The Out of Box Experience Episode 1: Cheese Crackers

A miniseries of the best homemade versions of boxed food I have found. 
The Out of Box Experience Episode 1
Cheese Crackers

These ones have cayenne pepper sprinkled on for the hubby...

I have been hunting for a good cheese cracker recipe for a very long time. No matter how yummy the pictures looked or the recipe sounded, none tasted like the boxed ones I was used to. They were bland, lacking character. It doesn't have to taste exactly like the square ones with one hole in the middle, I'd happily settle for just as good since there are no preservatives.

But these....

These crackers are better than the box kind! The entire first batch was eaten as fast as I was cutting them out and baking them. Some yummy variants include the cayenne listed above, and we also tried garlic parmesan and taco seasoning too. Just sprinkle on any spices you want before you cut the dough into triangles, squares, little animals (my 2 year old loved these), or stars and bake. I am convinced the turmeric/paprika/cayenne blend is what gives them their characteristic flavor, so don't skip it!

Helpful Tools:

Silpat or parchment paper
Bench scraper or offset spatula
1-1.5" cookie cutters or pizza cutter
Rolling pin with guide bands (or Pam spray can with rubber bands 1/8" thick)

Ingredients:
I prefer to measure dry ingredients by weight because it is more accurate, but the cup measurements are in parentheses. 
125g (1 c) all-purpose/wheat flour, plus additional
3g (3/4 t) sea salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t smoky paprika
1/4 t ground turmeric
227g (2 c) grated sharp cheddar cheese
71 g (5 T) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Cold water, a few tablespoons

Put everything but the water and cheese in a food processor and pulse until it resembles coarse meal. Add cheese and just enough water to form a dough that sticks to the blade. Divide the dough into halves and flatten into disks, cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes to 24 hours, although  when I did a double batch I left some dough in there for a few days and it was fine.

Roll out dough to 1/8 inch. This is probably the hardest part, if you're rolling it with a Pam can and no bands, like I did. Too thick and they won't crisp all the way, so be sure to make it thin and even! They can be close together, just not touching. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. 

To flavor them, after rolling out dough before cutting brush the top of dough with a small amount of water and sprinkle on sea salt (press gently to stick it), or garlic powder, sea salt and parmesan, or cayenne pepper and sea salt, or taco seasoning.

Yield varies greatly depending on size of cutter.
I used a 1.5" star and 1.5" animals, and when I got sick of cutting out these tiny crackers I used the pizza cutter to cut triangles. Poking holes can be done with a skewer or other pointy object, but I didn't think it made much difference, and I like the puffiness. Out of all four flavors we tried I don't think I could pick a favorite. They were all delicious.

This is where I got the recipe from, I have made some minor modifications in my version. She does a really great job on little ghosts with poppy seed eyes, check it out!

http://www.sassyradish.com/2012/10/homemade-cheese-crackers/