Cheddar Cheese Crackers

I made some Cheddar cheese crackers some years ago. They were small, and very thin, one inch crackers. Today I decided to use the same recipe to make a different version. So these crackers are larger and thicker.

For mine I rolled out the dough to 4mm, between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. That thickness is perfect to bake the crackers until they are nice and crisp. However they still retain a slight bite on the inside. The dough will puff up as it bakes to make fine layers in a perfect cracker.

As well as Cheddar cheese. I used some aromat seasoning in my crackers. However any spice or seasoning would be good. But be aware of the type of seasoning, adjusting the amount used to complement the cheese. For instance a small amount of cayenne pepper with give a spicy hit to the crackers. Some garlic or onion powder will also offer a good additional flavour. Dried herbs would be good too.

My seasoning already contained salt.

The recipe is very simple indeed. It has only a few ingredients. Everything is quickly combined into a dough which can be rolled out and baked in very little time.

These are the sort of cracker, or biscuit, that I like to eat with soup. Indeed I like to crumble some on top of my soup.

I would warn you that these are very moreish crackers. It is easy to over-indulge.

How long they need to bake depends on how thick you roll out the dough, and how crisp you want the crackers. I suggest between 15 and 20 minutes, until they are crisp but with a bite internally. However you can bake for longer to make them even more crisp.

The recipe will make 24 crackers if rolled to about 4mm.

My Bake

I baked my crackers for 17 minutes, until they had puffed up and coloured on top.

I then transferred them to a wire rack until they were completely cool.

Then I had a taste and, as I already knew from my previous version, they tasted fantastic. They were baked perfectly to how I like them. Crisp on the outside but just with that little bite too. It was very difficult to not eat them all.

Here is my original recipe for Cheddar Crackers, small and perfectly formed

Cheddar Cheese Crackers

Recipe by geoffcooCourse: Biscuits, CookiesCuisine: SavouryDifficulty: Easy

Servings

24

servings

Prep Time

13

minutes

Cooking time

17

minutes

Ingredients

• 130g(2/3 cup+2 tbsp, based on scooping packed flour into a 250ml cup) plain flour

• 6g(1 1/2 tsp) aromat seasoning, or other seasoning – see note below

• 56g(4 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

• 225g( 8 oz) cheddar cheese, grated

• 45ml to 60ml(3 to 4 tsp) ice cold water

Directions

• Mix the seasoning into the flour.
• Add the butter and cheese and process in a machine, or rub between your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
• Pour in about 45ml water and process until the mixture clumps together(add more water a little at a time if necessary).
• Tip the dough out onto the counter and squeeze into a ball of dough.
• Roll the dough out between two sheets of plastic wrap( I divided my dough into two for this and saved half to bake later), to a thickness of about 4 mm which is between 1/8 and 1/4 inch.
• Cut discs out, using a cookie cutter that is about 70mm(2 3/4 inches) in diameter.
• Place the discs onto a parchment lined baking tray leaving about an inch between each one.
• Prick the discs all over with a fork.
• Place the baking tray into the fridge to chill as you preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/375F.
• Bake the crackers for between 15 and 20 minutes, until they have puffed up a little and coloured well. Bake longer to make an even crunchier cracker( I baked mine for 17 minutes).
• Remove the crackers from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

• You can use any seasoning you wish, but adjust the amount to suit the strength of the seasoning. Cayenne pepper for instance would need only about 1/2 tsp. Try garlic powder, onion powder, dried herbs etc.