Cheddar Cheese Crackers

I saw these somewhere out in the blog world and knew I had to make them right away.  Of course, I pinned them - how did I keep all my ideas organized before ?  I don't know, but I'm sure glad somebody invented it!  These scrumptious crackers were made by Maeghan over at The Way to His Heart.  Any recipe with 5 ingredients is a winner in my book!  Here's how easy these are:

Ingredients

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I used about 1 3/4 cups)

4 Tbsp butter, cubed

1 cup flour

3/4 tsp salt (next time I'll use less)

2 Tbsp cold water

Once you've gathered these up, grab a food processor (but be careful, those blades are sharp!).  I think you could mix this by hand with a pastry mixer, but it would be hard (or a great work-out, if you are looking at things positively!).  Add the first four ingredients and pulse in food processor.  It is mixed well enough when it looks like coarse, cheddar-y sand.  Add water 1 Tbps at a time and pulse until well mixed.  Take dough out and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then chill for 20 minutes.  (Or, if you are impatient like me, then stick in the freezer for 10.)  Turn the oven on and let it preheat to 350 F.  Line some baking sheets with parchment paper.  Find some cute cookie cutters (I had bought some special little cookie cutters just for this, but my kids lost them before I even got to use them - dang it!).  Maybe check your email - wait, no, you only have 10-20 minutes - better just stay on task.
Once your dough has chilled, divide it into thirds or fourths and roll it out.  I rolled mine pretty thin, maybe just less than a 1/4" (I apologize, I didn't measure it!).  Cut out your shapes.  I didn't take any pictures of this part because we were having so much fun, and I just felt like enjoying the moment.  Once my kids tired of the initial joy of cutting out tons of tiny hearts, I snapped the first picture above of my raw crackers.  That tray alone held about 150 hearts - way more than the 7 dozen I was supposed to be getting.  Oops - oh well, I liked the thin, crunchy crackers so well, I only got a little tired after my 278th heart.  Bake these tiny delights for about 15 minutes - check them at 10.   They get all puffy and smell fabulous!

Now, enjoy your cheesy bounty - don't they look oh so edible?  I ate about 1/2 a tray pretty much straight out of the oven, and Spatula Man had a strictly cheesy cracker lunch.  I didn't do a final count, but I think I ended up with nearly 300 crackers.  I put them in an air tight container once they'd cooled and they kept for several days (I ate the last one myself and it was still just as crisp).  

I am going to do a little experimenting and see how if I can reduce the butter without taking away the amazing flavor.  I also want to cut down the salt a little - they were just a little too salty for me.  I will update the recipe as soon as I have the next batch out of the oven - pending Spatula Man's approval, that is!

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