When we think about holiday entertaining, our mind immediately goes to cheese, wine, and charcuterie boards.
They’re great for hungry guests to graze on while waiting for the main meal, but they won’t fill you up too much. Homemade cheese crackers require very little prep (the dough comes together in a food processor, though you will need to roll it out), and can be made ahead!
A dream when menu planning for the busy holiday season, right? Not only are these versatile (add any hard, grated cheese you like!), but the black pepper on top gives these a kick that makes them unbelievably addictive.
Ingredients For Cheese Crackers
- Gruyere or Comte cheese, freshly grated if possible!
- All-purpose flour
- Unsalted butter
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
How To Make Homemade Crackers
Homemade crackers are so simple to make! Combine a small list of ingredients (that you likely already have on hand) in a food processor to make the cracker dough.
After a few quick blitzes, the dough will clump together (see below). Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes before baking.
Roll Out The Dough
Once the dough has chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of ⅛ inch. Use a 1 or 1 ¼ inch round cookie cutter (or any shape you like — Christmas tree cookie cutter? Star of David? Snowflake? — to form the crackers.
Use a small, thin offset spatula to carefully slide underneath the cutout dough and transfer them gently to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Be very gentle, or you risk breaking the crackers!
Leave about ¾-1 inch between crackers. When baking sheet is full, sprinkle crackers with a tiny bit of freshly cracked black pepper, then bake while you continue to roll out and cut cheese crackers for the next batch.
How Long To Bake
Cook the cheese crackers in an oven preheated to 350 F for 6 minutes. Rotate the pan, then cook an additional 7 minutes, or until light golden brown.
Allow the crackers to cool for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely OR to a plate to serve immediately. Nothing beats warm, fresh-from-the-oven homemade cheese crackers!
Can Cheese Crackers Be Made Ahead?
Yes! They’re most delicious right out of the oven, but homemade crackers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Perfect to make ahead for cocktail parties and holiday entertaining!
While this recipe makes a lot of crackers (almost 10 dozen…), they disappear quickly, especially when the wine is endlessly flowing! Serving these with bacon-wrapped puff pastry or bacon-wrapped dates would be a home run.
If you make these Homemade Cheese Crackers, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below.
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For more holiday appetizers, check out the following recipes:
- Fried goat cheese balls
- Phyllo-wrapped feta with truffle honey
- Spiced nuts
- Roasted grape crostini with whipped ricotta
- Baked brie phyllo cups
- Spanakopita spirals
Cheese Crackers Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter cold
- 6 oz Gruyere or Comte grated, about 1 ¼ cups
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, then set aside. Add 8 Tbsp butter, Gruyere, ½ tsp salt, and a pinch of cayenne to the bowl of a food processor fitted with blade attachment. Pulse until butter breaks down, about 6-7 quick pulses.
- Add 1 ¼ cups flour, then pulse until dough comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, then chill in a refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Roll dough out between two pieces of parchment paper to a thickness of ⅛" . Use a small cookie cutter (either 1" or 1 ¼" round), then place on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each cracker with a tiny bit of freshly cracked black pepper. Bake for 6 minutes, then rotate the pan and cook an additional 7 minutes more. Crackers should be golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Use scraps of dough to make more crackers.
- Cheese crackers will keep up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Cracker dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost before rolling out and baking.
- Don’t have Gruyere or Comte? Substitute with any hard, grated cheese.
Let us know your thoughts!