Homemade Cheese Cracker Recipe!

Today's edition of MmmMmmMmm-Monday is geared towards the kiddos (or for full grown men who like to eat like kids - like The Sailor)!

W could eat Cheese-Its and Gold Fish all.day.long.  So, instead of continuing to pump him full of artificial colors and preservatives (or having to sell a kidney to be able to afford the organic kinds) I decided to try my hand at making my own!  It is a super simple recipe that I originally found here.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 packed cups of finely grated sharp cheddar (all I could find was normal cheddar and it worked just fine)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 teaspoon salt and the recipe called for another 1/2 tsp to sprinkle on top but I chose to omit that and they turned out just fine
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2-3 tbsp water (I actually only used 1)

Instructions

• Using a stand mixer with the paddle beater, combine cheese, butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, and pepper until it starts to stick to the sides of the bowl, 1/2-1 minute
•  Add flour and cornstarch and mix until combined, about 1 minute
• Add 1 tablespoon of water and mix briefly until dough ball forms. Add another tablespoon of water, if needed. 
• Wrap in plastic, press the ball of dough into a disc, and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
• Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat over to 375.
•  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. 
• Unwrap the dough and place on a floured surface. Roll to 1/16 inch thickness. 
• Cut into 1-inch squares using a beveled-edge ravioli cutter. Separate the different pieces and transfer to baking sheets. 

• Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt (I omitted this)
• Bake until light golden around the edges, about 18 minutes, switching racks and rotating sheets halfway through baking. I let mine cook the full 18 minutes and some of mine burned, definitely check on them often during the second half of baking!!
• Let cool completely on baking sheets.

They turned out really delicious and made my house smell great!  But, it's a lot of work (rolling, cutting, separating) and doesn't made a ton of crackers.  But it's way better than store bought and less expensive, so I'll continue to make them for my little man!

Obviously, the are W approved!

 Cheese crackers make you thirsty!!!