White Cheddar and Dill Crackers

When I was in High School a friend's Mom made oyster crackers that tasted just like sour cream and onion potato chips. They were always kept in a big jar on top of the fridge. Each time we passed them I hoped he would offer me some. I had long forgotten about those cracker until a few weeks ago when I stumbled across a recipe for them online. I had been wanting to make my own crackers for a while, but seasoning pre-made oyster crackers seemed a bit like cheating.

Crackers are easy to make. Many times I have heard people say this. Yet somehow I just never got around to making them myself. It's not until you actually make something that you finally realize, "This is really easy". Why did I not make them sooner? I used Mark Bittman's recipe and changed things up a bit to make them taste like those dill oyster cracker I remembered. The results were a great little snack cracker, very Cheez-it like. I could see making these in a variety of flavors by changing both the type of cheese and the topping. You could easily whip up a few batches in less than 30 minutes. They would make a great little snack to go with a beer or cocktail on an unexpected warm spring day.

White Cheddar and Dill Crackers
adapted from Mark Bittman, The Minimalist

1 cup all-purpose flour, more as needed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely grated aged white cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup half-and-half, more as needed
2 teaspoons dried dill weed, adjust to taste
1 teaspoon onion powder, adjust to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put flour, salt, cheese and butter in bowl of a food processor. Pulse until flour and butter are combined. Add about 1/4 cup half-and-half and let machine run for a bit; continue to add liquid a teaspoon at a time, until mixture holds together but is not sticky.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/8-inch thick (even thinner if you can), adding flour as needed. Transfer sheet of dough to prepared baking sheet. Using a pizza or pastry cutter, cut the dough into squares or rectangles the size you would like your crackers. No need to separate them, just cut all the way through. The edges will be ragged, but still tasty. Sprinkle evenly with dill and onion powder.
Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. I didn't find them to store very well, but they make a small batch and they are so easy you can just make them fresh each time you want them.

This post submitted for: Mother's Kitchen: Spice Rack Challenge April: Dill