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cheddar fish crackers
Make a splash with these homemade cheesy crackers!
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Prepare Ingredients
Gather Cooking Equipment
Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Add cheddar, flour, cornstarch, and salt to food processor and lock lid into place. Turn on processor and process until mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Stop processor and remove lid.
Add chilled butter to food processor, lock lid back into place, and process until mixture looks like wet sand, about 20 seconds. Stop processor and remove lid.
Add water to processor and lock lid back into place. Hold down pulse button for 1 second, then release. Repeat until dough forms large clumps, about five 1-second pulses.
Remove lid and carefully remove processor blade (ask an adult for help). Sprinkle a little flour on counter. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter.
Gently knead dough for about 20 seconds, then use rolling pin to roll dough into rough 10-inch circle.
Kneading fish crackers
Transfer dough to lightly floured counter. Gently knead dough together, about 20 seconds.
Use rolling pin to roll dough into rough 10-inch circle, about ⅛ inch thick, rotating dough a quarter turn and reflouring counter between rolls as needed.
Use fish cracker cutter to cut out fish. Place fish on parchment paper-lined baking sheet (fish can be close together, but not touching).
Cutting out fish crackers
Use fish cracker cutter to cut out fish as close together as you can.
Place fish on parchment paper–lined baking sheet (they can be close together, but not touching).
Sprinkle counter with a little more flour. Gather dough scraps together and repeat rolling and cutting dough until only tiny scraps remain (discard scraps).
Place baking sheet in refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
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Food for Thought
Try It This Way
Pizza Cheddar Fish Crackers
In step 1, add ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder to food processor along with cheddar. In step 3, use 1 teaspoon tomato paste instead of water.
Parmesan-Rosemary Cheddar Fish Crackers
Use ⅓ cup shredded extra-sharp white cheddar and ⅓ cup grated Parmesan instead of the extra-sharp yellow cheddar. In step 1, add 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary to food processor along with cheeses.
“Cold” Fish Crackers
Why is refrigerating the fish before baking so important? It helps them keep their fishy shape! We roll out the dough straight from the food processor because the warm butter in the dough makes it soft and pliable. But when we tried baking the crackers right after cutting them out, they looked more like blobs than fish! Refrigerating the dough makes the butter firm up again. That way, when the fishies hit the oven, their fins stay fit!
