Cheesy Everything Crackers

These cheesy everything crackers are the snack you’ve been waiting for – trust me. They’re buttery, crunchy, savory, so cheesy, and sprinkled with that magical fairy dust that is everything bagel seasoning.

This post was originally published on June 22, 2018. It has been updated with new photos and content. Enjoy!

E and I were just discussing slogans/taglines that have fallen out of use. Included in that discussion were “It’s the ‘X’ of the future, TODAY!”, and “Say so long to whatever persnickety, household problem was being addressed by said wonder product of the new age!”, oh and of course the ubiquitous “New and Improved”. I think another trope of the 80’s and 90’s ad market, specifically in food, was the “baked right in” concept. Be it cheese, or some other flavor, or just plain, old “goodness”. If it could be baked right into the product, rather than having to be added at a later time, well that’s just common sense.

So because I am clearly a child of the 80’s/90’s I will abide by the rules of my generation and give you a cracker where the cheese is already in there. The difference with these though is they are homemade, so no weird dyes, preservatives, or otherwise nasty little chemical ingredients. Also, and maybe more importantly – they taste so so so so good. These crackers make a fine midday snack, but they really shine alongside a crisp glass of rosé on a summer afternoon. Oh, and they feature everything bagel spice, which as you know I hold in high esteem.

Say hello to the cracker of the future…today! Or something.

Cheesy Everything Crackers

Making crackers from scratch is something that I used to think of as crazy wizard magic the likes of Hogwarts or the Tardis. But at the end of the day it’s really just whipping up a quick dough, rolling it thin, and baking it until it turns golden and crisp. Easy enough. But because we’re in the business of making food and making it well around here, let’s roll with some tips to make your cheesy cracker dreams a reality.

How to make homemade crackers

This cracker dough is kind of like a little cousin to biscuit dough, in that flour and butter are pulsed up with some seasonings and just enough liquid to bring everything together into a cohesive mixture. The difference being that instead of stamping out big, fluffy biscuits, you roll this dough out thin and bake it until it becomes golden and crispy. And while biscuits and crackers aren’t exactly identical twins, some best practices can be applied to both.

• Measure your ingredients. Even though crackers don’t seem like a traditional baked good, they pretty much are. And because baking is a science, accuracy is of the utmost importance. That being said, factors like humidity, fat content, and type of cheese will all affect the end result here, so don’t be afraid to go with your gut if something looks off. Add a little more liquid if the dough seems too dry, or a little more salt if things taste flat.
• Make sure your butter is cold. The water content in cold butter evaporates in the hot oven, creating little pockets of air which means light, flaky, crunchy, crackers. If your butter isn’t cold, this reaction doesn’t occur, and without those little pockets of air you’ll get a cracker more akin to a hockey puck.

• Taste the dough. I know it’s a little bit gross to eat something with raw flour in it (and if you’re in a demographic where you shouldn’t take that kind of risk, please don’t), but nothing is worse than baking up a whole batch of something and finding out it’s just a tad under seasoned.
• Prick the dough. Those little holes are not just for show my friends. They literally keep the crackers from puffing up like little, cheesy balloons. So make sure to dock your dough thoroughly with a fork before baking.
• Keep an eye on things. The window of opportunity for crackers is kind of short, because well, they’re pretty thin. So don’t go on autopilot here. Keep an eye on them, starting around 18-20 minutes. Your oven might run a little hotter or cooler than mine, so it’s possible that the baking times here are not hard and fast. They should turn a light golden brown, and just a tiny bit soft in the middle when you pull them. They will continue to firm up as they cool.

And if you need more cheese in your life:

• Cheese Stuffed Chicken Parm Burgers
• Cheesy Pizza Frittata
• Lightened Up Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Open Faced Mushroom and Cheese Melts

Cheesy Everything Crackers

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

These cheesy everything crackers are literally everything you could want in a savory snack. They’re salty, crunchy, cheesy, buttery, and easy to whip up any old time!

• Author: Jo
• Prep Time: 10 Minutes
• Cook Time: 25 Minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 40 Crackers 1x
• Category: Snack
• Cuisine: American

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

1 C all-purpose flour
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
4 T cold, unsalted butter
cut into small cubes
½ C sharp cheddar cheese, grated
¼ C pecorino romano cheese, grated
¼ C half and half, plus 1 tablespoon
2 T Everything Bagel Spice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Add the butter and pulse 5-7 more times or until butter is incorporated into flour and no large pieces remain. It should look like coarse meal. Add the cheddar and pecorino and pulse a couple more times until combined. With the machine running, stream in 1/4 cup of the half and half until the mixture comes together in a ball. Divide the ball in half.

Take one half and roll out to 1/16th inch, between two sheets of parchment paper. Transfer dough, along with bottom piece of parchment to a rimmed baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to cut out 2×2 inch crackers and use a fork to prick each one a few times. Brush the crackers lightly with the remaining half and half and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the everything bagel spice. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake on the middle rack for 20 to 25 minutes or until crackers are a light golden brown. Let them cool completely before breaking crackers apart – they will continue to crisp up as they sit. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Notes

Feel free to substitute a different cheese in for cheddar or pecorino here, but make sure to pick a relatively dry one. Parm, gruyere, or an aged gouda are all great options.

If you don’t have access to a store bought everything bagel spice, you can make your own. Here’s a great recipe.

These will be a little soft straight out of the oven, but will continue to crisp up as they cool. I prefer to let them cool directly on the pan.

Keywords: cheesy crackers, everything bagel spice crackers, cheddar crackers, cocktail snack, easy appetizer