Spicy Southern Cheese Crackers
These homemade cheese crackers are spicy, buttery, and totally addicting!
I love when fellow food bloggers release new cookbooks, so I was thrilled to get a copy of the Add a Pinch cookbook a little while back. If you don’t already follow Robyn’s blog, Add a Pinch, run over there immediately! She shares some of the most amazing recipes – a combination of sweet and savory, and a lot of Southern-inspired recipes, which I love. Everything looks so cozy and approachable; so when she wrote her first cookbook, I couldn’t wait to check it out.
Every single recipe is mouth-watering, but it was no surprise that my first stops were the appetizers and desserts, and well, butter and cheese? I didn’t need to go very far!
Let’s talk about these cheese crackers, because they were here and gone in the blink of an eye, which means you’re probably going to LOVE them!
A number of years ago, I made homemade cheez-its, which were absolutely phenomenal. So, when I opened up Robyn’s new cookbook, the southern cheese crackers jumped off the page at me. Once I saw how much cayenne was in the recipe, I knew my husband would love them.
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These are spicy, to be sure, so if you like things with a little bit less of a kick, feel free to decrease or omit the cayenne. I photographed these on Saturday and they ended up being my lunch (oops!)… I COULD NOT STOP eating them!
On Sunday, I put them out in a bowl for our Sunday dinner crowd. Everyone raved about them and after everyone left, I went to eat a handful and saw… crumbs. Always a sure sign that a recipe is a winner!
If the butter and cheese doesn’t have you convinced yet, you can make this dough wayyyy in advance and have it waiting in the fridge or freezer for whenever you have a cheesy cracker craving. Bust out that grater!
One year ago: Baking Basics: Flour 101
Spicy Southern Cheese Crackers
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup (113.5 g) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) garlic powder
- 1½ cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the cheese and butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the salt, cayenne, black pepper, and garlic powder. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the flour ½ cup at a time, until the ingredients are well combined and a dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap and shape it into a 1-inch-diameter log. Twist the ends of the parchment or plastic wrap to seal. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, and place on a cutting board. Cut the log into ⅛-inch-thick slices and place ¼ inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow the crackers to cool completely. The crackers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- If the dough seems to stiff or dry, gradually add 1 to 2 tablespoons of ice water until it reaches the right consistency.
- You can store the unbaked cracker dough in the refrigerator for up to 1 week before baking. It can also be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months - just place the wrapped dough in a resealable freezer bag.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Pretty darn good. And forgiving
These are delicious! I have made them multiple times. The last time, I didn’t have enough cheddar, so I used some mozzarella and parmesean. I was hoping the dryness of the parm would offset the extra moisture of the mozzarella. It worked perfectly! A fam fave!
These are great tasting crackers! Super easy to make too. They’re a big hit in our house. I made them yesterday and they’re gone. Making more now. I’m thinking I might try some later with Swiss cheese? 🤔
No mention of when you add ground pecans!!!!!!!!!!
There are no ground pecans in this recipe.
At last I have been looking for this recipe for ages on how to make cheese crackers,
Great recipe! I also added 1/4 tablespoon of caraway seeds to give them a little more interest. Thanks for the recipe. I will make these often!
I haven’t made these in a long time, but made them today as appetizers for Christmas Eve. They are as delicious as ever! Now the hard part will be keeping myself from eating them all before Saturday.😊
I’m so glad I found this recipe! I used to make similar crackers in the early 1980s but they also had dry mustard, just a dash of cayenne pepper, and a little bit of Worcestershire sauce. They were brushed with egg whites and sprinkled with sesame seeds. I’ve been craving them but I couldn’t find the recipe. This is so similar that I can modify it and make those awesome crackers again! I’m sure they would be great without the modifications, but I’m really looking forward to making them the way I remember them!
Personally, I never use salted butter. Prefer to add my own. The cheddar already has a salted taste especially extra sharp cheese
I have been making these for years. Wonderfully addicting. I use extra sharp cheddar and on occasion, finely chopped green olives. They are always a hit.
Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl before adding. Flour plus all spices. Also I used a bit more cheese.
This recipe is one of my favorites. I’ve made it with different types of cheese (cheddar, Monterey jack, pepper jack). They always turn out great, not mention they are addicting. Thank you for posting this recipe.
So yummy. Made these for back packing.
This is a great recipe. Easy to make and very tasty. I followed it to the letter the first time I made this but found it too salty so omitted the salt entirely this time. The person I made these for does not like things too spicy so I used mustard powder instead of cayenne pepper. Many of the suggestions in the comments sound very good. Thank you very much for sharing this recipe.
Can I make this recipe using nut flour instead of wheat flour?
I love these from the bottom of my heart. Thanks.
Absolutely love!!! I did find it to be too salty though, so I used unsalted butter and only 1/2 tsp of salt. I also baked at 360° for about 16 min, flipping them after 10min. I wanted a little more spicy, so I increased cayenne pepper. These truly are addictive!!!
Delicious! I eyeballed the butter and some of the other ingredients, so they’re a bit greasy, even for me. I thought I eyeballed the cayenne right, but I must not have because they’re totally not spicy to me. I might try crushed chilis and/or hot sauce next time ;) I also added a tiny sprinkling of baking soda to make them a bit fluffy, and it worked ;)
Can these be made keto friendly?
Hi Ashley, I am not familiar with that eating regimen, so I couldn’t say.