Cheesy Crackers

Scott may be the king of cheesy olives (for very, very good reasons), but what do you do if you don’t have a huge piece of cheddar in your fridge? Or olives, god forbid!

Well, I’d wager that if you’re reading this right now, you have all the ingredients to make these tasty treats.  Flour, salt, butter, cream, and parmesan (or another hard cheese).  You can even skip the cream and use water, in a pinch. Cheesy olives are great as a make-ahead bake-on-demand, but these are truly make-on-demand.

The base for this recipe is from Mark Bittman’s Parmesan Cream Crackers, but what you do with it after that is entirely up to you.  Here’s the basic recipe:

Combine in food processor:
1 c. flour
1/2 c. grated hard cheese
4 T. butter
1/2 t. salt

You can add herbs, garlic, cayenne pepper, whatever you’d like here.  The cheese flavor is strong, so it doesn’t need much else, but I like some heat.

When well-combined, add very gradually 1/4 c. cream.  When dough comes together around the blade, take it out and knead a bit. Roll out to 1/4″ thin or less — the crackers won’t get crispy if they’re too thick. Place on baking sheet on a parchment or silpat.  Score with a pastry cutter or blade for easier breaking (after baking).  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, or seeds of your choice.

Bake at

400F for 10-15 minutes – until they begin to brown.  Let cool, then break into pieces.

They don’t keep long, so I recommend making these in small batches!