Homemade Gluten Free Cheese Its

Homemade gluten free cheese its are a real treat in our house!

I don’t make them often any more but when I do, they rarely last long.

I try really hard to keep the processed stuff from the grocery store out of our pantry. There are seasons when I let all those convenience foods from the store creep back into my pantry and when I do we all feel it.

When I don’t buy them, I am forced to prep the healthy stuff and then guess what? We all eat better, feel better, and our overall moods and attitudes are better. A miracle!

These homemade gluten free cheese its are the perfect snack to have in your pantry to get you and your family back on track after letting the processed snacks back into your life.

The best part about this recipe is, it is not very many ingredients and you probably already have it all. Using various different cheeses adds a variety of flavor so you don’t get bored with the same old recipe.

I love that you can use regular all purpose flour in place of the gluten free flour blend, if you don’t have to be gluten free. A recipe that fits everyone!

Other crackers that we love in this house, are my sourdough discard cracker, gluten-free graham crackers, or I will take this flat bread recipe and cut them into the most delicious almond crackers. Making gluten-free crackers around here never gets old.

What to use to cut out the cheese its.

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There are many ways I have done this, from the simplest to the more complicated. They all taste the same it just depends on what you have time for!

The simplest way to cut out these gluten free cheese its, is using a pizza cutter or pastry wheel. I tend to turn to this method the most because I don’t have a lot of time.

But sometimes I like to get creative and have some fun. During those times I will use a small shaped cookie cutter like a square, oval, heart, or flower. The pack of mini cutters linked, has so many fun options and the girls love it when I change the shape.

If all else fails, just use a simple butter knife to cut them out. You don’t need anything fancy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup gluten free all purpose flour, I use my own homemade blend that I share in my digital cookbook. Make sure your gluten free all purpose flour has xanthan gum in it or some sort of a binding agent.
• 3 TBSP cold unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3 TBSP cold water
• 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese, I use the fine shred on my cheese grater so it melts in better when cooking and not so chunky. Feel free to use any type of cheese here for different flavors. I avoid pre-shredded cheese when possible because I like my ingredients to be as fresh as possible, however you can always buy thin shredded cheese.

How to make homemade gluten free cheese its.

1. Add gluten-free flour and salt to a stand mixer or bowl and cut in the cold butter so you get pea size pieces. You can also do this in a food processor.
2. Mix in shredded cheese so it is well incorporated.
3. Add in water and let you mixer do the work! Mix until your dough forms into a ball. DO NOT ADD MORE WATER!
4. Let the mixer go for at least 4-5 minutes. If you dough is still powdery and not forming a dough, add 1/2 TBSP cold water at a time until you get a dough. I never have to add more water, so this likely won’t happen.
5. Form dough into a big ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. For best results, chill your cracker dough in the fridge for at least an hour. If the dough is too hard when you are ready to roll it out, let it come back to room temperature a bit before rolling.
6. Pre heat oven to 350°. Take out of fridge and using a rolling pin, roll between 2 pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap to about 1/8 inch thick. The thinner the dough the crispier they will be. If you want crunchy crackers, make sure to not go any thicker then 1/8″.
7. Cut dough into little squares using a pastry roller/pizza cutter , a cookie cutter, or just a butter knife. Place on a baking sheet about 1/2″ apart. You can also just pick up the whole bottom parchment paper and place them all on the baking sheet at one time. But the middle ones don’t get as crispy.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. To get a crispy cracker, you will want to bake closer to 2 minutes. But watch closely so they don’t burn!

How to store gluten free cheese its.

The best way to store these delicious cheese crackers is in an airtight container in your pantry. I like to use a glass mason jar with a lid and ring. Although any Tupperware with an airtight lid will work.

They will keep for about a week in a dark place, although I will always say gluten free is best on the first or second day. Since you are not using any preservatives and you are using real cheese, they don’t keep for very long. However, I find that everyone loves these crackers so much that they don’t make it that long in my house anyways!

The BEST cheeses to use in this recipe.

Let’s talk about the key ingredient. The cheese!

The possibilities truly are endless. You can pretty much use any hard cheese in this recipe, which makes it great because you can change out the flavors based on the cheese you use.

Some great options of cheeses to use in this recipe are:

1. sharp cheddar cheese
2. white cheddar
3. pepper jack
4. mild cheddar

I find that the sharp cheddar really gives it a powerful taste as appose to the mild cheddar. However, I have used both and either is fine. The pepper jack cheese gives it just a little kick so make sure only to use that if you like some spice!

Making these cheese its dairy free.

Now the main ingredient in these cheese its is cheese. So to think they can be dairy free is hard to believe.

There are two options if you need it. You can find a good dairy-free cheese that is shredded to add to it. I am not super thrilled in dairy free cheeses because I don’t like the ingredients that they are made with, plus their taste is not very good. I like to use real whole ingredients. But it is an option if you choose!

The other option is try adding 2-3 TBSP nutritional yeast to the cracker dough before adding the water. It is said that nutritional yeast has a nutty cheese flavor and may give you a slight cheese taste when making these.

When my daughter had to be dairy free, we used nutritional yeast a lot when wanting a little cheese taste!

Making homemade delicious snacks doesn’t need to be complicated and your grocery bill, along with your tummy’s, will thank you. Using this easy recipe to get homemade gluten free cheese its on your pantry shelf will make your family happy and will quickly become a favorite snack!

It’s time to bring your snack time to a whole new level with these cheesy crackers!