Crisp Cheese Crackers

Homemade Crispy Cheesy Cheese Crackers

It's one of those days where I could say a lot of different things to introduce these tasty little treats, but none of them strikes me as interesting enough to put into words. Therefore, I'll just tell you a little bit about the crackers and be done. I'm sure you won't mind.
These crackers are very cheesy, so I suggest using a cheese that you really enjoy eating--I used the Target Archer Farms Sharp White Cheddar and Tillamook Medium Cheddar cheeses and wow, their awesome flavors really came out. At first I didn't bake the first pan long enough and the crackers were soft--still delicious, but not crisp like I wanted. 
Once I put them back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so, they were perfectly puffy, salty and crispy. I'd say they were "light" but there was too much butter for that. 
Next time I think I'll use half the butter and see if they turn out a little less greasy--not that I minded so much with this batch, but, well, you know there's too much butter when you have little droplets of grease on your parchment after you've removed the crackers. Just saying.
These are dangerously easy, so be forewarned--you're going to want to make them again. Be sure to have a plan about sharing or storing so you don't end up making yourself sick. I am just this side of that and I'm hoping that I can show restraint until I take these little treasures to my friends this afternoon.
So...cheese crackers. They're fabulous. Go try them.

Crisp Cheese Crackers
     --Adapted from homegrownandhealthy.com

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour, plus more for dusting
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (I used 4 oz. Archer Farms Sharp White Cheddar & 4 oz. Tillamook Medium Cheddar)
• 1 tablespoon sourdough starter (optional, but use 1 more tablespoon water if omitting)
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes and frozen
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• Salt to taste, if desired

Instructions:

• Add flour, cheese, and sourdough starter to the bowl of a food processor. Process ingredients until sandy in appearance.
• Add the frozen butter and process until butter is incorporated. Then pulse in the water and pulse more until the dough forms a somewhat cohesive mass.
• Place dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a square/rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two pans with parchment paper.
• When dough is chilled, cut in half and work with one half of the dough at a time. Roll out half the dough on a lightly floured surface (I also rolled between two sheets of wax paper.)
• Roll dough to about 1/16 inch thickness (very thin). Then cut into 1 1/2 to 2 square inches and carefully transfer to one of the parchment lined baking sheets.
• Spray crackers with a fine mist of water from a water bottle and sprinkle with salt, if desired.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 12-14 minutes, or until nicely browned. (If they don't bake long enough they'll be soft, not crisp.)
• Remove from oven and to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with other half of dough.
• Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 100 crackers