Homemade Cheese Crackers

Cheez-its have always been one of my family’s favorite snacks. I came across this recipe on Pinterest and figured I’d give a homemade version a try. They definitely did not disappoint!

These only have about half the ingredients boxed Cheez-its have. They’re perfect if you’re trying to cut out processed foods or just want to try something new. They’re easy to make and cheaper than buying a big box of those salty, delicious crackers. These are just as good!

Here’s what you’ll need:
1 cup flour
4 tbsp cold butter, cut into small cubes
8 oz. grated cheddar cheese (you can buy a bag of shredded cheese or grate your own)
3/4 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in food processor, pulse until crumbly. Add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together. Form into ball and wrap in plastic wrap, chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. Transfer to parchment-lined or greased baking sheet, and, using pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into 1 inch squares. Sprinkle with kosher salt and bake for 20-25 minutes. Test for crispiness; crackers may take a few minutes more to finish crisping. Remove from oven when crisp and just starting to brown. Let cool and serve.

Tips:
I didn’t roll my dough out quite thin enough, which resulted in these fluffy cheez-it copycats. They’re delicious either way!
I also used a wooden skewer (like you would grill a kabob on) to poke a hole in the center of each cracker. This helped with the puffing and also made them look a little more like real cheez-its.
Keep an eye on these while they’re in the oven! I stuck one batch in the oven for 25 minutes as the original recipe instructed, but ended up with a giant batch of burnt crackers! The second batch took about 20 minutes and came out perfectly crispy.