Cheese crackers have been a permanent fixture in my grocery cart ever since Oliver started eating solid foods. He is a cheese cracker fanatic and I hate to admit it, but he snacks on them more than I would like. Even with getting organic, healthier brands, there’s still a few ingredients I’m left wondering about. Making them from scratch was the next best thing that also happens to follow one of my resolutions for this year – buy less, and make more from scratch.
Making these crackers was a lot of fun. There’s a little bit of a time investment, but you end up with crisp, crunchy little cheese crackers. You can either cut these into squares, triangles, or use mini animal cookie cutters. They will love these tasty savory bites and YOU won’t have to worry about what’s in them.
Animal Cheese Cracker Recipe
3 tablespoons unsalted, cold butter
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grated shap cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1 ice cube
Instructions
Start with cold butter cut into cubes. Combine with flour, dry mustard, and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until the mixture is crumbly (if using an eletctric mixer, mix on low speed). Add the cheese and mix for a few seconds to integrate the cheese into the crumbly mixture.
In a 3/4 measuring cup add cool water, vinegar, and ice cube and let sit to chill. Add liquid to mixture. Start with 6 tablespoons of liquid then slowly add 1 tablespoon at a time until all combined. The dough should start to form a ball and cling to the stirring utensil. Remove from mixing bowl, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to 3 days.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove dough from the refrigerator and transfer onto a floured surface. Roll out to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thick. You can use cookie cutters, pizza dough cutter, or a sharp knife to make your shapes. Using a spatula, gently lift cut out dough and place on a baking sheet greased lightly with butter. Bake for 15 minutes then rotate the pans and bake for another 15 minutes until crackers are golden brown. Finally turn off oven and let crackers rest in the oven to cool for 1 hour (this helps with crisping the crackers).
Recipe adapted from, The Homemade Pantry cookbook, by Alana Chernila.
