Guest post by Crystal of Serving Joyfully
Earlier this year, my family took the plunge to cut out processed foods and eat real food only. The thing about eating real food only is that highly processed foods have sneaked their way into almost everything that we eat. It’s not just convenience foods we have to worry about, it’s practically everything! I found out quickly that in order to eat real food only, we would have to make most of our foods completely from scratch–including breads, crackers, condiments, etc.
The bonus is that cooking from scratch, even using good quality, real food ingredients is better for our budget as well.
These homemade cheesy crackers are a great on-the-go snack. We took them with us on a visit to my parents’ house (6 hours away). They were also a great alternative to the processed snacks that my parents had.
Have fun when making these! The recipe is very simple, and a great opportunity to get your kids in the kitchen with you! My boys had a lot of fun using small cookie cutters to help make the crackers.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp seasoning of your choice I used a homemade Italian blend of seasonings
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp butter
- 2-3 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix flour, seasoning, and cheese. I pulsed a couple of times in my blender to make this easier.
- Use a fork or pastry blender to mix in butter. Add 2-3 tbsp water to make a very thick dough.
- Roll out dough into a thin, uniform thickness and cut into crackers. Pierce each cracker with a toothpick, and place into a single layer on baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until slightly browned.
Have you ever made homemade crackers? What are your favorite snacks to make from scratch?
Crystal Brothers is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom to 2 rambunctious boys, and a wife to a forest ranger who just happens to be her best friend. She writes at Serving Joyfully about marriage, debt-free living, and just a little bit of everything. She is the author of Intentional Marriage: The Art of Loving Your Husband (A 31 Day Devotional).
Beth Cranford
I’ve been meaning to try making cheese crackers, but wondered if they’ll come out right. Thanks for the recipe and the dose of courage!
Tara H
Do you know about how many this makes? Not an exact number but should I double it for 5 boys? Also, they don’t have to go in the fridge right? We have a trip coming up and these seem perfect! Thanks for sharing!
Crystal @ Serving Joyfully
Our family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids) snacked on these probably 2-3 times each. The number would depend on the sizes of the crackers.
As for refrigerating, I don’t have an official answer, but I did not refrigerate mine.
Cindy
Can only cheddar cheese be used or can you substitute another cheese?
Crystal @ Serving Joyfully
I have used cheddar and colby-jack. I tend to exchange cheeses in recipes quite often, so I would say if it is a similar cheese it should be fine.
alevasseur
Can you use regular flour?
Crystal @ Serving Joyfully
I would expect that would be fine. Whole wheat can be a bit “thirstier” than white, so you might need a bit less water.
Also, if you have any desire to move toward whole wheat, I think things like this are a great way to get started with it, as the texture difference isn’t as drastic as it is in some other things.
Crystal
Looking forward to trying this out! Can you give more specifics on your choice of seasonings? Did it give the crackers an Italian flavor or did the cheddar overpower that?
Crystal @ Serving Joyfully
Sorry I’m just now seeing this. It didn’t overpower the crackers at all. They mostly tasted just like cheese. I have also used seasoned salt and not added other seasoning.
MonicaF
Just made these for my 8 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old children and they LOVE them! I substituted 4 1/2 Tbsp of organic extra virgin olive oil for the butter though. They taste just like cheese-it’s. I used Italian seasoning as well.
Crystal @ Serving Joyfully
So glad your family enjoyed them, Monica!
Michelle
Can these be made with spelt flour? Thanks
veronica
Is there a certain brand of wheat flour you use
Erin
This was a guest post, and I no longer use wheat because my family is gluten-free, but, before, I would have used something like Bob’s Red Mill. Organic is best if you can get it and can afford it! Hope this helps!
Brenda
We are also Gluten Free because of celiac. Could you tell me the name of GF flour that you use? I am not good experimenting with the different GF flours on the market. Thanks
Erin
I started out using the Bob’s Red Mill brand, and Namaste and Jules are also good!
Jenni
Have you tried making these with GF flour? My daughter can’t have most GF crackers on the market because of added ingredients. This could be a game changer for us!
Erin
I have not yet. 🙁 But I have friends who have tried, and they have had good success. I recommend trying an all-purpose GF flour mix that already has xanthan gum included in it!