Cheezy Alphabet Crackers Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S CHEESY CRACKERS

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease with vegetable oil.
• Place butter into a mixing bowl; add Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt. Mix together with the back of a spatula until thoroughly combined.
• Mix flour into cheese mixture with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle in cold water, 1 or 2 drops at a time, and mix with spatula until it comes together in a dough that holds its shape when squeezed.
• Transfer dough to a work surface and press into a thick, flattened disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Roll dough out on a floured work surface to about 1/8-inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut 1-inch wide strips from the dough. Cut strips crosswise into rectangles about 1 1/2-inches long. Use the back of a bamboo skewer to punch 5 small holes into each cracker. Arrange crackers onto prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crackers are browned and crisp, about 15 minutes. Let stand about 3 minutes for crackers to cool and release from the foil. Let cool completely before serving.

CHEESE CRISPS AND MOCK "GOLDFISH" CRACKERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Stack the slices of American cheese and cut it into 16 small squares. Separate the pieces, and transfer them to a small bowl. Add the salt, chili powder, and garlic powder toss to combine. Arrange the 32 cheese pieces in 4 rows of 8, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving as much space in between each as possible.
• Stack the Colby-Jack slices and cut them into about 24 small pieces. Arrange them on another parchment paper-lined baking sheet in 4 rows of 6¿without any seasonings.
• Bake both until well-browned and crispy, about 7 and 7 1/2 minutes. If undercooked, they'll be soggy, so don't be afraid to check them and put them back in for more time, if needed.
• Cool the crisps and crackers completely before serving¿as they cool, they'll crisp up. Store on the counter in an airtight container for a few days.

HIGH-TECH CRACKERS

Steps:

• Place the flour and salt in a food processor and process for 10 seconds to mix thoroughly. With the motor running, add the water in a steady stream, then process for 10 seconds longer. The dough should have formed into one large ball; if not, feel the dough: If it feels very sticky, add 3 to 4 tablespoons more flour and process briefly until a ball forms. If the dough feels dry and floury, start the processor again, add 2 to 3 tabespoons more water, and process until a ball of dough forms.
• Once you have a ball of dough, process for 1 minute more, no longer. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 30 seconds or so. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, and place two racks near the center of the oven.
• Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Work with one piece at a time, leaving the other pieces covered. On a lightly floured surface, with lightly floured hands, flatten a piece of dough with your palms. Then roll it out to a very thin rectangle or round, as even a thinness as possible to ensure even cooking. Gently lift the dough from your rollling surface and place it on a large baking sheet or pizza pan. Sprinkle on one of the optional toppings or leave plain. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut through the dough to make rectangular crackers. (Don't worry if they are not all exactly the same size. Variations in size and flavor will make your crackers interesting.) Spray the dough lightly with water and place on the upper oven rack.
• Begin rolling out the next piece of dough, keeping an eye on the crackers already baking. (Crackers brown from underneath.) Check on them 2 1/2 to 3 minutes after they go in. As soon as the thinnest patches of the dough have started to brown, take them out. If necessary, continue baking, checking every 30 seconds, but it is better to take the crackers out a little early than too late.
• You will soon get a feel for timing and degree of doneness. Variables that affect timing are the heat of your oven and how thin you managed to roll out your dough. When they come out of the oven, some of the crackers will be crisp, while others will need a little time in the air to crisp up. Transfer to a large bowl, breaking up any incompletely separated crackers. Roll out the remaining dough, season, and bake. When completely cool, crackers can be stored in a well-sealed plastic bag or cookie tins for up to a month.

CHEESY CEREAL CRACKERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Pulse the cereal squares in a food processor until very fine. Add the flour, Pecorino Romano and Parmesan and pulse a few more times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until combined. Turn on the food processor and add the olive oil and 1/4 cup of heavy cream, then add a tablespoon of heavy cream at a time until the mixture comes together into a dough.
• Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin (about 1/8 inch thick). Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and cut into squares with a pizza roller. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes.

ALPHABET CHEESE CRACKERS

Steps:

• Combine the flour, Cheddar powder, cornstarch, salt, turmeric, garlic powder and paprika in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the Cheddar, Monterey Jack and feta and pulse for 30 seconds. Add the butter cubes and pulse for 20 seconds. Add the cold water and pulse until the mixture forms a large ball, about 10 seconds.
• Remove the dough from the food processor and place between two 12-by-16-inch sheets of parchment paper. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin so that it fits evenly between the two
• pieces of parchment. Transfer the dough to a sheet pan and refrigerate for 40 minutes.
• Gently remove the top layer of parchment. Prick the surface of the dough with the tines of a fork so that it doesn't puff too much as it bakes. Dip 3-by-2-inch alphabet cutters into flour and stamp out letters but do not remove them. Place the dough on the sheet pan back into the fridge to firm up.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Remove the scored letters from the fridge. Flip the pan onto a flat surface and
• gently peel off the parchment paper. Quickly place the letters onto the prepared pans. The scraps can be rerolled by placing the dough between two 6-by-8-inch pieces of parchment paper and chilling them again.
• Bake the letters for 8 minutes. Rotate the pans and bake until the bottoms are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Allow the crackers to cool on the sheet pans. Serve right away or place into an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.