Sharp Cheddar Cheese Crackers

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I did a thing I was not supposed to do.  I went shopping in a mood.  More specifically, I went to Target slightly upset.  Nothing earth shattering in my life.  Everything is fine with me, but… I made the mistake of taking money into a shopping establishment while mentally mental. I know. Not great.  Let’s talk about grocery shopping while hangry and homemade cheese cracks.

I came out on the other end of mood-shopping with the following (totally unexciting) items:

– two giant bags of gummy bears. – four giant bags of candy corn.  – really expensive bed sheets. –  fancy shampoo.  – so much shower gel (that I stood in the aisle and smelled forever…)(and I don’t even use shower gel).  – an allergen-free mattress pad.  – pajama bottoms (one pair… ok, three pairs). – a really alarming amount of cheese.

I also left with an exorbitant amount of really boring household items like paper towels and dish soap.

Mood-shopping and no new shoes or nail polish?  That must have been some mood.

Gah!  This is real life.

To settle my emotions, I sat in my car blank-staring and eating gummy bears.

To flip the script on my day I came home and baked these crazy-good, crunchy cheddar crackers.

And just like that… all is well (or at least cheesier)!

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These amazing crackers have a truly alarming amount of sharp cheddar cheese in them.  Alarming in a good way.  Alarming in a cheesy way.  So much cheese.  So much alarm.

spices

I added a hearty amount of chili spices to half of the cracker dough.

Chili and cheese.  They belong together.

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Soft butter and tons of cheese are brought together in a mixer with salt and flour.  It’s crumbly and it’s going down.  Two tablespoons of water are added to the dough and like magic, it all comes together.

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The finished homemade cheese cracker dough is moist but not wet, pliable but not sticky.  I added chili spices to half of the dough.

Gosh… this is genuinely exciting to me.

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Dough is rolled thin and pricked with the end of a paint brush.

Time for the oven.  Almost time to accidentally-on-purpose-over-eat.

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 To properly find the words to describe how wonderfully delicious a homemade cheese cracker is, I’ve had to sneak in the kitchen and pillage the cracker box.  They’re buttery and crisp.  They’re crazy-cheesy and flakey like whaaaat!?  I was instantly smitten and I continue to be downright obsessed.  They’re so simple to make and literally irresistible.  I hope you make them.  I hope you surprise/impress yourself.

xo!

Sharp Cheddar Cheese Crackers

makes about 70 crackers

adapted slightly from Ready Made Magazine

Print this Recipe!

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cold water

For Chili Cheese Crackers (these amounts will spice half of the cracker dough) :

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon ancho chili powder

1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter, cheese, salt and pepper.  It may seem strange to blend butter and cheese, but it will come together in a soft ball.  With mixer on low-speed, slowly add flour.  Mixture will become dry and crumbly.  Add two tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time.  Beat until mixture just comes together into a ball.  The mixture may take an extra teaspoon of water, but don’t add too much.  The dough should be moist but not wet.

Divide the dough in half and add chili seasoning to half of the dough.  Knead the spices into the dough.  Leaving streaks of the seasoning is just fine.  Wrap each disk of cracker dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (an hour is better).  The dough can also be frozen for future use.

While dough chills, place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough very thin, about an eighth of an inch thick.  Dot center of cracker with a fork or the end of a paint brush.  Place crackers on prepared baking sheets.  The pieces can be close together as they won’t expand much when baking.  Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until fragrant, golden brown, and crisp.  Allow to cool before serving.

The crackers can be stored in an airtight container for two or three days.  

 

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Questions

192 Responses

  1. Last time I posted a comment on this recipe was almost eight years ago! I have made this dozens of times, my husband, friends, family and I love them. I add the black pepper and about 1/2 tsp of cayenne with the butter and cheese and no other spices. I divide the dough into four pieces and pass through a pasta roller, chill, dock with a roller I bought just for this recipe, sprinkle with kosher salt and use a pizza cutter to cut into squares. I don’t separate them because its a bonus if two stick together.
    No matter how many I bring to a function, it’s never enough.
    Thank you Joy!!?

  2. Chef John recommended your site and made them. They look fantastically delicious — I’m addicted to Cheez-Its but I’m sure these will be a revelation. How should I wrap the dough for freezing? I want always to have this dough in my freezer, ready to go. How long to thaw out? A couple of hours, or just by touch? I’m so happy to have found you, Joy.

    1. Hi Hollis – great question. I would store this dough as a 1-inch thick disk, wrapped in plastic wrap and sealed in a freezer back for up to a month or just over a month in the freezer. You don’t want it to loose too much moisture in the freezer and the double wrapping helps with that. I would thaw the dough inn the refrigerator overnight and let it sit on the counter at room temp for maybe 30 minutes before rolling out. Cheers to fresh crackers all the time!

  3. These are delicious and addictive! If you don’t mind being a little less fancy, you can just cut out squares or rectangles with a pizza cutter instead of punching out circles. I also mix my spices in at the cheese and butter step – I generally want them all spiced, and I find that the quickest and easiest way to mix them in. Also: salted butter has about the same amount of salt as the recipe calls for, so I often use that instead of adding salt as well.

  4. I have made these many times and they are really good. Something, however is missing. I have tried cayenne pepper, more cheese (because what could be wrong with that), cutting the dough in long strips and still cannot get it just right. It seems as if cooking them long enough to get them crispy makes the cracker taste ever so slightly burnt. Would adding milk instead of water help? How about a touch of oil?
    Any thoughts?

  5. I love these but I have to stop baking them because I can’t stop eating them! I put the dough left, after cutting out the cracker rounds, on a baking sheet and bake them as well. Yummy!

  6. Thank~you for this recipe & I’m glad to know that I am not the only one that mood shops…The hubby ends up wondering why the groceries are so costly every 3rd or 4th shopping trip?, Well, I suppose he shouldn’t have pissed me off a couple days prior to grocery day…plenty of time to let “whatever” fester as I search the blogs for yummies like these $$$ gourmet cheesy crackers … LOl

  7. What do you use to make the circles? Maybe I missed it but I didn’t see what tool or kitchen item you used as the “cookie cutter”.

  8. I have been making these for a few years and everyone loves them!! I cut them into squares for ease and never make less than a double batch!

  9. I just made these and they were great!! I did more of a cheese variety (cleaning out the fridge) and they were still great. Thanks!

  10. These are amazing! Thank you so much for the simple and easy recipe. My 3 year old loves them. And I love them. And I’ve gained 20 pounds eating them so thanks, hahaha. ;) Seriously, awesome!

  11. I’m a retired widower who has recently discovered the joys of cooking. Something I’ve noticed in a lot of recipes is that they stress using unsalted butter but then the add salt to the recipe. Someone help me out here. Why the unsalted butter if you’re going to add salt to the recipe?

  12. These are delicious! I made them today, adding a little paprika and cayenne instead of the suggested spice mix, and they are soooo good. I used a foot-shaped cookie cutter and called them ‘cheesy feet biscuits’. Deliciously bad taste :P

  13. Pingback: Cheesy bites
  14. Can v use processed chesse or cheese spread or mozzarella as in my sleepy place v don’t get much varieties of cheese???

  15. Hi everyone,
    Make a version of these for my new boyfriend every time we are together….The last time was his birthday weekend and he raided the tupperware in the middle of the night…then blamed the ‘cat” for knocking the container off the counter and eating them! haha! Butter & Cheese and Cayenne and Flour and Salt — NOTHING better…well, ok chocolate chip cookies, but for savory THIS RECIPE WINS EVERYONE OVER!!!
    Thanks for posting! Gorgeous photos, simply inspiring! Adorable blog!
    Julie

  16. Hi there I am so thrilled I found your webpage, I really found you by mistake, while I was looking on Bing for something else, Anyways I am here
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  17. Great recipe. Skipped the spices and put sea salt on the tops instead. Also subbed the flour for all-purpose gluten-free flour and it worked great!

  18. Made these little bits of sunshine and WOW! Added a touch of cayenne for a hint of hot (bomb) and they disappeared – mostly into my very happy mouth. Concerning the prep, I split the dough between 2 gallon ziplock bags and kept the goods in those same bags while rolling the crackers out to avoid adding anymore flour – worked like a charm. I slit the bags so they folded open, flipped the dough onto the table and cookie cutted (yup, that just happened) away. I noticed that the thinner the dough, the crispier the crackers stayed. Yes, I washed the Ziplock bags and have already reused them much to my depression-era Grandmothers delight. Thank you for sharing!!

  19. This might be a stupid question but could you leave the flour out??? I am really trying to keep my diet to very little flour and sugar and only eat it by natural sources. Let me know what you think or if you have advice…

  20. joy, what’s your recommendation for the best way for me to mix up these little beauties if my life lacks a stand mixer? thanks!

  21. These were much easier to make than I expected, and even more deliciousl! They taste similar to cheez-its, but without the chemical aftertaste. They are cheesy, crispy and flaky – just wonderful.

  22. I wanted to say that I made these for our halloween paty to go with baked potato soup, and they were delicious! And much much easier to make than other cracker recipes I’ve made before. Loved them, and I will definitely be making them again :) Thank you!!

  23. Oh My….I have a belly ache from “accidentally” overeating! These are AMAZING!!! I was out of Ancho Chile Powder so I added in Cumin and my oh my….Yum-O!!!!!

  24. made these tonight and they turned out SO well. better than cheez-its. used cayenne, garlic, and smoked paprika to spice the whole batch and theyre perfectly spicy. thanks joy!

  25. I made these this weekend for friends and they were finished very quickly.
    Easy to make and delicious!
    Thank you :)

  26. I made these over the weekend while the kids were home. Holy snap! Those are gooood! I had to out them in a container and hide them from myself. They are not only super easy to make but delicious to boot! I have no idea how we had any left over but we did and I sent them back to school with my youngest.
    Thanks for a new favorite Joy!

  27. Just made these! The thinner the dough is before you bake it the better. The ones that started out thicker are more like mini biscuits than cheez-its. They are so small it’s hard not to over eat them (“just one more…”)!

  28. I am a sharp Cheddar-aholic and will be making these soon. The few that I don’t eat will be put in my daughter’s lunchbox. She wants to like those chemical-tasting store bought cheese crackers but just doesn’t. Smart kindergartener,

  29. These are AMAZING! I made this morning and have plans to do it again tonite after I took the first batch (less a few…achemmm) to a friend. LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe! :) I added smoked paprika and ground crushed red pepper instead of chilli because that is what I had on hand—the hint of heat with the cheese : MUST try! Thanks Joy! :D

  30. These look great! I’m in charge of the cheese and crackers tray at our playgroup’s halloween party tomorrow, and I’m totally making these! What size cutter did you use, just a regular 2 inch?

  31. I’ve been dying to make crackers for about a month now. I’m not sure if I have the work space to roll it all out though. These look so fabulous I think I might have to give it a try anyway.

  32. These sound yummy. In fact I have tried many of your recipes and they are all yummy :))
    LOL know all about mental shopping – my better half takes my credit cards away when I am like that.
    We don’t have target here in England which is just as well – I have just looked at their website and seen all the lovely Pajamas’ I’m surprised you stopped at three pairs :).
    Have a good day

  33. I’m an expert moper, and I’m always amazed, but never surprised, at how quickly I can dispel mopiness by getting into the kitchen.

    The crackers look amazing.

  34. After JUST having come up for air after unconsciously inhaling half a box of White Cheddar Cheez-Its, this is the post that shines the light from the moral beacon of my future. I’m not saying I’ll eat less, just better. And, I mean, c’mon… better is better, right? I knew you’d agree, Joy.

    Thanks!

  35. Ugh, I’ve had days like that… mine usually involve a pint of some sort of frozen dessert rather than a bag of gummy bears, though. These crackers look scrumptious!!!

  36. Target is a dangerously wonderful place. One just opened up near my apartment and my bank account may never be the same.

    Also, I am throwing a Halloween party on Sunday… can we get some Halloween snacks up in here? Pretty please?

  37. Loving the idea of making cheddar biscuits already because of this. It’s almost lunch-time and I am absolutely salivating over the pictures! Gah, why Joy??? (I kid). Do continue to make delectable goodies, your blog is definitely a go-to for good food reads.

  38. Little known fact: Target is one of the most dangerous places in the world. ….for your wallet. These look like Cheez-Its sophisticated, sweater with elbow patch wearing cousins and I MUST make them tonight. Thank you for giving my otherwise uneventful Wednesday night purpose.

  39. This is a problem. I need to study for a midterm…..
    Yeah, there’s no fighting this. Sorry books, you’ll have to wait!!

  40. I have the same problem with Target, I go when I’m less than happy and I come out with way too much stuff I didn’t necessarily need. But I’m usually happy to have it, and it certainly doe make me feel better. In fact, I did that lat week.

    I plan on making these a soon I as have some cheese and a baking sheet

  41. Wow. I just made these and they are crazy good. Dough was really fun to work with too. I was having a bad day, came across this recipe at work, came home and whipped it up. All better now. FYI they smell delicious while they are baking.

  42. These cheesy crackers are incredible.
    Assuming we don’t eat them ALL in one sitting, would they freeze well enough to be on hand for unexpected guests?

  43. Sooo good!!! I just made these. I didn’t have quite enough cheddar so i used 6 oz .cheddar and 2 oz. Swiss and they were delicious! Thanks Joy!

  44. I wanted to let you know… I had a very bad day yesterday. Nothing earth shattering, just a run of the mill stressful yucky work day. Then I remembered that I had a new cookbook, specifically yours. I read the entire thing last night, cover to cover. And suddenly my day wasn’t so bad anymore.

    I wanted to say thank you!

  45. When I lived in Oklahoma, Target was my choice mood-shopping spot. I would feel so stir crazy living there that all i could was go to the mall (when it was 112 degrees outside). Now, living in California, I can just go for a bike-ride or a walk. Phew.

  46. It’s good to know you sometimes buy cheese at Target. And those crackers look super good. They need some tomato soup to float on!

  47. Here’s a tip…When in college and my roommate and I would go shopping we just shoved everything in the cart. When we were about halfway done, my roommate would slowly take some of her stuff out of the cart, leaving only the necessities. At the time, I thought it was the most annoying thing ever. Now, I see how smart she was and about 25% of the time now, find myself doing a bit of it. Don’t worry, I put stuff back in the right place and save myself a bit of money and guilt.

  48. What is it about Target and buying all the things? I assure you, you don’t have to be in a mentally mental mood to walk into Target with three necessities on your list and then walk out of there with two cart fulls.

    These cheese crackers look divine, Ms. Joy.

    Hope you’re feeling fine,
    Ashley

  49. I probably make your poppy seed cracker recipe (well, without the seeds plus spices and sometimes parm. Oh, and with white whole wheat flour…) at least 3 times a month.

    I am going to make these. I am going to eat them all. YOLO

    On the real, my boyfriend thinks anything can be made 1000X better with the addition of cheese. This could work.

  50. That is definitely one of the good things about NYC. Target is super inconvenient for me so I don’t go and binge shop because I definitely used to. I need to make these crackers on the asap! I think they would be magical with some tomato soup.

  51. Target is my go-to mood-shopping destination, for better or worse. I think I’ve had extreeeemely similar receipts to yours… Oh goodness! Thanks for the cracker recipe. You make these look easy!

  52. These crackers make me so incredibly happy! It’s mainly because I can’t eat cheez-its (for various reasons), I’ve been dying to bake something all week, and they’re cure as a button :)

  53. Joy,
    So glad I’m not the only emotional shopper/eater out there ;) Sorry you had a not so good day.

    These cheese crackers look amazing! I’m going to have to make these soon!

  54. If it makes you feel ANY better, no matter WHAT kind of mood I’m in that’s the sort of stuff I generally leave Target with. Always and forever, never under $100.

  55. gah, thank you for saying that you do such things– like I do! I totally blank-stared in the car and ate marshmallows in the Target parking lot last week. It was a mood. Thank you for being a human girl and writing about real life issues. You’re like the big sister I never had and always needed. <3

  56. Oh my! What a shopping trip. You did make me in the mood for some gummy bears before I realized all of the delicious spices that are in those cheddar crackers! I think you made it up to yourself to make these lovely crackers after buying all those items :)

  57. The Target trap. It happens. But at least your turned your day around with these crackers! And they look great. I did that yesterday with chocolate pudding.

  58. Looks so good! Nom nom!

    I have a question, do you ever mix the spiced and the unspiced dough together or do you make crackers from them separately?

    I love Target shopping too :-D

  59. My family LOVES my home made cheddar crackers, and these look similar, I will have to try these. I just use a fluted pastry wheel to cut long strips, then cut across on the diagonal to make them pretty. But it doesn’t matter, cuz they don’t last long! They make a wonderful gift, too!

  60. I’ve gone to Target in that kind of mood too. Baking is a better idea. I find that baking can really lift my spirit. You helped me to learn that.

  61. I can totally relate to your “shopping in a mood” Joy. I still have the contents of such a day in my cupboard: giant tin of candied ginger, large bag of peanut butter chips, large tub of shelled pumpkin seeds. Luckily, I have some projects in mind for all of these :) Your flaxseed crackers are awesome – can’t wait to try these!

  62. I wish I had seen these not but 5 hours ago, I was having a bad food day; I ate a really bad muffin when I should have had an apple, and the rest of the day was lost. I thought things had perked up when I bought awesome dip and crackers, but the crackers turned out to be just the worst!
    I plan on trying again tomorrow +cake.

  63. Argh! I feel like we should be best friends. That would’ve been my list of randomness upon a good unintentional Target-run. And I moved to London 3 weeks ago so I am jonesing for some Target hard. That being said, I will go to the market this weekend, trolly in hand, and get whatever I can find to make these delicious awesomes. Thank you!!

  64. Omigawsh! Who are you trying to kid? These would NEVER last 3 days in a sealed container. They wouldn’t even make it to the container in my house. I’d be eating them right off the baking sheet…every last one of them. Yum.Er.Iffic.

  65. Im a cheese lover 4 life! These are very similar to cheese straws and look just as delicious. I can’t wait to try these

  66. They look so crispy, crunchy, good! And yes, NEVER shop in a mood. I came home one day with so much flour and eggs the other day and when I got home, I was wondering why I did that. Was I going to open a bakery or something?!? And another time, it wasn’t gummy bears. It was chocolate bars. I still have about 6 bars sitting in my cabinet as we speak.

  67. I’m slowly falling in love with homemade crackers, even after one batch. And once you add cheddar cheese, the temptation is even better.

    Thanks for the great idea!!

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