind, that way when you come to my house, you pick the one you want, and you don’t mix your drink with someone else.

The crackers look awesome! Ive made cheese crackers before but never w/ jalepeno. Fun addition!

I am sorry you had to leave your Georgia kitchen but I hope you are all ok in Ct. Can’t wait for all your recipes. I will definetly make these crackers!! PS I am also a bowl freak!!

Hello, just tried these, I needed an appetizer for a small group and wanted to use what I had in the frig and cupboard so this recipe was just right. I did substitute a Buckwheat pancake mix for the flour and they turned out great. Now just hope my guest like Jalapenos. I may add a bit of bacon bits and cream cheese next time to give a hint of jalapeno poppers.

Just got some cheese that was on sale for 2 lbs for 5 bucks! I was placing some on a sandwich when I remembered I had come across this recipe a little while back. Now that I actually have cheese, I’m totally gonna make these! But I don’t currently have jalepanos… So I’m gonna try half cheddar and half pepperjack! ^_^

These look so good! Totally making them for my Christmas snack sideboard. I think I can even make them vegan with Earth Balance sticks and Veggie Shreds cheddar-jack. Off to the store…

Hot Buttered Fluffy Pretzels 2.0, the 100% Whole Wheat Version!

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