Description
Delightfully crispy and flavorful homemade cheese crackers made with sharp cheddar and a simple buttery dough, perfect for snacking or serving with your favorite dips.
Ingredients
Cheese Cracker Dough
- 6 ounces sharp yellow cheddar cheese, shredded (1 and 1/2 cups shredded)
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 6 pieces
- 2 Tablespoons cold water
Optional
- Sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients and Cheese: Process cheddar cheese, flour, cornstarch, and salt together in a food processor until combined, about 30 seconds. This blends your dry ingredients evenly with the cheese for perfect flavor distribution.
- Add Butter and Pulse: Add cold butter pieces and process until the mixture resembles wet sand, about 20 seconds. This step creates the crumbly texture essential for a flaky cracker.
- Form Dough: Add cold water and pulse about 10 times until the dough forms large clumps, ensuring it holds together but is not overworked.
- Chill Dough: Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, divide into two halves, and pat each into a 6-inch square using your hands. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 2 days until firm to facilitate rolling.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats to prevent sticking and promote even baking.
- Roll and Cut Dough: Unwrap each dough square, roll out on a floured surface to about 9-inch squares, then trim to neat 8-inch squares. Cut each square into 64 smaller 1-inch squares using a fluted pastry wheel, pizza cutter, or sharp knife for uniform crackers.
- Poke Holes and Season: Transfer cracker squares to baking sheets, poke a hole in the center of each with a skewer or toothpick to prevent puffing during baking, and lightly sprinkle with sea salt if desired.
- Bake: Bake crackers for 16-18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through to ensure even browning. For extra crunch, bake up to 20 minutes until golden brown around the edges.
- Cool Completely: Remove crackers from oven and cool entirely on the baking sheets before serving to allow them to crisp fully.
- Store: Store any leftover crackers at room temperature in a container with a slightly ajar lid to maintain crunch for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Using cold butter and cold water helps create a flaky texture in the crackers.
- Moisten your fingers with cold water if the dough feels dry while patting it into squares.
- Do not skip poking holes in crackers; this prevents puffing during baking and ensures crispness.
- For a stronger cheddar flavor, feel free to use extra-sharp cheese.
- Store crackers in a container with a slightly open lid to keep them crunchy over time.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
