Cheddar-Parmesan Crackers Recipe

The All American Cheese and Wine Book | STC, 2003

These buttery Cheddar-Parmesan crackers will likely become a mainstay in your repertoire. Not only are they crispy, rich, and well, addictive, but they can be partially made up to a month in advance. Once the dough is formed, it can be frozen and simply “sliced to order” as you need it. Just be sure to freeze it in small portions so that you don’t have to defrost it all at once. Although these Cheddar-Parmesan crackers are great plain, you can draw on the age-old “apples and Cheddar” theme by topping them with a dollop of apple-butter.–Laura Werlin

LC Channeling Cheetos Note

Let’s just call a spade a spade, shall we? Though these simple Cheddar-Parmesan crackers are all sorts of suave and sophisticated, they also have something of a cheesy crunch that, to us, channels a little Cheetos mojo (minus the creepy orange finger fuzz). We’re not criticizing. Just saying…

Hands-On Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes, not including cooling | Makes 36 crackers

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Ingredients

4 ounces cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons water, plus more if needed

Directions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, place all the ingredients except the butter and water. Pulse 5 times. Add the butter and pulse again until the butter pieces are the size of BB’s. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse just until the dough holds together. If the dough is still crumbly, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the right consistency.
2. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of wax or parchment paper. Roll the dough into a log 9 or 10 inches long and square off the ends. Wrap well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. (You can freeze the dough for up to 1 month. You may want to cut the log in half or in thirds prior to freezing if you think you’ll want to defrost a small amount at a time.)
3. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Cut the log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crackers are a light golden color. Turn the crackers and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until they are golden around the edges.
5. Cool the crackers on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature.

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