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4/15/21

From my Instagram - Reposting my Cheese Crisp Crackers - 1 ingredient - low carb, sugar free and keto

This was posted a couple years ago but this week I'm busy making a bunch of these as well as the cheese 'puffs' version (like Moon Cheese) so I thought I'd post this again, and added a photo of finished cheddar crackers.   The new cheddar crisp post is on April 19, 2021.



I've made cheese crackers of various styles and all have their pros and cons depending on what you want to use them with, eat them with or what you are hungry for.  This particular crisp is good for snacking, and it's my go-to to use with spinach artichoke dip. 

Whether you want to flavor them with herbs or spices is up to you.  I do both - again, depending on what I want to use them with.  My favorite is plain, with just a smidgen of salt.  But I did flavor a batch of swiss cheese style a couple different ways...  do some taste tests and see what you like best!


Homemade Cheese Crisp Crackers

Sliced 'hard' cheese of your choice - but 'real' cheese only.  Not 'American' or other soft cheese.
optional: Salt, spices, herbs

Slice your cheese thin, lay it out on paper towels or parchment on the counter/table at room temperature for at least 2 days, up to 4 or 5 to dry it out.  Pat off the oils as they accumulate.  When they are rather dry and a bit hallow sounding when you tap on them with a fingernail, preheat your oven to 400-425.  Place the cheese slices on parchment and bake in the hot oven for 2-5 minutes.  Usually about 3 minutes does it.  They will sizzle and 'pop' and puff up.  When they start to turn golden, remove from the oven and let cool completely.  They will be crisp and dry like a cracker.


MORE DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS:

  • If I use a block cheese, I slice it in my food processor using the slicing blade.  However I prefer to buy the sliced cheddar and sliced Swiss from  Sam's Club (in the black tub packaging) as it's the perfect thickness but it's also good quality so it makes a good quality crisp cracker with less prep work on my part.
  • Lay out as many slices as you wish on a sheet of parchment paper.  Use a knife to cut the slices into 1" squares, or use whatever little shape mini cutters you wish.  If you use a shape cutter, save the cuttings and place them into a Ziploc baggy and toss them into the freezer to use for another dish, just as you would grated cheese.
  • Now, lay out all your little cheese shapes on the parchment paper on the counter for about 2 days so they start to get dried out.  I laid them out on my dehydrator trays!  I loved this as it was a compact place to keep them, I could rearrange the trays for optimal air circulation and I could easily flip them over and pat them dry with a paper towel. 
  • As they sit out, the excess oil them can be patted with a paper towel.  After about a day or two (depending on where you live and your humidity level) they will be rather empty or hallow sounding when you tap them on the counter, and will start to be dried out.  When they can be tapped on the counter top and sound 'empty' but are firm enough to tap, pop them onto a parchment sheet on a baking pan, add any sprinkles of salt or flavoring if you wish, and put them into a hot, 400 degree oven.  Bake them for about 5.  The oils left in them will cause them to 'pop' and crisp and sometimes even jump around the pan. 
  • Pull them out, let them cool... they should be nice and crisp!  Eat them as you wish.   If we don't finish all of them, I put them in a vacuum food sealed bag or Mason jar.  In a Mason jar or Ziplock, they may go a bit soft due to the humidity, I re-crisp them by popping them into the oven for about 3 minutes.  Vacuum sealed, they stay crisp as long as they are sealed.





These are Swiss cheese



I simply lay them on my dehydrator trays to dry out.  I don't use the dehydrator turned on because it will only melt the cheese.  You don't want to melt it, just air dry it.


You can try different spices or herbs.  I wanted to make a chicken in a biscuit type on one batch so I used chicken flavoring and onion powder along with a bit of rosemary and garlic...  yum!  I also made some chipolate and paprika crackers but I like them plain with no seasonings best of all.



I like to use block cheese sliced in my food processor so all the slices are uniform, for even baking.


You can let them lay out on the counter.  I like to use the trays from my dehydrator as it keeps them in a more compact area and takes up less space.




These are my current 'go to' for use with spinach artichoke dip, guacamole and yellow pepper cream cheese dips. YUM!

 
 
Cheddar...






The little white appetizer cutter I'm using in the photos is one I got probably 15+ years ago as a free gift for something or other.  I've never really used it much outside of once in a while cutting up meat or cheese for fun little sandwiches when the kids were younger.  I was THRILLED to use it for these cheese crisp crackers!  It's getting a LOT of use now.  I'm not sure what to call it but basically, any small cookie cutter shape will work.  Or just use a knife and cut straight lines to make squares.
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