Homemade Cheese-Its

I couldn’t sleep last night so I found myself pursuing baking blogs at two o’clock in the morning. I know, I have a sickness. I can’t help it. When I found Smitten Kitchen, I was hooked instantly. As I was browsing her recipes, I found this one for homemade goldfish crackers. She’s much healthier than I am, and uses part wheat flour in hers – but I figure anything homemade is WAY better than my kids are going to get eating that GIANT box from Costco, even if I do use white flour and throw in a bit more salt. The dough for these comes together in about a minute flat, and with only 5 ingredients, I’ll bet you have everything you need to make them already. I used a little moon cookie cutter and also cut some into squares as I don’t have the budget to purchase a little fishy shape…oh how I wish I did. The moons are pretty stinkin cute anyway. I haven’t been able to stop eating these since they came out of the oven.

I used a ruler and pizza wheel for the squares, but then after a couple of trays of them decided I could eyeball it just fine. I used a skewer to poke a little hole for the moon eyes and in the middle of the squares. Poking the hole makes them not puff up like a cookie. Aren’t they just adorable?!

Cheese-Its (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

6 ounces (1 1/2 cups coarsely grated) medium/sharp orange cheddar
4 tablespoons butter (cold and cut into 1-inch chunks)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients in a food processor, running the machine until the dough forms a ball, about two minutes.

If the dough feels warm or worrisome-ly soft, wrap it in waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 30 to 45 minutes. This also makes it easier to transfer shapes once they are rolled out.

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling-pin, roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick. Form shapes with a cookie cutter, dipping it in flour from time to time to ensure a clean cut. Gently transfer crackers to an ungreased (I always line my stuff with parchment paper) cookie sheet with a 1/2 inch between them. Bake the crackers on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are barely browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.