Melissa's Cuisine: Homemade Cheez-It Crackers

Monday, October 22, 2012

Homemade Cheez-It Crackers



I'm a big snacker.  I blame it on my grandparents :)  Our family jokes that every time we go to Canada to visit, all we do is eat.  A typical day consists of a lot of food:  breakfast at 8, coffee and snacks at 10, lunch at 12, tea and snacks at 3, supper at 5:30, tea and snacks at 8.  Whew!  That's a lot of eating!  I don't think I eat that much when I'm at home, but I definitely enjoy my snacks!

Lucky for me, Mike enjoys his snacks too.  However, we both have different preferences when it comes to snacking.  I like sweet snacks--a piece of cake, a brownie, a donut, a piece of chocolate etc.  Mike won't turn down a sweet snack like ice-cream but he definitely prefers salty snacks like chips.  One of his favorite snacks is Cheez-It Crackers.  Sometimes I have to ration them out for him because he could eat an entire box in one sitting!

This month I was assigned to Delicious Existence for the Secret Recipe Club.  Her blog focuses on eating healthier foods.  I began browsing through her Kitchen Adventures posts and came across a recipe for Homemade Cheez-It Crackers.  My search ended right then and there as I knew a certain somebody would be thrilled with this snack.

I did make a lot of changes to the ingedients in this recipe as we do not eat vegan.  I used all purpose flour, butter, and real shredded cheese.  I've noted a few tips through-out the recipe as well.  My crackers did not get very crispy, but I think I made them too thick.  They still tasted really similar to Cheez-Its!  I'm looking forward to making these crackers again with different cheeses and rolling them thinner.

Homemade Cheez-It Crackers

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
4 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into pieces
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
5 Tablespoon water

1.  Combine the flour, butter, cheddar cheese, cayenne pepper, and paprika in your food process and process until you have small crumbs.

2.   Add the water and continue to process until a ball of dough is formed.

3.  Form a circle of dough with your hands and wrap it in plastic wrap.

4.  Refrigerate dough for 45 minutes, then place in the freezer for 15 minutes.  (I believe you could also just refrigerate overnight and bake the crackers the next day.)  You want the dough to be very cold.

5.  Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/8" thick.  (I placed the dough on a floured surface and then covered it with the plastic wrap.  Then I rolled the dough out with a rolling pin.  This prevented the dough from sticking and I didn't have to keep adding flour.)

6.  Use a pizza cutter to cut dough into 1/2" squares.  If desired, gently poke each square in the center with a round skewer to create the traditional Cheez-It look.

7.  Transfer squares to an ungreased glass pan and bake at 350 for 15- 20 minutes.  (My squares were thicker than 1/8" and took 23 minutes to bake.)

8.  When the crackers are golden and crispy, removed them from the oven.

Allow the crackers to cool before eating them.  Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Source: Delicious Existence

31 comments:

  1. I bet they are delicious! I hope Mike knows how lucky he is. :)

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  2. Great pick. My husband and I sound like we are in the same boat, I love sweets, he loves his chips!These crackers look super yummy!

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  3. This recipe is one of our favorites too. The kids AND I can plow right through them. I like to cut them into fun shapes with cookie cutters.

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  4. These look delicious! I ma going to have to try these..... Cheez-it are a favorite snack around here... I'm pinning...!

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  5. What an interesting idea. We have never tried to make crackers, but we are big Cheez-it fans. Will have to try!

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  6. I've been meaning to make homemade crackers for a long time. These look fantastic! My kids would love these!

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  7. Oh my gosh! I want to go to Canada with you and eat all day. That sounds like the perfect vacation =o) Your cheese crackers look wonderful!

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  8. They look like little cheese bread squares, I bet you're thick cheez-its would be amazing in some tomato soup!

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  9. These remind me a lot of Cheese Straws. I've seen those recipes around but I've never gotten around to making them. I love how cute and small these are (and the few ingredients are enticing too)! Great selection.

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  10. Oh wow! I never thought of making homemade cheese it before. That is a first for me.

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  11. What a great snack. They look wonderful, and I bet they were fun to make! Great choice

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  12. You had me at homemade cheez-its! We used to BEG our mom to buy boxes of these and we would devour them. I like the homemade take. Great SRC choice!

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  13. one of my childhood faves! Love that they are homemade and don't have all those preservatives!

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  14. These look so good! I love cheese its! I am off to pin them!

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  15. Oh, your Cheez-Its look irresistible! I would have no trouble eating a whole batch...yum!

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  16. What a FUN thing to make! I am going to make these soon. I bet they did not last long in your house! Great SRC pick!

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  17. I currently have a cheeze it problem. Found through freshman cook/party.
    http://www.shilohstaste.com

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  18. Homemade Cheez its!! Wow, that's a whole other level of dedication. Mike is a lucky man! They sound amazing :)

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  19. I had the same experience as you when I tried to make homemade cheese crackers-they did not get crispy but were softer and flaky like pie crust. Still good, but not exactly a real cracker. Well, they look beautiful and taste is all that really matters!

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  20. I think my hubby could live on Cheez-its! These sound very similar to some cheese crackers my mom makes. Hubby always has to be told not to inhale them but to allow everyone to share :-)

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  21. Those are my favorite crackers! I am going to have to make these. Thanks for sharing with the SRC.

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  22. I am going to give these a try!

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  23. These are the best, aren't they?! Now I need to go make some. :-) Thanks for sharing at our Pinterest party!

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  24. OMG! From one snacker to another thank you so much for sharing on Wow Me Wed. I am pinning these right now. I can't wait to try it out.

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  25. I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe.!!!! This is by far one of my favorites :-)

    The recipe is super versatile. I've made cheddar mozzarella and pepper jack cheese variations in regular, vegan, and vegan gluten free with success thus far.

    In regards to texture, the thinner the dough the crispier they get (but if its too thin they burn at warp speed).

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  26. oh wow!! SOOO clever... Pinning!! Thanks for linking to Tasteful Tuesdays!

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  27. Love these homemade Cheese-its. Look Delish! Thanks so much for linking up to Creative Thursday. Can’t wait to see what you share this week! Have a wonderful week.
    Michelle

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  28. Homemade Cheez Its!!! We totally love this recipe! Are kids will go crazy over these! Thanks for linking up to our Strut Your Stuff Saturday! Come back soon with more delicious recipes! -The Six Sisters

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  29. I love homemade Cheese-Its! I have been making them for years but your recipe is a lot different then mine. I want to try it they sound really good.

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