These are gorgeous crackers with lots of flavor. Easy to make, they are a great holiday appetizer or snack for game day. They keep well for several days and the dough can be kept for up to 3 days before baking.
These are the kind of crackers you want to have in a tin and just grab distractedly during the day.
You might just do it all the time, which is always a problem considering they're a cheese shortcrust with an interesting amount of butter. But then, simple flavors are usually the best.
For today's recipe, we have these little, crunchy, cheesy crackers. I
Aren't they as cute as a star? Christmas silliness. But they make amazing holiday gifts or appetizers with a glass of your favorite bubbly.
Cheeses
You can use a mix or only one.
Choose those with a sharp flavor like Gruyere, Fontina, or Emmenthal. They will give these cute crackers a deep flavor that can never be achieved by milder ones.
Easy steps
These are as easy as blitzing (such a Nigella word) butter, grated cheese, flour, salt, and pepper.
Out comes a dough that needs to be chilled for a while, then rolled, cut, and baked.
That's all.
- Food processor: it's an appliance that makes this recipe easier to put together. I recommend it if you have one.
- By hand: you'll have to use grated cheese so you can make a smooth ball of dough.
Unless you burn the first batch because you go answer the phone, and even though they look fine, they are somewhat bitter, so you have to repeat the process.
Then you can eat crunchy, buttery crackers, with that sharpness a good hard cheese has, and go on with your day.
I have a feeling this dough would also make awesome hand pies. Need to try that one. Maybe with a spicy chicken filling. We'll see.
Related recipes you might like:
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Cheese Crackers
These are gorgeous crackers with lots of flavor. Easy to make, they are a great holiday appetizer or snack for game day. They keep well for several days and the dough can be kept for up to 3 days before baking.
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 40 crackers
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold, in pieces
- 1 cup grated cheese such as Gruyere, Fontina, or Emmenthal
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour + extra for rolling
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, put the cheese, butter pieces, salt, and peppers.
- Pulse until the cheese is in small bits.
- Add the flour and pulse a few times until it starts to come together. Don’t overwork it.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured counter or surface and sprinkle lightly with flour.
- Gather it with your hands a few times until it forms a ball. It should be smooth but don’t knead or touch it more than necessary.
- Flatten into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Butter a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour a surface or counter and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to about ¼ inch.
- If necessary, work in batches keeping the unused dough wrapped in the refrigerator.
- Cut rounds using a cookie cutter (or some other form) and place in the prepared baking sheet an inch apart.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until the crackers are a light golden brown and quite firm.
- Let cool on a wire rack. You can eat them slightly warm or at room temperature.
- Store in airtight tins.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Refrigeration time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Crackers
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: International
Keywords: cheese crackers
Karen says
Paula I love your stars! I've always loved savory shortbread, and of course, your photographs are so pretty. Love your sentiments too. Happy New Year to you.
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness says
Paula: your version of these cheese crackers looks so elegant and so nicely presented. They have a great color and, of course, I like their shape - nice to see that great minds always seem to think alike...I would like to take the opportunity to tell you that it is a real joy being part of the wonderful and dedicated groups of bakers and cooks and I am looking forward to the coming year! Wishing you and your family very Happy Holidays!
Kate@Diethood says
Cheese and butter... in a cracker. Say no more. 😀
Cocoa and Lavender says
Oh, and I completely forgot to say how incredibly beautiful this set of photos is! Just gorgeous! ~ d
Cocoa and Lavender says
I love the little starlets! They are so cute, and I bet all the points make for the nicest crunchy crackers. Nochebuena, although we never called it that, was the big tradition in our family, too, and continues to be so today. Enjoy it and perhaps you and I will find our Christmas spirit together at the same time! Merry Christmas, dear friend, and enjoy the good food, family and friends. ~ David
cakewhiz says
that picture with those 2 stars standing upright looks like they are dancing...hehhee!
i think it's nice that you didn't make them round coz that's so boring. the star shapes are more fun 😉
tricia s. says
I ditto your sentiments about our FFWD- we have a very special group indeed ! And love those stars of yours. I spent more time looking for my festive cutters than I did pulsing the Cuisinart to make the crackers so I finally settled on little flowers 🙂 Also enjoyed hearing about your festive 24th. Very cool. Nana is going all out (once again) and treating our families to the Feast of 7 Fishes. We can not wait. Happy holidays !
Kat says
Beautiful little crackers, I love the star shapes. Merry Christmas Paula!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
These are so cute and look so good! I haven't made any crackers in awhile, and this is just the reminder I needed!