Name something to eat that your Granny made that you looked forward to during the holidays. If you close your eyes and think about it, doesn't it just make you smile? For me, it's KRISPY CHEESE WAFERS made with love on Christmas Eve by Granny Doris Creason. Now, Doris isn't MY grandmother. She's my husband's "step" grandmother. But we're privileged to call her Granny, and I couldn't possibly love her more if we were actual blood relatives! Every year she bakes up a batch of cheese wafers and brings them over. They are rather unassuming looking things...About the size of a silver dollar, light orange in color, and rather plain looking. Trust me, what they lack in appearance they make up for in TASTE! They are, quite simply, the most delish snack cracker ever and I'm thrilled to share the recipe with you. They are in the CHEESE STRAW family, but they have an extra ingredient: crispy rice cereal! It makes all the difference, people. It's crunchy, yummy, goodness x10!
See what I mean? Not much to look at but remember: Pretty ain't everything!
But, as far as I'm concerned this is the most beautiful cracker ever, so there! Scroll through these photos I've posted, and prepare yourself for some tasty goodness!
The photos posted represent my take on Granny's recipe. Her recipe is plain and straight forward, and it's delicious. But I have to be me and throw my spin on it. So while they are a tad different than Granny's original wafers, they still start out the same as hers. I'll both both recipes at the bottom of the page.
Here's how it starts out. You probably already have all these ingredients on hand because they are mostly staple items: plain flour, butter, cheese, crispy rice cereal, and a few spices. Simple enough, right?
Granny likes to use Sharp Cheddar in her wafers. I opted for Sharp Cheddar, and I added a bit of Colby Jack and some Parmesan. That combo is simply fabulous and makes a rockin' wafer! Then goes the flour and butter. Next in went some toasted sesame seeds. It doesn't take many--2 or 3 heaping tablespoons is plenty. The sesame adds a depth of flavor and nuttiness that I love. I added a bit of 'everything bagle' seasoning mix because I really LOVE garlic and let me tell ya, it really is a great flavor addition to these crackers. Add the few remaining ingredients and then go to town mixing! Mixing with a stand mixer is necessary because you really want to cream the butter and cheese into the dry ingredients. It takes 3 or 4 minutes on low to get it mixed in properly. Then, it's just a matter of scooping up a teaspoon sized amount and balling it up in your hands until you have a somewhat round ball. Since I used plain flour, I can put a lot on a pan because they won't spread out and rise much. I flattened each ball with the heel of my palm until they were mostly flat, then they baked for 13 minutes at 350°F. When you pull them outta the oven, just listen: you'll hear the sizzle and pop of the cheese and cereal toasting up. It's a beautiful sound! Transfer them from the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let them cool completely. You can eat them right away, but if you want them to be really crisp, you have to let them completely cool. Remember, the flatter you get the dough on the sheet pan, the crisper the end result. You'll notice I added some cream cheese and pepper jam to a cracker---it was pure joy to eat! Crunchy, salty, cheesy, sweet yummy goodness! Amen!
I hope you make this recipe for your self and let me know what you think. You may just start a new tradition for Christmas Eve yourself!!
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Tutorial Video:
Recipe for printing or downloading:
Granny's Original Recipe
My personal spin on Granny's recipe
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