The Cheez-Its are a lie.

Yes, I hate to break it to you. But once you’ve tasted these homemade cheese crackers, you too will understand that the preservative-laden crunchy snack you’ve been eating for years is in fact an inferior product. These crackers are simple in composition, easy to put together, and go great with a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter day.

Homemade Cheese Crackers

(from Foodwishes.com)

Ingredients: (yields about 60 crackers)

2 tbsp. room temperature butter

3 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (about 3/4 cup lightly packed)

1 oz. Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1/3 cup lightly packed)

1/2 tsp. paprika

a pinch of cayenne

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (2.25 oz. by weight)

1 tbsp. cold water

Directions

Combine thawed butter, finely grated cheeses, and seasonings. You can really substitute the cheddar and Parmesan with any cheeses, as long as it amounts to 4 oz. cheese total. Avoid using pre-grated cheese, because it won’t be grated finely enough.

Mix with a spatula until combined evenly and a “cheese butter” forms.

Add in flour and combine with a fork until a crumbly mixture forms. Make sure there are no large lumps of butter or large amounts of uncombined flour.

Sprinkle in cold water and mix with a spatula until the dough begins to clump. Add a few extra drops of water if you need to.

Form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least half an hour

Roll out the dough to about one-eighth inch thickness. Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut into squares about one inch by one and a half inches. You can slice off the edges, reform them into a ball of dough, and roll it out again. The squares don’t need to be exactly the same shape, but if they’re drastically different in size, they won’t cook at the same rate.

Place onto a lightly greased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crackers are lightly browned at the bottoms. Start with 10 minutes and add on a few minutes at a time until the crackers are done.

Allow the crackers to cool before removing them from the baking sheet. Enjoy with soup, plain, or any cracker complement, and savor the natural cheesy goodness.

~Hafsa Razi