Spooky Triple Cheddar Crackers

Is it really October already? Then I suppose it’s time for some Halloween treats. I wrote and shot this recipe for the October issue of Yum Food & Fun for Kids. Now that the magazine is out I can share these crackers with you.

I gave Kathia from Pink Little Cake first dibs on these cheesy snacks, so you may have already noticed them floating around. She was kind enough to have me as part of her fun filled month of Halloween guest bloggers. If not though, here’s the recipe.

Oh, I almost forgot! I wanted to share that I get to attend Foodbuzz's Festival thanks to Nature's Pride Bread. Thanks for crossing your fingers for me, it must have worked! I can't wait to see all my food blogging friends!

Nature's Pride thank-you thank-you thank-you!

Spooky Triple Cheddar Crackers
Printer Version
Making crackers at home is like magic and these are the most magic of all as you watch them puff up into cute little Halloween shapes. Cut this recipe into any shape you prefer to enjoy homemade crackers year round.

1 1/3 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon onion powder
6 tablespoon unsalted butter, diced
8 ounce package shredded triple cheddar cheese, or cheddar of choice
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons water

1. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a food processor pulse together the flour, salt, paprika and onion powder. Add the butter and process until combined. Add the cheddar and pulse until finely chopped. Process in the egg yolk and water until the mixture forms a ball.

3. Remove the dough and knead in your hands for a few turns. Divide in half and roll one part between two pieces of wax paper to 3/8 inch thick. Peel off the wax paper and stamp dough with cookie stamps or cut with cookie cutters. Place the crackers on cookie sheets.

4. Freeze the crackers on the cookie sheets for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Move the cookie sheets to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Cool crackers on cooling racks. Store in an airtight container.

Yields 54 3/8 ounce cookies. Prep time 30 minutes. Baking time 20 minutes.

Recipe & photographs for Yum Kids October 2010 by Laura Flowers.

Parmesan Almond Crackers

While cleaning out my freezer this morning I pulled out a small container of unidentifiable flat round cracker looking things. I set them aside to thaw while I finished up, deciding surprise food might be fun to eat with a cup of coffee for breakfast. (Come on, please tell me you do this too!)

One bite in I realized, “Oh, Yeah!!! I meant to share this recipe!” They’re the Parmesan Almond Crackers Linda from Chow Chow Linda wrote about last March. I had forgotten how tasty they are. Man are they good!

Try to cut them as thin as you can without crumbling. They crisp up a bit more that way. I also remember having to drizzle in a bit of water to get the dough to come together, though it wasn’t an exact measurement. Just enough so the dough turned into a ball in the food processor, but was still fairly dry.

Oooo crunchy cheesy. You really should have a few. I’d share but I’m down to two little crackers and my coffee needs the company.

Parmesan Almond Crackers
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Water (you may or may not need this)

Place the flour, cheese, salt and nutmeg into a food processor. Add 1/2 cup (1/4 pound) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon slices, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 egg, lightly beaten, and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Drizzle in a little water at this point if dough looks dry. Add 1/2 cup slivered blanched almonds and pulse briefly just to combine. Pat into a log 2 inches in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.

Slice and bake on buttered baking sheets at 375 degrees until the crackers are firm but still pale, 15 to 18 minutes. (I remember these crackers taking less time to bake, so start watching about 12 minutes in.)

Found on Linda's blog, (who's also my imaginary adopted Italian family member) Chow Chow Linda. Recipe from “Antipasti” by Joyce Goldstein. Picture by Laura Flowers.

Graham Crackers

These are way too easy not to make your own!

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, almost room temperature.
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 cup whole wheat flour or whole wheat graham flour
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

In a food processer, cream the butter and sugars together for about 30 seconds. Add everything except the flours and pulse until combined. Add the wheat and all purpose flour and pulse until just combined. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead a few times until combined. Wrap in wax paper and put in a container with a lid. Let rest in the fridge for about an hour.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Lightly flour a clean cutting surface. Separate dough in half and kneed in your hand a few times. Place on surface and sprinkle with a little flour. Using a rolling pin roll out dough just under ¼ inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, slice off jagged edges, next slice the dough into squares. Place squares on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough adding the scraps from the first rolling.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Let rest on the baking sheet for a minute, and move to a cooling rack.

Notes: Freezing unbaked cookies on the baking sheets for 15 minutes will help them hold their square shapes better.

Recipe & picture by Laura Flowers.