I have recently discovered that many processed snack foods can be made from scratch using fairly common ingredients.  My latest snacking passion – a whole wheat replica of Goldfish crackers.  Get ready for the warm and cheesy goodness to fill your house with these addicting crackers!

Five Simple Ingredients
1 c. whole wheat flour
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
8 oz. sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper

Pour whole wheat flour into a food processor.  Cut the butter and cheese into chunks and add them to the flour.  Sprinkle the salt and pepper on top.  Pulse the food processor until the ingredients look like corn meal.  Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the mixture and pulse the blades until the dough starts to stick to the sides or form a ball.  Gather all of the dough to form a large ball, enclose it in plastic wrap, and stick it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

After the dough has chilled, go ahead and preheat your oven turning it to 350 degrees.  The key to getting crispy crackers is to roll the dough out very thin.  Aim to roll it out until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick.  You can use a very small cookie cutter to give the crackers a distinct shape.  I prefer to use a pastry wheel or pizza cutter.  After the dough is rolled out, simply run the wheel vertically and horizontally through the dough creating small squares.  Now the tedious part – put all of those little squares on a baking stone.  Bake for 15 – 20 minutes.

If your crackers come out soft, bake them for a few more minutes.  If the crackers are still soft or chewy, you will probably have to roll out the dough thinner.  These crackers keep well in a sealed plastic container for a couple weeks.  For another variation of this recipe, add ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder to the dough before processing the ingredients.  This will add a nice zing to the flavor!

Anyone from your toddler to the college student pursuing their master’s degree online can appreciate this healthy and easy-to-make alternative to processed snack foods.  Using whole wheat flour in the recipe can help increase the amount of fiber and magnesium in your diet – just a couple benefits of using 100% whole wheat flour in your cooking.