Whole Wheat & Cheddar Crackers

Dulcie and I each have an under-two toddler.  If you don’t have a toddler of your own you might not realize this, but OMG THEY LOVE CRACKERS.
These are the homemade healthy version of little cheesy crackers.  They are made with 100% whole wheat, sharp cheddar, a little butter, and not much else.  Their texture is pretty amazing if I do say so myself: crispy, crunchy, and flaky.  They’re rich and buttery from all the cheese. 

We’ve been buying plenty of Annie’s bunnies and crackers of that ilk.  They have a fairly natural/healthy ingredient list but they only come in bunny shapes.  If you make them at home you can do any shape you want.  You know, like stars and little ducks and kitties.  Deb over at Smitten Kitchen, who was this inspiration for this recipe, did little goldfish.
Also, the real reason I am excited about these crackers is that deep down (OK maybe not that deep down) I am a cheapskate.  Making these crackers warmed the cockles of my cheap little heart. 

Today I brought these as a snack to this gigantic weekly play group thing (think 50 kids under 4 running around like crazy people in a huge gymnasium full of toys).  Every time I got out the bag I was instantly surrounded by random children saying in plaintive little voices: More? More? More? 
Crackers and little kids, man.  I don’t get it!

I do have some words of advice when you make these.  The main thing is to make sure you use a fairly hard oily cheddar cheese that you like the taste of.  If the cheese is too soft, the crackers won’t have the right crispy texture.  And if you don’t like the taste of the cheese very much, you won’t like the crackers because the cheese flavor is very prominent.

OK?  Ready?  Here’s the recipe:
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Whole Wheat & Cheddar Crackers

• 12 oz grated sharp cheddar (make sure you like how it tastes!)
  
• 8 Tablespoons butter
  
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350.  Dump all the ingredients in your food processor and run for 1-2 minutes or until everything forms a big dough ball.  EASY!!!
Pull out the dough ball, wrap it in plastic, and let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool off.  This will make it much easier to roll out.
Roll the dough out to about 1/8” thick on a floured surface (I also sprinkled flour on the top side of the dough to prevent it from sticking to the rolling pin).  Cut out shapes with 1-2” cookie cutters and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.  If you don’t want to bother with cutting out shapes you can just get out a pizza cutter and cut the dough into small 1.5” squares – this is what I plan to do next time.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. 

Thanks again to Smitten Kitchen for this recipe inspiration!