Homemade cheddar rosemary crackers are better than the storebought alternatives

Guest post by Patrice
#Recipes#cooking#snacks

I think I would call myself somewhat of a cracker connoisseur. Buttery crackers, sesame crackers, rice crackers — I love ’em all. I would also call myself…what’s the nice word for cheap? Ah: frugal. I’d call myself frugal.

If you visit the center aisles of grocery stores where they keep the over-packaged, over-processed convenience items like granola bars, cake mixes, and crackers, you’ll find some pretty exorbitant prices for things that you could — and probably should — make at home.

So here I am, yet again, promising myself that I will not buy store bought convenient alternatives. I’m hoping it sticks this time. I feel like this recipe is too easy not to keep that promise. Plus, knowing exactly what’s in my food always comforts me.

Cheddar Rosemary Crackers

Ingredients

  • 6oz extra sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 c. wheat flour
  • 1/2 c. all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp crushed dried rosemary
  • 5 tbsp butter, diced
  • 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves only

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In a food processor, combine cheese, flours, salt, butter, and dried rosemary. Run motor until ingredients form a ball. If you’re finding the dough too hard to handle (sticky, warm), plastic wrap it and let it hang out in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes and then revisit it.
  3. Dump out onto a floured surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin, press and roll dough only slightly. Place rosemary leaves on top of dough and then and roll to an 1/8 of an inch thickness.
  4. Now is the fun part! If you have a fun shaped cookie cutter (star?…giraffe?…shoe?), dip the cutter in flour for a clean cut and form shapes in the dough. Carefully transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  5. If you don’t have a fun shaped cookie cutter, or no cutter at all, you can improvise with a drinking glass or just roll the dough out on parchment, and use a pizza cutter for square/rectangle crackers. If you’re feeling fancy use a skewer to make little air holes in the dough.
  6. Bake for 12-20 minutes. The squares take longer to bake. I’d say after 15 minutes take the squares out, re-cut, and bake for 5 more minutes.
  7. Let cool, and never buy store bought crackers again.

Guest Post By: Patrice

23-year-old native of Texas living in Minneapolis, fledgling blogger, with a little bit of a food obsession. My thoughts in a day range from “should I go to the grocery store for a third time?” to “how much butter is too much butter?” Cooking for me is meditative… therapeutic, comforting— not just the act of eating the food, but the methodology in preparing it, and the joy in sharing it.

Comments on Homemade cheddar rosemary crackers are better than the storebought alternatives

  2. I don’t have a food processor (okay, I have a base, but I left the bowl at my last apartment. SAD!) Anyhoo. I wonder if a hand mixer or strong-arming the dough with a fork would work. These look so delicious! And much better for you as well.

    • You could try…. I feel like it would be pretty hard though. I would say grate the cheese extra fine and beat it with the butter, then add flour…like making a quick bread or cookie.

      • I make a lot of pastry without a food processor, which is essentially the same as this. It’s impossible with a fork, especially if you use icy cold butter which gives the best results. Instead, I use a pastry cutter – cheap, readily available at homeware stores… Basically a handle with wire loops from end to end to form a semi circle (google it!). Saved me replacing my foodprocessor, and I think gives better results as you don’t overmix. Happy baking!

  4. I’ve cut my crackers using a ravioli cutter which is like a small wrinkly pizza cutter. It makes for crackers with nice edges similar to cheeze-its. Square crackers also means I don’t have to roll out the dough more than once. Just like with pie dough, overworking the dough makes for a chewy texture. Chewy is in my opinion undesirable in a cracker.

  5. Hello,

    I am hoping to make these this weekend, but as i’m from the UK, I’m not sure whether whole wheat flour is the same as wholemeal flour. I’ve looked on the internet and (amazingly) cannot find any answers! Do you know whether they are one and the same?

    Thanks,

    Fioona.

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