Cheddar Crackers Recipe
This cheddar crackers recipe is perfect for your next cocktail hour, or apéro as the French like to call it. It’s cheesy, salty, with a hint if spice from the jalapeño, making it perfect with a whole range of cocktails and wines.
Cheese Crackers Snack
Whenever I’m having a cocktail or glass of bubbly, I’m always craving something salty and crunchy. Easy fixes for this craving include popcorn, olives, or mixed nuts.
All of those are yummy and work just fine, but if you really want to take apéro time up a notch, you’ll definitely want to make these cheddar crackers.
I enjoy pretty much any cheese crackers snack that exists on the market, whether it’s Goldfish crackers, Cheez-Its, Ritz cheese crackers…you name it, I’ve eaten it!
That said, those crackers tend to be more of the unrefined kind of thing I reserve for road trip snacking. They’re not the kind of crackers I keep at home or pair with a glamorous drink.
For that, you’ll want this cheddar cracker recipe.
Best Cheese Crackers
These are simply the best cheese crackers. The best way to describe them is to say they’re like a cheesy shortbread cookie.
You know how shortbread cookies are super buttery and just melt in your mouth? So do these crackers.
The only difference is, instead of whipping up our dough with sugar and vanilla, we’re using lots of cheese and a little jalapeño.
These easy cheese crackers recipe is also so simple to make. I dumped everything into a food processor, making the process super fast.
You also don’t have to fuss much with the dough once it’s created. You simply dump the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, clump the dough together and then wrap it up in the plastic.
Once it’s in the plastic wrap, you can then mold the clump of dough into a log shape and pop it into the fridge.
After 30 minutes or so, the dough should be nicely chilled and easy to slice into 1/4″ to 1/2″ wide slices.
I freeze extra dough slices in a ziplock bag so I can just bake a few crackers at a time, whenever I need them, so they’re always fresh and utterly delightful!
What goes with cheddar crackers?
You can honestly have a whole range of cocktails and drinks with cheddar crackers, but my favorite are fruity cocktails or a fabulous glass of champagne.
I find the salty aspects works as a nice contrast to fruity cocktails, and salty food just always tends to work well with champagne.
Cheddar Crackers Recipe
Cheesy, salty crackers that are perfect with any cocktail this holiday season!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 14 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 5 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 tbsp minced seeded jalapeño pepper
- 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 3 tbsp ice water
- 1 egg yolk, beaten, for egg wash
Instructions
- Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder together in the bowl of a food processor. Add in the cubed butter and pulse until you get a mixture that looks like coarse meal. Alternatively, if you're not using a food processor, you can use a pastry blender or fork to cut the butter into the flour.
- Add the grated cheddar, minced jalapeño, and chili powder; pulse in the food processor. Stream in a little bit of ice water, 1 tbsp at a time and pulsing for 10 seconds each time, until a dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Turn out the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Pack the dough into a compact shape then wrap completely in the plastic. Once it's wrapped, mold the dough into a log shape, rolling it on the counter and using your hands to mold it into a smooth log. Let the dough rest in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until it's chilled.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the log into about 1/4" to 1/2" inch thick slices and place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the crackers with a light coat of the beaten egg before baking them for approximately 10 to 15 minutes until the crackers are nicely golden and beginning to brown along the edges. Transfer the crackers to a cooling rack until they're just slightly warm and have had a chance to firm up a bit.
Notes
recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 84Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 95mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g
Just made a double batch, these are SO good! Will the crackers maintain their freshness if i freeze them until Christmas?
Yes they should be fine with a reheat. For the future, a better option is to freeze the sliced dough before baking. 🙂