Over the summer Tillamook hosted a Loaf Love Tour event at the Sacramento Zoo. I couldn’t attend so they sent me some cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses to sample instead. It took me a while to decide what to make with the cheese – there are so many options! Pizza, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, anything with cheese…
I love making homemade versions of things that are usually store bought (some past examples: chocolate syrup, Irish cream, funfetti cake, ketchup, ranch dressing and pumpkin spice latte). It’s nice to control what goes into your food and avoid preservatives and artificial ingredients. Goldfish are one of my favorite crackers, but their long list of ingredients makes me hesitate. I found a recipe for a homemade version, which only has 5 ingredients including salt and pepper – that’s more like it!
These crackers aren’t exact replicas of the original, but I think they’re as close as you can get with homemade. They are pretty crispy if you roll the dough out thinly. If you make them thicker, you can also use to the dough to make soft and puffy cheese straws. I got sick of cutting out little hearts (it was the smallest cookie cutter I could find in my pantry, but check out this blogger who made a fish cookie cutter out of a soda can!) so I made some cheese straws too. The crackers have a great cheddar flavor and it would be fun to experiment with other types of cheese and seasonings to make other flavors.
What should I make with the Monterey Jack?
Recipe:
Homemade Goldfish Crackers
Only 5 ingredients (pepper isn’t pictured):
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 8 oz cheddar cheese, cut into chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
Measure your cheese (and you don’t have
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it resembles coarse meal.
Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing until dough forms ball (at most use 2-3 tablespoons). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Roll dough out to 1/8″ and cut shapes. Place 1″ apart on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, until crisp.
*Tillamook sent me cheddar cheese to sample. All opinions expressed are my own.
Kath
September 22, 2011 at 3:08 pm (13 years ago)Your little star crackers are so cute! I made a similar recipe and just cut out little squares – like Cheez Its. I used Tillamook Sharp Cheddar.
I love Tillamook cheese! I always have a loaf of the Medium Cheddar in the refrigerator.
As for the Monterey Jack? Elise at Simply Recipes has a great recipe for a Chile Relleno Casserole that uses Monterey Jack. I made it and it was great!
Kath recently posted Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies
Andrea
September 22, 2011 at 3:23 pm (13 years ago)Yum, these look so delicious! I would be afraid to make them – cheesy crackers are so addicting, I would eat the whole batch!
Cindee N.
September 22, 2011 at 3:53 pm (13 years ago)Looks tasty. If you want to just make little squares, you can use a pizza cutter and get them all cut out pronto!
Ann
September 22, 2011 at 6:00 pm (13 years ago)These look delicious! I love cheesey, crispy snacks. …and goldfish are SO good! Believe it or not, this is the second goldfish recipe I’ve seen today – brilliant minds and all that! Delish….thank you for posting!
Ann recently posted Tomato Pizza – Light on the Cheese, Heavy on the Flavor!
Pattiann Malynn
September 22, 2011 at 9:56 pm (13 years ago)Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’m always looking for something different to serve my family. I’ll have to try this recipe this weekend for my boys!
Christine @ Nourish the Budding Lotus
September 25, 2011 at 9:01 am (13 years ago)These are super cool! I never really thought about making homemade goldfish crackers, but they sound yummy look pretty easy to put together. I will have to think about how to possibly make a gluten-free version…
Christine @ Nourish the Budding Lotus recently posted Hubbard
Kat @ Big Apple Little Kitchen
September 25, 2011 at 12:35 pm (13 years ago)what a fantastic idea! I bet those got eaten up pretty fast!!
Magic of Spice
September 26, 2011 at 1:30 pm (13 years ago)These are just so adorable and I am sure delicious 🙂
Magic of Spice recently posted What’s for dessert? Stagnola Blu Stuffed Black Figs with Awards
laila
September 30, 2011 at 1:11 am (13 years ago)Really, only five ingredient for that beautiful dish? And love the idea of making store bought stuff at home, specially chocolate syrup. But do you make it in bulk and add preservatives or do you always make them fresh?
laila recently posted Physical Therapy Assistant
Stephanie
September 30, 2011 at 9:03 am (13 years ago)@lalia – I usually make them fresh. Most of the things I’ve made will last several weeks when stored properly.
Liz
September 30, 2011 at 5:11 pm (13 years ago)Oh, these are SO cute! And they look delectable!!
Liz recently posted Deconstructed BLT and Eggs~
Carol
October 1, 2011 at 8:49 am (13 years ago)These look delicious! I’m invited to a chili cook-off and I think these would be a perfect thing to bring and share.
I received a set of tiny little cookie cutters for Christmas a few years ago. I put them in the craft drawer, because I never expected to use them in the kitchen. I’m glad I kept them!
Now, I think it’s time I invested in a food processor. I’d appreciate any suggestions on a good food processor brand or model. Thanks for posting this recipe!
hannah
October 7, 2011 at 1:46 pm (13 years ago)This looks SO good Stephanie, what a great idea!!
Madeline
October 10, 2011 at 11:05 am (13 years ago)This is amazing! Goldfish crackers were my favorite as a kid, and I still kind of love them secretly…I am definitely going to give these a try 🙂
Karen
October 22, 2011 at 7:49 am (13 years ago)Stumbled across your site when looking for something tasty to take to a bacon-themed party–yup ultimate bacon-chocolate cupcakes are going…anhyhow, this recipe looks good but how to adapt for those of us with out a food processor?
Stephanie
October 22, 2011 at 7:59 am (13 years ago)@Karen – you could try using a blender but I’m not sure if it will work as well.
Kimberly
January 21, 2012 at 6:59 am (13 years ago)Found your blog through #SITS31DBBB … it’s beautiful!
I also love homemade goldfish crackers and can’t wait to try yours!
Happy blogging!
Kimberly recently posted Truffled French Fries
Stephanie
January 21, 2012 at 9:55 am (13 years ago)@Kimberly – thanks for visiting! I’m going to go check out your truffled french fries now – yum!
Camille Macnaughton
February 13, 2012 at 2:56 pm (13 years ago)Hi!
I really enjoyed your golfish cracker recipe and so did my fellow foodies. I substituted the cheese with a 9 year old cheddar and the result was delicious! Check out the website to see photos.
Kitty
April 24, 2012 at 7:33 pm (13 years ago)Hello!
Your heart crackers are so cute.I made them and they tasted good!
Kristin Shaw (Two Cannoli)
September 30, 2012 at 8:52 pm (12 years ago)Stephanie, do you need to refrigerate these when they’re finished? Thanks!
Kristin Shaw (Two Cannoli) recently posted All I Remember is Love
Stephanie
September 30, 2012 at 10:02 pm (12 years ago)@Kristin – I believe you can just store them in an air-tight container on the counter.
Cecelia
March 24, 2014 at 1:29 pm (11 years ago)Can you use gluten free flour?
Stephanie Saunders
March 30, 2014 at 7:48 pm (11 years ago)Cecelia, I haven’t tried it with gluten free flour, but if you have an all-purpose GF flour blend, I think it could work.