Homemade Cheez Its (Kiddo Friendly)

Folks, I think I've died and gone to Cheez Its heaven! Seriously, these are so damn good!! And healthy to boot. And I could not have whipped these up at a better time because I'm needing to create more healthy, on-the-go snacks for Pepper who is now spending two days a week with a little playgroup of kiddos her same age. It's been really sweet to see her playing with the other kids and getting out of her comfort zone and embracing new situations. This girl melts my heart everyday and these big transitions pull at my heartstrings.  I almost cried after I packed her lunchbox to go. She carried it out to the car all by herself like a big girl. Here's a little sample of what P takes for lunch. I'm planning ahead on the weekends so this all comes together really quickly during the week!  Tuna sauerkraut salad (recipe here-- though now that she's bigger I don't blend it in the food processor and I added peas this time for good measure), some sliced mini kiwis from our neighbors, energy bites that she packs extra for so she can share with her friends (recipe here) and the cheez it crackers! If more folks are interested in lunch ideas for their toddles let me know! I'm having fun creating new recipes and haven't posted many on here as the blog is more geared towards savory dinners. But I do love sharing these creations and if you want to see more lunch ideas let me know in the comments! Anyhow, back to these Cheez Its! They're are awesome! They're full of real cheese (we're spoiled and used some local sharp cheddar), sprouted hazelnut flour (you can use almond flour) sprouted chickpea flour, and a little butter. A few dashes of paprika, turmeric and salt takes these over the top! They're easy to whip up and stay good for 5 days in an airtight container. This makes quite a few crackers which is awesome because we're eating them like crazy!   I hope you and your little ones love these crackers as much as we do! I can't take full credit for this recipe as I was inspired by the blog Feed Them Wisely .

Cheez It Crackers

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 17 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup, freshly grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
  • 4 ounces room temperature butter
  • 1 cup sprouted hazelnut flour (or almond flour) if you can't find sprouted flour just use un sprouted
  • 1 cup sprouted chickpea flour (see note)
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until a ball of dough forms. This will take 1-2 minutes.
  3. Place the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up a bit.
  4. Divide the dough in half (leaving the second half in the fridge while you work with the first half) and place the dough in-between two large pieces of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into about a 1/6-inch thickness. Try and be careful to keep the thickness even (this will make for even baking).
  5. Remove the top layer of the parchment paper and use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into uniform cracker shapes. If you feel like it, use a toothpick to dot a hole in the center of each cracker. (No need to peel away the crackers individually yet, they'll break apart easily after baking!) Carefully lift the parchment paper (with the dough still on it) to a baking sheet. Bake in the oven until the edges are lightly browned. About 11 minutes. (my first batch was a bit thicker and took closer to 16 minutes.) Start checking the crackers at the 10 minute mark and keep a close eye on them. Repeat with the second ball of dough.
  6. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days.

Notes

*If you can get your hands on sprouted flours (healthyflour.com has some) they are easier to digest. Especially for little eaters. However, using un sprouted will be just fine *This recipe is adapted from the blog Feed Them Wisely

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