Home-Made Cheesy Crackers

I got this recipe from my favorite resource ever: Pinterest. It's a game changer. A life saver. I don't know what else to say about it, because there are just so many lovely adjectives and descriptions I could choose from. Seriously, it might just be the best thing since sliced bread.

All silliness aside, I really am impressed by this recipe. Then again, how can you go wrong with Homemade Cheez Its? I made the recipe as a practice, to see if it was worth adding into our collection, and I'm happy to say that it is! These little crackers make a perfect snack for myself and the Hubby, and they're painfully simple and easy to make!

 Clearly I have trouble making my crackers uniform and pretty, but luckily it didn't affect the taste at all!

Homemade Cheez-Its

• Ingredients
• 8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded (I used regular sharp, and they turned out great.)
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature (4 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (Or regular table salt works, too.)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
  2 tablespoons ice water (I ended up using 4 tbsp.)

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the cheese, butter, and salt. Add the flour and mix on low (dough will be pebbly). Slowly add the water and mix as the dough forms a ball.
2. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each into a very thin (1/8 inch or less) 10x12 inch rectangle. Using a fluted pastry cutter, cut the rectangles into 1-inch squares, then transfer them to the baking sheets.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until puffed and browning at the edges. Watch carefully, as the high fat content of the crackers makes a fine line between golden delicious and burnt. Immediately move the crackers to racks to cool.

That's it! I was incredibly impressed with how easy it was to make these delicious little crackers, and I'm still beating myself up over having waited so long to make them. While you're cutting the dough, it looks like a lot of crackers, but it really isn't as much as you might think. If you're making them for a group, I'd recommend doubling or tripling the recipe, since they'll disappear in a flash. If you manage to keep them around for a bit longer, they should last about a week in an air tight container.