I love to experiment with making the homemade version of processed, store-bought foods, so when my sister told me about a recipe for homemade Cheez-its over at Good.Food.Stories that her family was crazy for, I had to get out my rolling pin and get cooking. My sister never steers me wrong and sure enough, these crackers were to die for.
I tinkered with the original recipe a bit, substituting one tablespoon of vegetable shortening (I like Spectrum organic cold-press palm oil shortening) for one tablespoon of the butter. Making the dough with both butter and shortening adds a little structure that makes the crackers less shortbread-y and more cracker-y. If you don’t have organic vegetable shortening on hand, you can just use all butter. I used sharp cheddar cheese instead of extra-sharp, which gives the crackers a slightly milder taste that our family prefers. I also found that reducing the original cooking temperature improved the texture of the crackers; even so, my baking time was less than what the original recipe called for.
After I posted this recipe, several readers wrote in to share their success with other flours:
- Tara made the crackers with King Arthur Gluten-Free baking flour.
- Tracy used brown rice flour and made the crackers for Passover.
- Sarah used white whole wheat flour.
- MN Mom used half whole wheat, half unbleached white flour.
Hurray! I love hearing about the ways you make a recipe your own, and your comments help all of us.
Shall we get started?
Homemade Cheez-It Crackers
*8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
*3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
*1 tablespoon organic vegetable shortening (or substitute 1 tablespoon unsalted butter)
*1 teaspoon sea salt
*1 cup flour
*2 tablespoons ice water
Combine the cheese, butter, shortening and salt in a food processor or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Add the flour and pulse or mix on low speed until the mixture is combined.
Add the ice water slowly with the mixer or food processor running.
The dough will just start to come together, and should look something like this:
You may need to add a few more drops of water, but go slowly so you don’t overdo it. Gather up the dough and pat it into three disc shapes. Don’t knead it or mess with it too much.
Wrap the discs tightly in waxed paper or parchment and refrigerate for at least an hour, or until you’re ready to bake the crackers. The dough can be refrigerated like this for up to 5 days.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Let the dough sit out at room temperature for about 20 minutes, and cut a piece of parchment paper to fit your favorite baking sheet. Gently begin to roll the dough out directly on the parchment paper. At first it may seem a little unyielding:
…but just take your time and press the cracks back together as you go.
Keep persevering, and roll the dough quite thin, to a thickness of about 1/8 inch.
Now it’s time for the fun part! Cut the crackers into 1 inch squares. You can use a pizza cutter, a sharp knife, or a fancy pastry cutter to do this.
Poke a hole in the center of each cracker with a skewer. Along with being decorative, the hole allows the steam to escape which helps your crackers bake up nice and crisp.
Use a sharp spatula to separate the crackers gently on the parchment paper and transfer the whole paper (scraps, too – perfect snacks for the chef!) to a baking sheet. Bake the crackers for about 12 to 13 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. (Depending on how your oven cooks, your baking time may be more or less so watch the first batch carefully.)
Cool the whole sheet on a wire baking rack and repeat with the remaining dough. You can serve the crackers warm, or cool them completely and store them in a container with a tight fitting lid. This recipe makes about 8 dozen crackers. In our household most of these disappeared within 45 minutes of baking, but if you can hold some back they pair really well with a nice glass of Chardonnay:
Enjoy the weekend, and be sure to let me know how you like these crackers!
P.S. This post was shared on Frugally Sustainable’s Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways.
About Eliza Cross
Eliza Cross is a full-time writer and the author of five books about home design and food. She has been blogging about simplicity and sustainable living since 2006.
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I can’t wait to give these a try!
Annies Jones recently posted..Chive Blossom Vinegar
Thanks for the shoutout! And I LOVE that you paired them with wine (though, truth be told, I’ll sometimes eat store-bought Cheez-Its with wine. I have no shame.)
Casey@Good. Food. Stories. recently posted..Chicken cutlets- the ultimate home-cooked dinner
Casey, you are my kind of girl. I will be forever in your debt for introducing us to these wonderful crackers, and if you are ever in Denver I hope you’ll stop by for wine and Cheez-its!
These look really great, I think that i’ll have to try them sometime!
Jeff @ Sustainable life blog recently posted..Changing Strategy
OMG!! These look so delicious. I’m not much of a cook, and as a bachelor, I don’t really have the right tools for the job, but I’m definitely going to see what I can do to make a batch of these hm cheese crackers…:) Maybe I can share the ingredients, prepping and cooking with a friend. Thanks for the post and all the best
Lyle
baseball chair recently posted..Baseball Furniture – Conveniently At Your Fingertips
I came across your website when googling where to buy cheesecloth in my area (I know, of all things!)…and by golly, I am so glad I did! What a wonderful plethora of thoughts, tips and inspiration for simplified, self-sustaining living, a lifestyle my husband and I desire for our family of six. I look forward to reading more of your approach and ideas on choosing to live simply and well.
PS. Not that you need to know, but I was looking up cheesecloth, as I have a huge crop of black raspberries and am going to can jelly (as opposed to freezing it like I did last year) and I realized cheesecloth is needed…and as a bonus, I now know how to make yogurt! (Thank you!)
These look fantastic! I will definitely have to try these! Thank you for sharing this!
Katy~TheCountryBlossom recently posted..Sweet Eloise
These are awesome. I added 0.5 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and used extra sharp cheddar!
Oooh, that sounds yummy, Donna – love that you added a little extra ‘zing’!
I’ve been making these for a few months now. I use a food processor. I’ve never had luck with my mixer and I also omit the shortening and just use butter in place of that. They taste so good and very similar to the store bought kind…better in my opinion.
Vanessa recently posted..Water
These look even better than the real thing! I am so trying this! Thanks for the awesome tutorial!
Jacinda @ Growing Home recently posted..Make Your Own Lip Balm
Eliza, Thank you for sharing a recipe for my favorite crunchy salty, un-healthy snack! I eat healthy most of the time, but I can’t resist cheeze-its! Now I can make my own, more healthy version of them! Blessings from Bama!
I added 1/2 wheat and 1/2 unbleached flower and still yummy! next I’ll add a bit of garlic powder. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hello,
How long will these stay fresh if left in an airtight container and can the raw dough or baked product be frozen?
Dear Melody,
The crackers will stay fresh in a tightly covered container for about five days at room temperature. Or stick the container in the refrigerator, and they’ll stay fresh for 10 to 14 days. You can easily freeze the dough. Just thaw it in the refrigerator for about 24 hours before rolling and baking. Good luck!
xo
I’m about to try these with gluten free flour. I hope they turn out, we haven’t been able to find a yummy gluten free cheese cracker yet.
any luck with the gluten free flour?
thanks,
from 1 gf house to another!
[...] version, or at least one with pronouncable ingredients. Here is my version of a recipe by Eliza Cross at Happy Simple [...]
[...] version, or at least one with pronounceable ingredients. Here is my version of a recipe by Eliza Cross at Happy Simple [...]
[...] Simple Living shows how to make homemade cheez – it crackers. I want to try these [...]
Great recipe! Sure wish I could Pin this to save
Ok, I am old and slow and figured out how to Pin It! LOL
Thanks!
Yum!
Wonder if these would work with gluten free flour?
Dear Nicole,
I haven’t tried the recipe with gluten-free flour, but I think it might possibly work because of the generous quantity of cheese in the recipe. The flour mainly adds a little structure to hold the buttery cheese mixture together. If you try it, will you report back to us?
xo,
Eliza
[...] quite figure out what. Then a light bulb went off and I remembered this recipe I saved from Happy Simple Living. It is just what I was looking for and OH.MY.GOSH, these are so [...]
I just wanted to let you know that I featured this post in my ‘Weekend Picks’ (http://rebeccashearthandhome-proverbs31heart.blogspot.com/2012/05/weekend-picks-52512.html) on my website. This recipe looks absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to try it!
Rebecca Knox recently posted..Weekend Picks – 5/25/12
These are awesome! I just finished making them but subbing white whole wheat flour instead of regular white and they are YUMMY! Thanks for the recipe and I plan on making these more often for my little boy.
[...] but we don't buy them very often. We try to stay away from chips and snack crackers. I saw a recipe at Happy Simple Living for homemade cheese crackers, and although they aren't exactly healthy, they only use five [...]
Thanks for the great recipe! It was really easy to follow and turned out wonderfully! Here is my batch: http://littleraindrops.com/blog/2012/07/12/cheese-crackers-make-me-happy/
Iv just tried this and these crackers are so nice. better then shop bought. and they are so yummy and easy to make even for me !.Its cheap to make and you can make so many.Thankyou for sharing
will do is all the time now
[...] Adapted from Happy Simple Living [...]
[...] Homemade Cheez-It Crackers: I have never even thought of making homemade crackers! Apparently it doesn’t take that many ingredients! I am adding this to my “to do” list! [...]
These are amazing…and they are super easy to make. Thanks!!
[...] but we don’t buy them very often. We try to stay away from chips and snack crackers. I saw a recipe at Happy Simple Living for homemade cheese crackers, and although they aren’t exactly healthy, they only use five [...]
I made these a while back using King Arther’s Gluten Free baking flour. My GF son loved them. YUM!
Tara,
It’s great to know that the recipe was yummy with the gluten-free baking flour. Hurray and thank you.
xo
Just made them!! So fabulous. I did a little variation- used brown rice flour- for passover- and Colby jack cheese!!! So delicious- everyone( including kiddos loved them!!)
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cracker recipe, and happy it worked with brown rice flour. Happy Passover and thanks so much for letting me know about your good results. xo
These are phenomenal, and so easy to make. So far I’ve made two batches – one with sharp provolone, one with sharp cheddar – both using white whole wheat flour. Way better than store bought, and super delicious!