Best Homemade Cheez-Its Recipe:- Homemade Cheez-Its (not homemade Goldfish crackers!) are at the centre of my first cookbook, Classic Snacks Made from Scratch. If there is such a thing as an origin narrative for my cookbook, it would be about where it all began.
In 2011, when print magazines were still a thing, I had a semi-regular contributing employment at ReadyMade magazine. I was responsible for writing articles for the publication.
In addition, I was presented with the challenge of developing a recipe for handmade Cheez-Its as part of a blind taste test for the “Taste Off” column of the magazine.
Best Homemade Cheez-Its Recipe
a Cheez-made from scratch by meThe product would be evaluated in comparison to store-bought brands, including the namesake originals as well as a wide variety of generics and “natural” variants.
As expected, the response to my request for volunteers to participate in taste tests was positive.
When you put a group of ladies in a room with a few bottles of wine and ask them to wax poetic about the qualities of several types of cheese crackers, you will be able to witness something quite remarkable.
“Are you able to put these on pizza later?” was the most insightful response made by the panel of judges.
Are these our highly scientific discoveries? An imperfect Cheez-It is nevertheless a Cheez-It that can be consumed without any effort.
Despite the fact that there is no such thing as a terrible cheese cracker, the ideal Cheez-It has a few distinguishing traits that set it apart from other cheese crackers.
A great crunch, an obvious cheese flavour that does not deteriorate into pure saltiness, and just enough grease to leave a faint sheen on your fingertips are all some of the characteristics that it possesses.
The outcomes of my homemade Cheez-It recipe were so astonishingly irresistible that I was motivated to continue on the path of developing more homemade versions of everyone’s favourite junk foods. Those are the points that I carried with me when I created my Cheez-It recipe.
From Tastykake butterscotch krimpets to Cheez Whiz, I began the process of reverse engineering everything under the sun.
And then, after another two years had passed, Classic Snacks Made from Scratch was made available to the joy of snack enthusiasts all around the world.
I am still ecstatic about the results of these homemade Cheez-Its, even though it is the year 2019, and I am still making them. They were my first love, and after all these time, they are still there for me to share my life with.
I can assure you that they will not let you down since they have the ideal amount of salty crunch and just the right amount of cheesy grease to make you want to lick your fingers.
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce block extra sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
- 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) cubed unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (120 grams; 4 1/4 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cheddar, butter, and salt until soft and homogenous.
- Add the flour and mix on low speed; the dough will be dry and pebbly.
- Slowly add the water and continue to mix as the dough coalesces into a mass.
- Pat the dough into a disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each into a very thin (1/8 inch or less) 10×12-inch rectangle.
- Using a fluted pastry cutter, cut the rectangles into 1-inch squares, then transfer to the baking sheets.
- Use the tip of a chopstick to punch a hole into the center of each square.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until the crackers are puffed and browning at the edges. Watch carefully, as the high fat content of the crackers makes it a fine line between golden delicious and burnt.
- Immediately move the crackers to racks to cool.
Notes
Crackers will keep for up to 1 week in a sealed container at room temperature.
