Look what I made for my grandson’s Pups and Trucks birthday party, cheddar dog bone crackers! Aren’t they adorable? I think the two-year-olds, and their parents, are really going to enjoy them 🙂  I used a small cookie cutter to cut the bone shape out of a cheddar cheese flavored cracker dough. Look how I’m going to serve them!  Don’t shudder, it’s a brand new dog bowl! I bought it at the dollar store and I washed it well before putting the crackers in it!

These crackers taste great, aside from the cuteness factor 🙂 It’s sort of like the Goldfish crackers, though not nearly as crisp, but with much more flavor—and no icky preservatives! I’d never made crackers before, but now that I know they are easier to make than cookies—and taste so much better than store bought boxed stuff—I will be making them more often! Think of all the possibilities: the bone cookie cutter makes these crackers good Halloween treats, especially as the dough is slightly orange—PERFECT! For Thanksgiving I could make crackers in leaf or acorn shapes, Christmas options are too numerous to list, Valentine’s Day hearts, Easter eggs and bunnies, Mother’s Day flowers . . . 🙂

I found the recipe at Yum Food & Fun for Kids magazine, October 2010 by Laura Flowers. THANKS, Laura!

Cheddar Cheese Crackers

• 1 1/3 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 6 tablespoon unsalted butter, diced
• 8 ounce package shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons water

DIRECTIONS

1. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper—DO this, the crackers bake so much better on parchment paper—then, clear a space in your freezer to accommodate the cookie sheet.  You’ll need to freeze the crackers for 15 minutes before baking.
2. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt, paprika and onion powder.
3. Add the butter and process until combined.
4. Add the grated cheddar cheese and pulse until combined.
5. Process in the egg yolk and water until the mixture forms a ball.
6. Remove the dough and knead in your hands for a few turns, then divide in half and roll one part between two pieces of wax paper to 3/8″ thick.
7. Peel off the wax paper and cut with cookie cutters OR just cut into a square or rectangular cracker shape.
8. Place the crackers on the parchment lined cookie sheets, and feeze on cookie sheets for 15 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°.
10. Transfer the cookie sheets to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
11. Cool crackers on cooling racks, and store in an airtight container.

I was able to get 70 1½” dog bone crackers from this dough 🙂

Happy Birthday, Zade-ikins!