Homemade Cheez-Its take everything that’s good about Cheez-Its, and leave out everything that’s bad. They are rich, crisp and bursting with cheesy goodness. Sea salt enhances their flavor, rather than the processed version which over salts the crackers to drown out the stale chemical after taste. The difference between homemade crackers and crackers from the processed food plant is outrageous. And here’s the kicker: they’re easy to make!
I never through of making crackers until I started my Making Groceries journey. It just seemed like something that couldn’t be done. Of course, if you can’t cook it, you shouldn’t eat it. I was shocked by how easy it is to make crackers and how adorable they turn out. My kids gobbled them up!
Homemade Cheez-Its: The Bottom Line
There is no financial gain in making your own cheesy crackers. Cheese costs about $2.50 for eight ounces. Sometimes I can buy it for $1.99. Cheez-Its cost about $3.19, but the box is much bigger. I think the best you can do is break even, but generally the homemade version will be a bit more expensive. They also won’t stay fresh as long as the chemically preserved name brand.
As far as taste is concerned, these are dynamite! They taste cheesy and addictive, but without that unnerving chemical aftertaste. Making your own lets you know it’s a high fat snack, but it’s also not so bad. If you wanted to make it even better, it would be easy to use organic ingredients and make these even healthier and probably tastier.
I don’t buy Cheez-Its anymore, because I gave up processed food when my children were born. About a year ago, I tried them and found them overly salty. I have a fairly salty pallet, so whenever I think it’s too salty, I know it’s way too much. The homemade version was salty, but not overly so. It’s nice to have the ability to control that. The dough was very easy to work with, so my effort was minimal. It took about 10 minutes, plus baking time. I will definitely make these again, as my whole family loved them. They were fresh, chemical-free and with portion control built in. They aren’t a bargain, but they are delicious and easy to make. That’s good enough for me.
I’m happy that this recipe has been included in the Tues Talk Linkup! Thanks, ladies!!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 18 minutes |
| Servings |
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Ingredients
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- Shred cheese and butter with the grater attachment of a food processor. Exchange the grater for the blade and add salt. Process for 20 seconds. Add flour and process 10 seconds. Stream in ice water slowly until dough forms a ball.
- Divide the dough in two and form two flat discs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Roll out one disc on a piece of parchment paper using plastic wrap on top to prevent sticking until it is about a 12 x 8 rectangle and a 1/8 inch thickness. Use a pastry wheel to cut out one inch squares. Place a center dot in each with the back end of a skewer. Sprinkle coarse sea salt with a light hand. Place parchment with cut crackers onto a baking sheet. There is no need to separate crackers so save yourself some trouble. Repeat with the other disc. If the oven isn't ready, place the prepared crackers in the refrigerator to keep cold until you're ready to bake.
- Bake for about 18 minutes, until crackers smell wonderful and they just barely start to brown. You may want to check on them starting at about 16 minutes, because they have the potential to burn quickly at the end. Carefully transfer the parchment to a cooling rack.
- Allow crackers cool, then gently break them apart. Enjoy immediately or store them in an air-tight container for up to a week.
Recipe by Rebecca Cofiño for Mamaguru.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you let me know! Enjoy them!
Thank you so much!!! I have been craving these and want to make them instead of buy them. You rock!
Wow these look awesome! I can’t wait to try it out.
I love baking and I like crackers, but I rarely find cracker recipes (more like never!) I’ll definitely try this one out. I love the idea that you can feed your family yummy food without the unnecessary bad stuff. Thanks!
I love recipes like this. Like knowing exactly what I’m feeding my kids! Sound yummy!
Omg! I love this! I am going to the store tonight to buy the ingredients! So much healthier for my boys than all the stuff added in the ones at the store.
OH MY GOSH! God Bless you. This is the best. I miss cheez it’s so much. But I refuse to get them since changing my eating lifestyle.
I have a co-worker who is obsessed with cheese-its! I need to share this with him!
Sarah
What a great idea! We’re going to try these for sure!
This is great! I can’t wait to try it!
Good. Enjoy it! It is really easy to make. Yummy too!
That’s great, Shelby! Thanks!
Looks delicious! Thank you for a healthy alternative. I’ve already Pinned to my board.
Pinning to make for my kids! I’ve been wanting to do this and this recipes seems super easy and doable!
This is amazing! I love Cheezits!!!
oh, Neat! I had no idea these were so easy to make! I’m gonna give these a whirl. I love the idea of controlling the ingredients Pinning now, thanks!
I’m the same kind of mom. Health is important, but the kids want those boxed snacks. I hope your kids like these as much as mine do.
Me too! I like to follow Michael Pollan’s Food Rule: You can eat as much junk food as you want as long as you make it yourself!
That’s great!! Enjoy them!
These taste better too! I hope you give it a whirl, Stephanie.
Go for it!
Let me know how that turns out, Amanda!
Brittany, they are easy. I hope you love them as much as we do.
Yes, much tastier and healthier.
Excellent. You’re right on both counts!!
Oh good. You can pair them with some vino or red grapes for a nice grown up snack. Because they’re made with real cheese, they pair nicely.
That’s great to hear, Danielle! Enjoy!!
That’s my philosophy too! You might want to explore our Making Groceries section, because it’s all about learning how to make processed food from scratch.
Good. I started my Making Grocery column for that reason. We shouldn’t be eating processed food. It’s full of chemicals. I hope you try these. They are very yummy!
I hope you do! They’re easy-peasy to make. My kids gobble them up.
Ha ha! You should try these, Meghan. They taste A LOT better and are A LOT healthier.
Hi Beth! I’d suggest finely grating the cheese and bringing it and the butter to room temperature (or slightly warmer). You can use a mixer to blend it. It might take a few minutes to mix rather than the few seconds in the processor. Good luck. I hope you try it!!
Love these!! Any suggestions if you do not have a food processor?
For someone whos addicted to Cheezits, I will need to try these out. I pretty much ate an entire box to myself the other day and I am ashamed of going to store and buying more ahaha. I will just use your recipe!
Meghan | BeyondBasicBlog.com
My kids love cheez-its so I’ll definitely be giving these homemade ones a try. They look so good!
Yum! These look awesome! My littles love their cheeze-its, but I totally cringe at the sight of the ingredient list. Will be saving this to try!
I definitely like any recipe that relies on less processed foods! This would be a great snack for my kids!
Those look so good! I LOVE cheeze its! So I’m totally going to have to try this one out!
Genius!!! I will be making these in the fall for sure! My hubby and I both love to munch late night on crackers, this will make me feel way less guilty! <3
Love the simplicity! I will file this recipe away with my olive oil and thyme crackers.
OK, I’ve got to try this ASAP! These looks so good! And pretty easy!
That’s great! I love the idea of cheez-its with these very simple ingredients compared to store-bought.
Yum!! They seem really easy too! I’ll definitely be making these.
I have got to try these, my husband is a Cheez-it fiend!
That looks so good! I bet I could even make them with gluten free flour for my son! Thanks for sharing! We will be making this!
I’ve been meaning to make this for a while! I need to get on that!
We love Cheez-Its but usually by Annie’s because they are a bit better for you than the name brand. This recipe is super simple, something I could even pull off 🙂
Okay, those look amazing…. I really need to make them for our Labor Day pinic! Thanks for sharing
I love that I can make these and enjoy them without ir being processed food.
Pinned this for later! My kids always want Cheez-its, but we never buy them because of the preservatives…. so this looks like a great recipe to replace the store-bought with a much healthier and less expensive version! Looking forward to trying…
This is awesome!!! You are very talented and creative!!!