The other day I stumbled across a delicious-looking recipe for homemade cheez-it crackers. – My #1 guilty pleasure!
The pictures in these recipes: [#1, #2 and #3] were so pretty and the crackers so mouthwatering, that I had to try them…
Mix your dry ingredients with the butter until crumbly:
1 cup of flour
4 Tbs. of cold butter cut up in small bits
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (I think I tried 3/4 tsp and they had a little too much kick!)
3/4 tsp. salt
Then mix in:
2 cups, or an 8 oz. bag of grated sharp cheddar cheese
and a couple of Tbs. of cold water until it can just hold together in a ball.
I put the combination in the food processor for a few pulses while adding my water, but you can leave it as is if you want the more gourmet feel. =)
Wrap and chill for about 30 minutes or so, and then roll out thin.
Your crackers will rise slightly but the thicker you leave them, the softer and chewier they can be. – I’d like to try that next. Cut and bake at 350 for 20 or 30 minutes, of course tasting along the way….
Et viola!
These were so easy to make, and even though I’m sure they are probably very high in calories, it’s nice to have control of what goes into my favorite snack. No preservatives or unpronounceable chemicals. =)
Plus, I had the entire process of making these delicious crackers, to convince myself to only have a few at a time so as to make them last a while longer than the convenient store-bought ones would. (Yes, I will confess to eating an entire box in a day – I just can’t keep cheesy snacks in the house! or car…. or … well anywhere.)
But at least now I know I can make a few, with no added preservatives and low-fat or fat free cheese and butter, to have better control of the calories. =)
Yum.
a barefoot bride 