Homemade Cheese Crackers

Cheesy Crack - a - lackin Crackers

I've been wanting to try some cracker recipes and the very first one I try, I LOVE!  It has 4 ingredients and some spices.  THAT'S IT!!  It didn't make a whole lot, so next time, I'll double up on the recipe.  But, it's a nice small amt for two people having some wine and cheese :)  

This is how I made it:  I grated up some cheese, added some butter, threw in some paprika, cayenne & salt, then some whole wheat flour.  Mixed that all up with a couple of tablespoons of water and rolled it out to about an 1/8" thickness.  Then I used a pizza cutter to cut my squares, put those on some parchment paper in the oven and in 15ish minutes, I had homemade, better than store bought, crackers!!!  

I only used one type of cheese here, cheddar.  If I had used parmesan along with the cheddar, I think they'd have been even tastier.  

Do any of you have a cracker recipe that you love?  If so, please share!

Crack - a - lackin Crackers

1 cup loosely packed shredded cheddar

2 tablespoons room temp butter (very important that it's room temp - you need to be able to smoosh it)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspon paprika

a shake of cayenne, or more if you want it spicier.  But this amt gave it a nice heat on the back end.

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of cold water (more if the mixture is too dry - but in small amts, like a another few drops)

Mix everything together, except the water, with a spatula until combined and the butter is all the way through.  Then take a fork and make all the bigger pieces tiny pieces.  Once you have your mixture looking like crumbly sand, add the water and mix with spatula again.  Your dough should be coming together.  If not, add a few more drops of water.  It doesn't take much water!  Your dough should be squishy and together, but not sticky to the touch.  Form it into a ball and wrap some plastic wrap on it and throw it in the fridge for about 30 minutes or so.  It rolls out much nicer when you do this.  Preheat your oven to 375 near the time your will be taking the dough out of the fridge.  Once the 30 minutes is up, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out until it's about 1/8" thick.  Then take a pizza cutter and slice it into little squares. Once the squares are all cut out, take a skewer or chop stick and poke some holes into each cracker.  I did 5 on each cracker.  This way, they won't puff up or be uneven.  Lastly, place the crackers on parchment paper on a cookie sheet, or a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes.  They should be golden brown on top.  Let them cool completely before eating.  Otherwise, they won't be cracker, crisp :)  

OH, and I should add, that if you want to try other cheeses, like parmesan, I'd cut the cheddar by 2/3 or 1/4 and make up the rest in the other cheese.  I'm going to try this soon with parm.  I'll let you know how it turns out.