Cheddar Cheese Crackers (complete 100% total knock-offs) from my culinary class, “Cook Outside the Box” go ahead…get cheesy! 

Go ahead …. Cook outside the box and keep your family free of unessessary food additives, shelve stabilizers and artificial colors! Eat clean! 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 cup good quality sharp cheddar cheese, grated  

5 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter 

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Kosher salt for dusting 

Egg wash 
Method: 

Place all ingredients in a food processor; pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add approximately 1/2 cup cool water through the food processors entry tube–1 Tablespoon at a time while pulsing until dough forms into a ball.

Remove dough onto a clean and very lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Press out then roll each half of dough gently into a 4-inch X 1/2 in square or rectangle on plastic wrap. Seal tight. Chill for a minimum of 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375’F

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats. 

Remove dough from the refrigerator. Place flour between two pieces of parchment paper, dusted slightly with flour- and roll the dough into a 10-12 inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. 

Carefully remove top piece of parchment. With a fluted pastry wheel or pizza wheel (and a clean kitchen ruler) gently score your cutting map by marking the dough into 1-inch squares. Once your cuts are mapped out run through again to complete the cuts. Pierce each snack cracker square by puncturing a hole in center with a the back of a wooden skewer. 

Using a spatula, carefully place the 1-inch cut squares on lined baking sheets, spacing approximately 1/2 inch apart. 

Bake sheets of squares until crisp, about 20 minutes; rotate once. Transfer crackers to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat procedure with remaining half of dough.

 
Chef’s Hack* 

Working with any dough is easiest when the dough is cold. After cutting into a desired shape – chilled dough is easier to move without changing the intended shape. 

Always roll dough and cut desired shapes quickly to prevent warm up. If you think you might need more time; or need to chill the dough after making specific cuts– roll and cut your doughs on an inverted high sided (back side) clean cookie sheet lined with parchment. Check size first to make sure that fits into your refrigerator. This will help you move from work surface to chilling without disturbing your perfectly cut shapes.