My family grew up with Cheez Its, not Cheese Nips. If someone tries to tell me they are the same, um – not even close! But these homemade Cheez Its are pretty close to the real deal!
Are Cheez Its baked or fried?
The original Cheez Its are baked, so I decided to bake mine too. I found that if I keep the temperature at 375 (I tried 400 the first time and they burned before they cooked through if that makes sense?!) the crackers held their shape better.
Why is there a hole in the middle of Cheez Its?
Baking is a science, and I learned that the reason there is a hole in the middle of Cheez Its is because it allows steam to escape, which helps prevent the crackers from puffing up too much during the cooking process, leaving you a crispy cracker.
Ingredients Needed for Homemade Cheez Its
- skinny pizza dough – this is my take on the 2 ingredient dough that was going around a few years ago that I hated making. That dough was just equal amounts of self rising flour with non-fat Greek yogurt and I could never get the dough to behave like pizza dough. With just a few tweaks like adding yeast, salt and water, it makes the perfect dough. Not only for pizza but as the base for these homemade Cheez Its.
- butter – just one teaspoon of butter is all you need to get that crispy cracker
- cheese – this is not the time to use fat free cheese. There is only 2 ounces of cheese in the entire recipe, so I suggest buying a really good one. Mine was simply sharp cheddar Wisconsin cheese I bought at Mariano’s.
Why you will love these homemade Cheez Its
This recipe is such a fun one to do with small children. Imagine their surprise when they realize that they can make crackers from scratch! Be sure to roll out your dough on the thin side so that they bake up crispy. A dough that is a bit thicker tends to make a chewy cracker.
Tools You’ll Need to Make homemade Cheez Its
- while not necessary, I love this fabric cutting mat that I found at Walmart. It wipes clean with a damp cloth.
- this pastry roller has become my go to roller for all things dough – super cheap!
- this pastry wheel cutter is perfect not only to cut out these crackers, but it makes amazing ravioli too!
How to make homemade Cheez Its
Once the butter and cheese and kneaded into the dough, simply cut the cracker shapes and place them on a baking sheet. Be sure to not skip the step of putting the hole in the middle to allow the steam to escape while baking.
Can you make these gluten free?
The best gluten free flour that I’ve found that works great for my skinny pizza dough is one that has white rice flour as the flour. There are several gluten free flours out there that use ingredients like chickpeas and those resulted in a dense pizza dough. Two brands that I like are Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour that can be found at most grocery stores, and Divided Sunset brand that I have found a bit cheaper at Walmart.
Homemade Cheez Its
Next time you make skinny pizza dough, be sure to make some of these homemade Cheez Its! So crispy and delicious!
Ingredients
- 4 ounces skinny pizza dough
- 2 ounces cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon butter, softened
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375.
- Mix the shredded cheese and butter into the dough. Roll out the dough fairly thin. If they aren't thin enough, they will still be delicious but a bit chewy and not crispy.
- Cut the cracker squares out and place on a baking sheet sprayed with avocado oil spray. Using a chopstick or skewer, poke the hole in the middle of the cracker.
- Bake for 14-15 minutes. Cool slightly. You won't have to worry about how to store them because they will be gone within ten minutes of making them.
- If you did have leftovers, an airtight container will keep them crispy for up to five days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 137Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 202mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 5g
Where can I find My Bizzy Kitchen Skinny Pizza Dough?
The original link can be found here. This link answers the most commonly asked questions such as “what temperature should I bake my pizza?” and “what yeast should I use?”
There is also a jenky youtube video from a few years ago if you want to check that out.
How to store homemade Cheez Its
Quite possibly these will be gone within 10 minutes of making them, but if you did have some leftover, a ziplock bag or air tight container will keep them crispy for up to 5 days. If they seem to be a bit chewy after a few days of storage, simply pop them in a 400 degree air fryer for a few minutes to crisp them back up.
If you make these, be sure to let us know!
I’m sorry for the dumb question, but I can’t figure out how much of the recipe is 1 serving?
Hi! The serving sizes are always in my recipe card – but it’s 1/2 cup of crackers. Hope you liked them!