These puffy, cheesy crackers have spicy jalapeño flavor and sharp cheddar goodness. They're a fun baking project to make with kids, because you can cut different shapes too!
Ingredients
3/4lbjalapeno peppers
8ozblock sharp cheddar cheesefinely grated
4tbspcold unsalted buttercut into cubes
1/4tspsalt
a few cracks of black pepper
5ozflour, by weight(1 cup, measured)
Instructions
Turn the oven broiler on high and place the jalapeños on a sheet pan. Stick the jalapeños directly under the broiler for a few minutes on each side, until the skin is blackened. Place the blackened jalapeños in a bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the jalapeños sit for 10 minutes to steam, then peel the skins off. Remove the stems and inner seeds, and chop the peeled jalapeños finely. Set aside. Be sure to wash your hands very well and do not touch your eyes for the rest of the day…those peppers are hot!
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the cheddar, butter, salt, pepper, and chopped jalapeños (but do not add any excess jalapeño juice)* in a stand mixer on medium low for 60 seconds, until the butter is broken down and everything is distributed. Add the flour and mix until just combined (it will look crumbly but should pinch together well). Do not over mix the dough, or your crackers will be chewy instead of crisp. Scrape the crumbly dough out into plastic wrap, shape it into disk and refrigerate for 2 hours until firm.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Roll out one half of the dough at a time (keep the other half cool in the fridge), and roll the dough out to about 1/8 to 1/16th of an inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Use small cutters to cut out little shapes from the cracker dough, and place on a sheet pan. Make sure that your cracker shapes are no larger than about the size of a Cheez-It. If the shapes are too big, they won’t crisp. Bake the crackers for about 9-10 minutes until crisp, golden, and puffy, then let them cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Enjoy!
Notes
*Note: there should be enough moisture from the jalapeños that you shouldn’t need to add water to the dough. If the dough is too crumbly, you may add 1-2 tbsp of water, but mine didn’t need any.