Homemade Cheez Its

Cheez Its have always been one of my favorite snack foods.  The cheesy salty combo is just what I need when I'm transferring from sweet to salty as I usually do when I'm in the mood to snack.  I try not to buy Cheez Its.. mostly because I'll eat them all (way too quickly), and there are a lot of things in them that I'd rather not put into my body.  Of course, I've seen lots of homemade versions all over the place, and I've finally decided to try it out.

While these still aren't what you would consider healthy (all they are is butter, cheese, some flour, and salt), I definitely feel a lot better about eating them than their chemical-filled counterparts.  And talk about easy to make!

I made them with white whole wheat flour so at least they can be considered a little bit healthy.  This batch is not going to last more than a day or so - they are no less dangerous than their store-bought counterparts.. so maybe I'll just have to make this an every once in a while kind of treat.

I used a pastry wheel to cut them, so they have slightly crinkled edges.  I just thought they were cute this way.  Feel free to cut them into whatever shapes you'd like!

Even the kitty liked these (although, really, that's not surprising; he thinks he likes most things we eat).  He was going crazy the entire time I had the cheese out.  He tried to be sneaky to get some straggling cheddar shreds, but it didn't quite work out.  First of all, he jumped right in front of me so I could clearly see him, and second..

He left a bit of a mark.  Silly kitty.  When I took the finished product outside to take photos, the cheddar smell wafted into the screen door, and Tesla wouldn't let me in before he got one.  Sneaky.  He was very stern about it, too.

Homemade Cheez Its

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 1/2 cups cheddar (about 6 oz.)

4 T butter

3/4 cup white whole wheat flour

1/4 t salt

sea salt, for sprinkling

In a food processor, pulse all of the ingredients together until it forms a ball (about 2 minutes).  Place the ball between two pieces of wax paper, and roll it out to about 1/8" thick.  Using a pastry wheel or small cookie cutters, cut into shapes.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1/2" apart from each other - they puff up a bit.  Poke each cracker with a fork or skewer so that they don't puff too much.  Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired (I like the extra salty flavor it gives).

Bake at 350ºF for 8-12 minutes (depending on the size/shape of your crackers), until lightly browned on the edges.  Cool on the baking sheet, and store in an airtight container (if they last that long).