Spicy Homemade Cheez Its

Once you get a taste of these cheesy goodness you will never go back to a store bought pack.

Eating cheez its the god sent way is always satisfying. But to jazz it up a bit I have added a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a little chilli power. Just to make it hot and spicy!

Homemade baked cheez its are way healthier than the store bought pack. It is easy to keep track of what you are eating and more importantly you can customize the flavors according to your taste.

It is also really simple to replicate these yummy snacks at home with simple ingredients, no added preservatives or artificial flavors. The base recipe is made with just six ingredients and they are eggless too!

The fun part – it is not too hard to play around this recipe. You can also try adding any flavor combinations you fancy at the moment.

All you have to do is remove the sesame seeds and chilli powder from the recipe and add flavors you like.

Some of my favorite combinations…

• Cumin seeds and chilli powder: Add ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds and 1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder. Cumin seeds  have a rich and sharp flavor. They have a very strong smell too. So ½ a teaspoon is idle.

• Garlic and dried mint leaves: To the dough add ½ teaspoon grated garlic and ½ teaspoon of dried mint leaves. Both flavors are very strong so we don’t want to overpower each other.
• Lemon zest and ginger: Mix in ½ teaspoon of grated ginger and ¼ teaspoon of lemon zest to the base ingredients.
• Garlic and oregano: Add ½ teaspoon of grated garlic and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.

Another way to have this tasty snack is to keep it the natural way but mix it up a little with the cheese. I have used sharp cheddar but you can try different cheese too. Or even combine a couple of varieties together. Just make sure you don’t add liquid flavors. It would change the texture of the cheez its.

I’m sure you could be thinking will this be enough for me? But trust me this is the only strategy of controlling yourself from eating an entire tub of it. I basically have zero control over my cravings. So this was the easiest way to fulfill my cravings and not regret too much later.

In a nutshell

How to cut one inch squares to bake the BEST homemade cheez its?

Using a ruler, starting from one end of the dough, measure one inch. With a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, cut a vertical line. Keep going until you reach the end of the dough.

Repeat the same process for the horizontal lines. Starting from the top of the dough, keep cutting one inch gap horizontal lines until you complete the whole batch.

You should have perfect one inch squares ready now. Using a cookie cutter makes it look exactly like the store bought pack. Need to buy one soon!

Why to prick the dough?

These crunchy cheez its tend to puff up. So when you prick it with a tooth pick it reduces the puffing and makes it look more like a store bought snack.

Why leave enough space on baking tray?

Though this is the hardest part of the preparation process…Apart from eating the dough raw, arrange each square separately on the baking tray.  Make sure you leave at least 2 mm space between each squares while baking. That is because only the edges which are not touching gets crisp.

How to roll dough with the plastic wrap?

Dust the surface with flour, Place the dough on the work surface and add a layer of plastic wrap on top. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough above the wrap.  This helps in not using excess flour for dusting and prevents the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. Continue rolling the dough to about 1 mm thick.

Store them in an airtight container for up to a week. If you find that these crackers have lost their crispiness, arrange them again in the baking tray leaving gaps between each cracker and bake for a couple of minutes. Check for crispiness and keep baking until you are satisfied.

Print Recipe

Spicy Homemade Cheez Its

(5 votes, average: 4.40 out of 5)

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Serves: 90 crackers

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 10 – 12 minutes

Once you get a taste of these cheesy goodness you will never go back to a store bought pack.

Ingredients

• 100 grams cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 90 grams all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder

Instructions

1

Using a dough hook, combine all the above ingredients. Mix well until the mixture forms a dough. You can lso prepare the dough using your hands. Just mix the ingredients till they come together. No kneading or beating.

2

Cover the dough with cling film and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.

3

When ready for baking, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line two baking trays with baking sheets.

4

Dust the work surface with flour. Place the dough on the surface and add a layer of plastic wrap on top. Roll the dough above the wrap. This helps in using less flour for dusting and prevents the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. Roll the dough to about 1 mm thick.

5

Using a ruler, measure and cut the rolled out dough into one inch squares. I used a pizza cutter. You can use a cookie cutter or even a sharp knife.

6

Prick a couple of holes onto each square with a tooth pick.

7

Arrange each square onto the baking trays leaving at least 2 mm gap between each cracker.

8

Bake the cheez its for 10-12 minutes or until done. After 10 minutes keep a close eye on the crackers or they can easily burn.

9

Remove from oven and leave it on the tray 5 minutes.

10

Cool on a wire rack. Store the crackers in an airtight container for up to a week.

Notes

The dough can be chilled up to 3 days.