Delectable and Utterly Fabulous Cheez-Its

Sorry it's been so long since I posted here, but we've been cruising the Abacos and the weather has been less than stellar which means I'm not in a very creative mood when it comes to the galley. Soon we'll be back in the States and I'll have much more time to get back into post-it mode.

Since we're talking about cruising the Abacos, this is the place where food is hard to come by and, more specifically, snack food is almost non-existent or it costs a week's paycheck to buy. We've been over here six weeks now and all of the chips and crackers we brought are gone. A trip to Maxwell's in Marsh Harbour revealed that the price of chips ($9.58 for a bag of Doritos) hadn't changed significantly. Even the huge jar of popcorn is gone (our cheap chip backup), so I had to come up with some snack foods. I've tried various crackers before without much success (my husband is a real Ritz snob), but I almost always have flour and butter and various other makings of crackers on board. So I took a deep breath and decided to try one more time. I Googled Cheez-It recipe and the folks at browneyedbaker.com came up with a homemade cheez-its recipe. The last time I tried a homemade Ritz recipe it didn't turn out well so this time I decided on half a recipe to check it out first. I wish I had made the full recipe...and the shocking thing is that there are only four - yes four - ingredients. No chemicals, no FD&C yellow or orange, no preservatives because I promise you that these will never last long enough to need preservatives. They almost didn't last long enough to cool completely. So enjoy - but be prepared because you'll never want the store bought kind again.

Ingredients:

8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, yellow or white
1/4 c unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tsp salt
1 c all purpose flour
2-3 Tbl ice water

Directions:

Shred the cheddar with a micro plane or other fine shredder into a medium bowl.

Add the butter and the salt. Mix with a hand mixer (or by hand) until blended.

Add flour and mix until it looks like small pebbles.

Add water a tablespoon at a time until it forms a ball but is not sticky to the touch. Knead 5-6 times just till smooth and cohesive. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for one hour.

Divide dough in quarters and roll out on parchment paper until very thin. It should not be more than 1/8" thick and thinner if possible. Cut edges square with a pastry wheel if you have one, or use a long knife. Cut rectangle into cheez-it sized squares approximately one inch square. Poke center with the dull end of a bamboo skewer. Bake at 375° for 15-17 minutes depending on your oven.

Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and break apart. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Note: Baking times will differ depending on how thin you roll the dough. Watch these carefully as they will burn quickly. The thinner they are, the crispier they are.