Tag: Crackers

Cheese Crackers

Cheese Crackers | Serious CrustCheese Crackers | Serious Crust

A while back, I went to the Oregon coast, which obviously meant a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory for a few trips through the tasting line and being entranced by the packaging of cheese. You wouldn’t think it would be so interesting, but I totally zone out on those machines trimming, wrapping, vacuuming, and sending off a zillion pounds of cheese.

The other great thing about the cheese factory is that not only do they have EVERY kind of Tillamook Cheese you could want, but they also have basically half-priced packages of the little ends and bits that they trim when they’re packaging the cheese. So when I saw a pound of Garlic White Cheddar for cheap, I said, “Yes, please,” and brought it home with me. I used almost all of it for some macaroni and cheese, and the rest went into these very (cheesy) crackers.

I’ve had a weakness for Cheez-its ever since I was a young child (seriously, if you every need to bribe me for any reason, Cheez-its will do the trick), and I love baking my own at home every once in a while. I figured the garlic in this cheese would add a great flavor to these cheese crackers, and it did. If you can, I highly recommend getting your hands on some garlic cheddar for these bad boys, but if you can’t, any sharp (or extra sharp) cheddar will do.

Cheese Crackers

Ingredients

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
4 oz Tillamook garlic white cheddar (or any other garlic cheddar), finely grated
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili powder, optional (if you’re down to have your crackers on the slightly spicier side, I recommend it)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup AP flour
1-4 Tbsp cold milk
salt for dusting

Instructions

In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and grated cheese. While that is mixing, in a small bowl sift together the flour, salt, chili powder, and paprika. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and cheese mixture and mix until combined. Yes, it’ll be crumbly!

A tablespoon at a time, add the milk, mixing after each addition, until the dough comes together. Form the dough into two discs, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 of an inch (or slightly thinner). Cut into squares, and using the tine of a fork or end of a skewer, make a hole in the center of each square. Sprinkle with salt, and transfer to the baking sheet. Bake for 8-11 minutes, until the edges are just golden brown (they can burn quickly, so if you want to go darker, keep a close eye on them). Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for 5 minutes before enjoying.

Cinnamon Sugar Crackers

Cinnamon Sugar Crackers
Cinnamon Sugar Crackers

Cinnamon Sugar Crackers

I recently found this recipe for cinnamon sugar crackers. The pictures looked like cheez-its, except no cheese, just a lovely dusting of cinnamon sugar. They’re like cookies but smaller and crunchier. A nice way to have something sweet but smaller servings and more snack-esque than cookies. They’re like a mix between a Snickerdoodle and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Cinnamon Sugar Crackers

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 Tbl sugar, divided
2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
2 Tbl milk or half and half (I used 2%)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine the butter, flour, 4 Tbl of the sugar and 1 tsp of the cinnamon. Pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Now add the milk or half and half and process again until the dough comes together and forms a ball. In a small bowl, combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.

Dump out the dough onto a floured surface and, using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out. You want it to be as much of a rectangle as you can and about 1/16 inch thick. With a pizza cutter wheel or a sharp knife, trim the sides off and cut the dough into 1 inch x 1 inch squares.

Carefully transfer the crackers to a baking sheet (preferably lined or greased). I needed to use my knife to help get the dough off the counter. Once on the baking sheet, take the blunt end of a skewer (or the end of a paintbrush because you don’t have any skewers around) and make a hole in the center of each cracker. This ensures that the crackers don’t puff up too much while they’re baking. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the crackers before baking them for 11-15 minutes. I baked mine for 11 minutes, turning them halfway through. You want the edges to be golden brown. After removing them from the oven, transfer the crackers to a rack to cool. Enjoy!