MAHA - Homemade Crackers

I think we all know by now how many weird ingredients and preservatives are in the packaged foods we buy and feed to our children (and ourselves). Since we are in the process of trying to Make America Healthy Again, I am going to devote the semester to making food from scratch that will replace the highly-processed foods in the grocery stores.

Here is a big one – crackers!

Goldfish are one of the worst foods you can give your children. So many preservatives, chemicals, and food colors! They can be made at home with real ingredients and some little goldfish cutters you can order from Amazon.
This is a great project to do with your children. They will love cutting the dough and poking the crackers. Plus, they will be more invested in what they made and will most likely enjoy them more than the store-bought crackers.

Here are the recipes.....

Homemade Goldfish Crackers

1 block (8 oz.) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (do it yourself)
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons cold water
flaky sea salt, for topping (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350°.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together cheese, butter, flour, salt, garlic powder and onion powder until mixture resembles coarse sand.
Drizzle in water while pulsing the food processor just until a dough comes together.
Remove dough from food processor; press and roll into a disk shape, then cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Chill dough for at least 20 minutes (up to 1 day).
On parchment paper, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness.
Using a goldfish-shaped cookie cutter or other small cookie cutter, cut dough into shapes.
Poke each cracker once with a toothpick to form the “eye” and also keep crackers from puffing too much in the oven.
Reroll scraps once, if needed, to make more crackers.
Place crackers at least 1/2-inch apart on prepared baking sheet (you may need to bake in batches).
Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired.
Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until crackers are puffed and golden.
Cool completely on baking sheet.
Store fully-cooled leftover crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Another favorite....

Homemade Cheese Its

8 oz. cheddar, shredded
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 tablespoons milk

Mix in food processor until it comes together.
Roll out on a parchment paper and cut into small squares.
Using a toothpick, poke two holes in the crackers.
Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

And another favorite....

Homemade Ritz-Like Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers

1 1/2cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg, beaten + 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)
a few pinches of salt for topping

Mix in food processor until the dough comes together.
Cut into circles and poke with a toothpick to resemble Ritz crackers.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.
When cooled, add the filling and put the crackers together to make sandwiches.

Store in air-tight container for about a week.

Peanut Butter Filling:
3/4 cup natural peanut butter
2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar (optional)