Crackers don’t need to be an after-thought. These particular crackers are definitely worthy of their own place on your menu. In fact, I made them, and then decided afterward that I needed to make some soup to accompany them. Not the other way around. Sadly, eating plain crackers didn’t seem like a completely respectable decision. While making homemade crackers may sound daunting, or as if they would require much more work than they’re worth, rest assured, they’re really quite easy. No weird ingredients or fancy kitchen gadgets needed (although a food processor is very helpful).

Basically, you make a dough similar to pie crust dough, and then roll it out  and cut out the crackers like you would sugar cookies. Feel free to play around and make the whatever shape you want. If you’ve only got heart-shaped cookie cutters, go for it! Just make sure to poke some holes. I happen to have some fluted biscuit cutters laying around, which made for some cute Ritz-like shapes.  The only “trick” is rolling the dough thin, and I mean thin. As thin as you possibly can. While they’ll still be buttery and delectable if you roll it too thick, you’ll end up with what I can only describe as a perfectly dainty little biscuit for an American Girl doll tea party. (I didn’t actually use my thick ones for a doll tea party, but let’s be honest- it did cross my mind.).

These homemade crackers are buttery crisp and the perfect snack, or accompaniment to a delicious bowl of soup. Mine look a lot like a homemade Ritz cracker because of their shape (I feel like round crackers are cuter than rectangular ones), but they actually taste exactly like Club crackers which are my personal favorite store-bought crackers. If you’re looking for dry, cardboard-like crackers, these are not for you. These homemade crackers are light, crisp, flaky, and buttery.

 Total Time: 45 minutes                             Yield: About 70 crackers

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

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6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2/3 cup cold water

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

coarsely ground sea salt, for topping

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Place flour, baking powder, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
  • Add butter and pulse to combine.
  • Add vegetable oil and pulse to combine.
  • With food processor on low speed,slowly drizzle in the water until the dough begins to form a ball. Remove dough from food processor and wrap in plastic wrap. Let rest for 10 minutes.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough as thin as possible. (Thinner than pie crust if possible, thin like crepes works best.)
  • Cut the dough into your desired shapes with a cookie cutter, or cut rectangles or squares with a knife or pizza cutter and arrange on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper.
  • Gather scraps of dough and re-roll until all dough is used. (If you struggle to get the dough to roll thin enough, let it rest for another 10 minutes, then come back to it. The gluten may need to relax a bit.)
  • Using a toothpick, prick several holes in each cracker. (Don’t skip this step- you will not have nice, flat crackers if you don’t.)
  • Bake 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
  • Remove from oven, brush the tops with melted butter, and immediately sprinkle with coarsely ground sea salt. (If you don’t sprinkle the salt on the melted butter right away, it won’t stick.)
  • Remove from baking sheets and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

via kitchenjoyblog