I’m obsessed with making crackers.  I’ve tried several different methods and recipes, and it’s always delightfully simple and yummy.  The only downfall is my inability to make enough to “stock up” for a week.  They get better with age, but no one at my house could attest to this fact.  They’re also freezable!

Scarlette, my two year old, is anxious to try the cheese crackers

This week, we made yummy cheese crackers, and cut them into little heart shapes.  I believe whole-heartedly that the heart shape made them taste better.  This is not a measurable scientific fact, yet it is so.

Love Cracker

After we cut the shape and poked our hole, we put them on the baking sheet and brushed them with melted and seasoned butter.  Then, we sprinkled them with cheese-flavored popcorn salt for an extra “oomph” of cheesy goodness.

Brushed with melted & seasoned butter, then sprinkled with popcorn cheese

Once they’re baked, I always sprinkle an extra little bit of the cheese powder on them to overcome the inevitable fall-off.  I despise my taste for processed cheese flavor, yet it overcomes me, and I.Must.Sprinkle.More.Cheese.  Truly, it could be completely eliminated, and the crackers would be cheesy without it.  More nutritious.  Healthier. Blah blah blah… I just like the stuff.

Some of the ingredients I used for cheesy crackers

So.  After many trials and errors of a multitude of cracker recipes, I’ve come to like making cheese crackers like this:

Ingredients:

• 6oz of shredded cheese – you can choose – I used extra sharp cheddar
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (I used the kind in olive oil)
• 1 tablespoon of prepared horseradish
• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• 1/2 stick salted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon fleur de sel
• 1 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
• 1 & 1/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cold lemon juice

Directions:

Mix together with a fork the cheddar, garlic, horseradish, mustard, butter, salt, and pepper until homogeneous. Add the flour and mix until the dough is pebbly. Add the lemon juice and continue to mix until it forms a heavy dough.

Form the dough into a ball and let it rest for about 10 minutes.  Then, wrap it in waxed paper and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350˚. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Prepare your rolling surface with flour.  Break off 1/2 of the dough chunk, and roll it out into a super thin sheet on the prepared surface.  Less than 1/8” makes a great crispy cracker.  From the sheet, you can create your choice of shape, or simply cut into squares with a pizza cutter or pastry cutter.  When you complete shaping the crackers, make sure to poke a hole into each cracker.

Bake for 14 minutes or until it begins browning along the edges. Be certain to watch the baking VERY carefully, as it will quickly burn.

Remove from the oven and cool.

Profile of baked cheese cracker

And this is how my crackers looked when they were finished!  Crispy and delicious!

Bowl of Cheese Love