Homemade cheese crackers are easy to make, and these are particularly crunchy and flavorful. They make great holiday appetizers or snacks for game day, road trips, potlucks and picnics. They keep well for several days, and the dough can be kept in the fridge for up to three days before baking.
A small cracker with lots of flavor
These are the kind of crackers you want to have in a tin to grab distractedly during the day.
You might just do it all the time, which is always a problem considering they're basically a cheese short dough with an interesting amount of butter.
But then, simple flavors are usually the best. They might remind you of the popular commercial ones with the circle in the center.
If you need a new appetizer or snack that will bring raves, now you have these little, crunchy, cheesy crackers. They also make a fantastic holiday or neighbor's gift to eat with a glass of your favorite bubbly.
For similar recipes, check out the olive oil crackers and the whole wheat crackers.
FAQ
You can use a mix of cheeses or only one.
Choose cheeses with a sharp flavor, usually labeled semi-hard or hard, like Gruyere, Fontina, white Cheddar or Emmenthal. These cheeses will give these cute crackers a deeper flavor that milder ones can never achieve.
Parmesan, Asiago and Reggianito also work, though I find the flavor more common. But you might already have one of them in your fridge, so it'll be a good idea to try this recipe and see how you like it.
Don't use soft cheeses like mozzarella; they don't have enough flavor or texture.
If properly stored, they last for a week, sometimes more. I recommend metal tins or glass jars; in my experience, they keep the crackers crisper than other types of containers.
The thickness and drying them in the oven are two of the ways to make crisp crackers. Roll them thin and bake them carefully, turning the baking sheet around and adjusting the oven temperature so they dry out evenly. Opposite to what we want for cookies, where the outer layer is dry but the inside is still soft.
Room temperature: they keep well in airtight tins for a few weeks.
Freeze the dough: flatten it into a disc and freeze it for a month, always well wrapped to prevent dryness, like pie dough.
Cut-outs: after you roll and cut the crackers, you can place them on the baking sheet, cover them, and refrigerate for several hours before baking. This is a great option when you need to make them in advance but want freshly baked crackers.
How to make cheese crackers
- Food processor: I recommend it if you have one, as it makes assembly of the pie dough easier. You simply process (or blitz like Nigella would say)butter, cheese pieces, flour, salt, and pepper. Out comes a dough that needs to be chilled for a while, then rolled, cut, and baked. Make sure you don't overprocess it!
- By hand: you'll have to use grated cheese in order to make a smooth dough.
How to roll it
It should be rolled thin to achieve crisp crackers.
You might want to use parchment paper and work in batches, since thin doughs are more laborious to transfer and might stick to the counter.
How to cut it
A pizza wheel is the perfect utensil but a large kitchen knife also works.
Cut small or medium squares, or use a round cookie cutter. Then transfer quickly to the baking sheet before they start to soften. If the dough does soften, place it in the fridge for about 15 minutes so it firms up again.
Do a test bake
I always recommend baking two or three crackers to find your sweet spot regarding baking time and thickness. Write it down for next time.
Watch them carefully so you don't burn them. Even though they look fine and just deeply golden, they can turn somewhat bitter and inedible to many people.
Related recipes you might like:
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Easy Cheese Crackers
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Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold, in pieces
- 1 cup grated semi-hard or hard cheese, such as Gruyere, Fontina, Parmesan or white Cheddar
- 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 squares using a pizza wheel or large kitchen knife, or rounds using a cookie cutter 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. The baking time depends a lot on the thickness and oven, so watch them carefully.
- Let cool on a wire rack. You can eat them slightly warm or at room temperature.
- Store in airtight tins.
Notes
Room temperature: they keep well in airtight tins for a few weeks.
Freeze the dough: flatten it into a disc and freeze it for a month, always well wrapped to prevent dryness, like pie dough.
Cut-outs: after you roll and cut the crackers, you can place them on the baking sheet, cover them, and refrigerate for several hours before baking. This is a great option when you need to make them in advance but want freshly baked 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!