Homemade Spicy Cheese Crackers

PREP TIME 5

COOK TIME 12

Refrigeration 20

TOTAL TIME 17

24 Spicy cheese crackers

Skip the store bought crackers and give my homemade spicy cheese crackers a try. Made with just 5 basic ingredients, it is super easy to make and so delicious.

Ingredients

1 cup / 114 g / 4 oz grated / shredded cheese I used cheddar in this recipe
2 Tablespoons / 28 g butter at room temperature
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup / 60 g all purpose / cake flour
1 Tablespoon ice water SEE NOTE 1
½ teaspoon cayenne or peri peri spice SEE NOTE 2

Instructions

Start by grating / shredding the cheese into a bowl. Add the butter and salt to the cheese and mix until combined.
Stir in the flour, spices and iced water. If you feel that the mixture is too dry, then add in an extra ½ tablespoon iced water.
Mix until you have a soft dough. It might be slightly crumbly when you break the dough, but that is okay.
Wrap the dough in parchment / baking paper or foil and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes of being in the refrigerator, the dough should be firm enough to roll out.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to about ⅛ inch / 3mm. The thinner the dough, the more crispy, the baked crackers will be.
Cut the dough into any shape you prefer. For this recipe I used a 1 ½ inch / 4 cm square cutter.
Poke a hole in the center of the cracker, Do not skip this step. without these holes, the crackers will not bake correctly.
These holes allow steam to escape during cooking keeping the crackers flat, instead of rising a bit like a normal cookie as the steam tries to escape. They also help to properly crisp the crackers.
Place the cut out crackers on a baking sheet lined with parchment/ baking paper. Bake in a preheated oven of 356°F / 180°C for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly browned and crisp.
Remove from the oven and serve with a dip if you prefer.
Using my 1 ½ inch / 4 cm square cutter, this recipe made 24 cheese crackers. You can easily double or triple the recipe if you prefer.

Recipe Notes

If you feel that the mixture is too dry, then add in an extra ½ tablespoon iced water.
Add any other herbs or spices to the dough, and enjoy your favorite flavors. I sometimes add either mixed herbs, black pepper or garlic flakes to the dough with really delicious results.

Nutrition