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Hi Bold Bakers!
WHAT YOU GET: Homemade Cheez-Its are made even better than store-bought! These crackers are perfectly crispy and chock full of real sharp cheddar cheese.
When we realized it was one of our son George’s favorites, I knew I wanted to master a Homemade Cheez-It recipe, so I could feel good knowing exactly what we were giving him for a snack. Turns out, I find them ridiculously addicting too!
These copycat Cheez-Its are just like the ones you can buy at the store, made even better because they’re made right in your own kitchen. They turned out to be perfectly crispy and somehow even more cheesy than the originals — and that may be because these snack crackers are made with real extra-sharp cheddar cheese.
I know for busy people, busy parents especially, making Cheez-Its at home may seem a bit too extra. But I was surprised at how quickly these cheddar cheese crackers came together! I think the only time I’ll buy Cheez-Its at the store is when I don’t have access to my oven!
Please note, you will need a food processor to make the dough for this recipe. Otherwise, the cheese will not be the proper consistency for the crackers.
Are Cheez-It’s Real Cheese? What Kind Of Cheese Is In Cheez-Its?
Cheez-Its are made with 100% real cheese, which they proudly advertise on their packaging. If you look at the ingredients of Cheez-Its, they list “cheese made with skim milk.” The Original Cheez-Its don’t say which cheese they include, but for my homemade version, I opted to use extra-sharp cheddar cheese for that real cheesy flavor.
Can I Use Another Cheese In Homemade Cheez-Its?
I used 8 oz. of extra-sharp cheddar cheese to make our Cheez-Its, but feel free to experiment with other semi-hard cheeses. If you’d like a more mild-tasting Cheez-It, try cheddar cheese instead of extra-sharp. You can also try making these crackers with 8 oz. of Monterey Jack cheese, or with 6 oz. of white cheddar cheese and 2 oz. of parmesan!
How To Make Homemade Cheez-Its
Making Cheez-Its at home is surprisingly very easy! But you will need a food processor to grate up the cheese as finely as you need it to be to make an even dough. Making the dough for Cheez-Its takes just a brief kneading but does need to rest for about 1 hour in the refrigerator. Then, you just need to roll the dough out, cut out your Cheez-Its, and bake!
Tools You Need To Make Homemade Cheez-Its
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Food processor
- Baking sheets
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Copycat Cheez-Its
- A food processor is essential for this dough to grind the cheese properly.
- If you want the classic look, use yellow cheddar. But the taste is more important, so if you can only find extra sharp white cheddar, go with this.
- Be sure to roll the dough to the correct measurements, so it is thin enough to bake up nice and crispy!
- Watch the crackers carefully towards the end of the baking time. They can quickly go from nice and toasty to over brown and burnt.
Try More Copycat Recipes!
- Absolutely Adorable Homemade Animal Crackers
- 4-Ingredient Homemade Goldfish Crackers
- Homemade Wheat Thins
- Homemade Thin Mints
- Homemade Disneyland Dole Whip
Try These Recipes!
Homemade Cheez-Its
Ingredients
- 2⅔ cups (8 oz/225 g) extra-sharp yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup (5 oz/142 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (2 oz/57 g) butter, cold and diced
- 2 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cheese, flour, and salt and process for 10 to 15 seconds, until the mixture is finely ground.
- Pulse in the butter until crumbly, then pulse in the water until the mixture just starts to come together.
- Transfer to a bowl, then knead briefly, just until a dough is formed. Divide the dough in half, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and have 2 baking sheets set aside.
- On a piece of floured parchment paper big enough to fit into the baking sheet, roll out one half of the dough into roughly a 9x11-inch (23x28-cm) rectangle. Cut the dough into 1-inch (2½-cm) squares. Trim any jagged edges if you wish to have perfect squares.
- Transfer the paper with the dough to a baking sheet and spread the squares of dough evenly apart. Using the flat end of a wooden skewer, poke a hole in the center of each square.
- Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, until the crackers are puffed and golden brown. Let cool while you repeat with the remaining dough. I like to bake just one sheet at a time.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
I just made these with a GF flour (Cup4Cup in the blue bag) and used a pasta roller attachment and they turned out perfect! Thank you!
Made these today. sharp white cheddar. So yummy!!
Got a new food processor and tried this recipe. They came out great…delicious and so easy! Thanks for another great recipe!!
absolutely delicious, used a bit of leftover parmesan in the recipe. a lot of will power needed not to eat them all in one go!
just made a batch, followed the recipe exactly, omg, are these incredibly delicious! I will never buy cheezits again
A M A Z I N G!!!!!!
Must try recipe! super delicious. Excellent recipe!!! We used white cheddar instead and added some turmeric for the color and they were absolutely delicious! My kid and I had so much fun making them, It’s now in our recipe book for ever.
Can I cut these out with my gold fish cutter and bake them that way.
Just made the Cheez-It recipe and it is definitely a keeper! Super quick and easy.
I used my tortilla press (I broke the dough balls into four) and then just trimmed from there; that cuts the rolling-out time in less than half.
Did you use unsalted butter or salted. I only have salted. Thank you
Can I use gf flour?