You can make homemade Cheez-It snack crackers with little effort and better fresher taste!
Cheez-It snack crackers are Ben's addiction. He can down an entire box in one day, which is why I store the box on the very top shelf of the kitchen cabinet that holds our snacks. It's so high that you need a step stool to get to it. This doesn't slow Ben down too much, but it helps the Cheez-It crackers last a little longer than one day.
After I came across this homemade Cheez-It Crackers recipe from Natalie, I tucked it away for something Judah and I could make for Ben for Father's Day. I figured it would include complicated steps, so what a better way to say "I love you, you're the best dad ever for my kids!" than laboring in the kitchen to make one of his favorite snacks.
I found out quickly that I was wrong. These Homemade Cheez-It Snack Crackers were not difficult at all.
Don't tell Ben.
So Judah and I didn't have to work too hard to create our loving surprise for Ben, but we did have to work hard at not eating all of the yummy Cheez-It crackers! These are seriously better than the boxed kind, but oddly enough, they taste very very similar.
Guess what? Ben liked the homemade Cheez-It crackers better! So you don't have to guess that once Ben found them, they were gone in... seconds.
I can't say that it's very cost effective to make these homemade cheese crackers in place of buying them. The shredded cheese can cost more than a box of Cheez-It crackers you can buy on sale. You also definitely don't end up with as many homemade ones as you get in a single box. But, it is worth making them homemade every once in a while just for the fun of it and maybe to impress someone. Just don't tell them how easy they were to make.
Now, who's chubby little hands are stealing his daddy's crackers? 😉
Recipe Card
Homemade Cheez-It Crackers
Ingredients
- 4 oz block extra sharp cheddar cheese , grated
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup white whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 to 2 ½ Tablespoons milk , plus more for brushing
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Adjust racks to the top and bottom third of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners; set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade, process the cheese, butter, flours, onion powder, salt and 2 Tablespoons of the milk until a dough is formed. Add up to ½ Tablespoon more of milk if the dough is too dry and crumbly.
- Transfer the dough to a pastry mat or a clean floured surface. Roll to a large rectangle until the thickness of the dough is about 1/16th of an inch. Using a pastry wheel or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 1x1-inch squares, or ½x1/2-inch squares (really, it doesn't matter too much what size you choose) but the baking times may vary. Reserve any scraps to repeat and roll out and cut again.
- Using a thin spatula, transfer the dough squares onto the baking sheets. Lightly brush milk onto the tops of each square with a pastry brush, then sprinkle with Kosher salt. Prick the center of each square with the blunt end of a bamboo skewer.
- Bake the two baking sheets of crackers for 12 to 18 minutes, depending on the size of your crackers, until they are crisp and slightly golden. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and back to front halfway through baking.
- Remove from the oven and set the baking sheets on wire racks. Allow to cool completely.
Rebecca says
I've tried three other recipes and was about to give up. These are the big winner! Finally!
Nikki Gladd says
Awesome, Rebecca! Thanks for the feedback!
promet says
Hi,
Tried these today and it looks like the beginning of beautiful friendship! I need to roll them out a teensy bit thinner though I think. They were delicious, but I noticed the thinner ones where noticably better. They had that well browned but not quite burned quality that the "corporates" have and "bubbled" better.
I could only get so much elbow room to roll (eensy weensy NYC kitchen counters). I'm thinking though, about quartering the dough and rolling it out in smaller batches to get thinner crackers. Thanks very much for sharing this, I'm going to have fun experimenting.
Try adding a touch (1/4 tsp. maybe?) of powdered mustard seed and a pinch of cayenne powder, and maybe a little smoked paprika to the dry ingredients before mixing. I liked these additions in my first go 'round.
Thanks again!
p.s. Go Ben, go! 😉
Nikki says
Ooh! I'll have to try your additions! Thanks for the review!! 🙂
Suzanne says
These look perfect! It's no wonder your husband liked them mire than the boxed ones.
Nutmeg Nanny says
I most definitely have to try this recipe out 🙂 I love snack foods!
Julie @ Table for Two says
These are so irresistible!!
Carla @ Carlas Confections says
Aww I love that last photo! So adorable! And I am drooling over the sound of these. I can only imagine the bite of that fresh cheese, Yum!
Jamie @lifelovelemons says
Ohhh how cute are these!
Joybee says
Yum. I can't wait to try these. you could make all kinds of flavors by altering the type of cheese and spices (I bet pepper jack would be great). The possibilities are endless. Thanks for the recipe.
Aggie says
I really have to get my act together and make these...they seem easy enough (but I'm also a "dough" phobe). I just know my kids would go nuts over them!! (um and who am I kidding, me too).
Tracey says
I made homemade Cheez-Its a few months ago, and even as a non-fan of the store-bought ones, I fell completely in love. They were so good!! Yours look amazing, it makes me wish I could reach through the screen and grab a little cup 🙂
Cookbook Queen says
Jon David LOOOOVE Cheez-Its. They are a staple around here!! Darn Cheez It breath!!
Nikki says
"Cheez-It breath!" ha! *snort!*
Kelsey says
I have a love/hate relationship with this post. I LOOOOVE Cheez-Its, but I might hate how easy it will be to have homemade ones around the house! Also, I adore these photos. They are beautiful!
USA Kiwi (Kylee) says
Those look fantastic. I saw a recipe for chipotle flavored ones that I'm dying to make. Homemade is always amazing.
I made goldfish a few months ago - it made a ton. I think I rolled them out too thick in the beginning, but by the last tray (of 4) I had it down. Your cheezits are so CUTE
Nikki says
Chipotle flavored!? I'm all over that! And, I've been wanting to try homemade goldfish. Where can I find a fish cutter?
Karly says
I kept thinking how pretty your crackers were and then I got to the chubby little toddler hand. Loooooooove.
Nikki says
hahahaha!! 🙂
Cathy Pollak ~ Noble Pig says
I buy so many cheeze-it crackers but these are WAY cuter. Totally trying this with my boys.
cassie says
I had to stop buying cheez-it's because they are so addicting! I love them but even more I love the idea of making them from scratch. These look perfect, Nikki!
Kathy says
Yum! I have this book but have not made anything from it yet. I think I need to remedy that!