Introduction: Homemade Crackers: Only 1 Ingredient!
I recently heard a statistic that 30% of adult Americans try to avoid gluten. If you don't eat gluten you know it is somewhat difficult to find satisfying crispy crackers that won't spike your blood sugar with crap load of starch!
These crackers fit into the following diet plans (if not more): keto, lacto-paleo, low carb, no carb, LCHF, and Mediterranean.
If you have a brick of cheese in your refrigerator, a muffin tin, a knife, and an oven, you are on your way to a delightfully crispy cracker alternative. This is the easiest recipe you'll ever make!
Step 1: Cut Cheese Slices for Crackers
Preheat oven to 350° F -or- 177° C.
There are a few options for cheese. You can use a brick of cheese, pre-cut cheese slices, or shredded cheese. Use your favorite kind of cheese — any flavor/variety will work.
If you are using a brick, cut thin slices (about 1/8 of an inch thick) with a sharp knife. Cut the slices into sizes that will fit well in your muffin tin. In my case a square.
If you are using pre-sliced cheese, just cut into appropriate/desired size.
If you are using pre-shredded cheese no cheese prepping is necessary!
Step 2: Bake the Cheese Crackers and Enjoy!
Place cheese slices in each muffin cup of an ungreased mini muffin tin. If you are using shredded cheese make a small mound in each muffin cup. If you don't have a muffin tin you can use a sheet pan and make small mounds of cheese or arrange slices right on the pan. Although shapes won't be as uniform, they will still be delicious!
Place in a preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow the cheese to cool entirely. Pop the crackers out by pressing on one edge of the baked cheese and enjoy. These are great served with soup, eaten plain as a snack, or topped with your favorite traditional cracker toppers.
**If you want to jazz up your crackers, add chili flakes or thinly sliced hot peppers before baking.
30 Comments
5 years ago
oh NO! That'd be INSANE! I love this idea. I sometimes, from casseroles, get some crisp cheese from the edges, I thought those had been good. This. Just capitalizes on that more common scenario. And it is PURE cheese that IS crisp. Would be silly-delicious.
5 years ago
Great tasty low carb idea.
6 years ago
Wow, looks good for something so simple
6 years ago
thats so easy. I think i will try them sometime
6 years ago
Shame that you use "Raw" cheese for this process, you killed the best parts of that cheese ?? i pan fry my cheese and get this exact same effect, best low carb cheese crackers ?
6 years ago
These little treats look yummy. (and I love cheese in nearly any incarnation!) Since my Sis and I both deal with Celiac Disease, I will give them a try. Thanks, teeter tot for your notes on those who must eat "gluten-free"...and why. Celiac is indeed a serious auto-immune condition. Mine wasn't discovered before it had nearly destroyed my digestive, immune, and endocrine systems, and made a good stab at taking out my respiratory and neurological functions as well. Doctors have tested me multiple times for MS, my sister for Lupus, and my brother for Myasthenia Gravis...thankfully, the results have always been non-conclusive, so we just say we have an "auto-immune dysfunction" and leave it at that.
6 years ago
I just made these. They are so good, my husband had eaten half before they were even cool. Great snack. Thank you, thank you! I love simple.
6 years ago
Luv it!
6 years ago
Just FYI - People should understand that there are basically 4 types of gluten-free people:
1) About 1/130 people has CELIAC DISEASE and can not ingest gluten without doing internal damage. THAT is a BIG number. Celiac disease is NOT an allergy, it is a serious genetic autoimmune DISEASE.
The real issue is that most people with the real disease don't even know they have it because it doesn't necessarily cause immediate or obvious symptoms, which is why it's hard to diagnose and most people don't know they have it. Products with Wheat, Barley, and Rye (and their close relatives) (species) are the most common gluten containing foods.
When cutting out gluten is too late, or not effective, and the intestines don't heal, it's called REFRACTORY CELIAC SPRUE, and this is very rare, but very serious.
2) Then there are people with WHEAT ALLERGIES. Only about 0.4% of the population have a true allergy to wheat. Symptoms happen right after ingesting wheat. When it's severe, the airway can close and they can die without medical attention, just like people allergic to bee stings.
3) There are people who report 'SENSITIVITY' to gluten. They 'diagnose' themselves based on how they feel after ingesting gluten. The estimates of numbers vary (0.6-6%), and there isn't a scientific way to diagnose, prove, or disprove it by blood or biopsy. If it feels bad, don't do it. For some people there is also a placebo effect. It's a description of how they feel, but isn't technically a medical diagnosis (yet). It doesn't mean it isn't real. Research continues on this topic.
4) FAD-FOLLOWERS & MISINFORMED: Most people who cut gluten out of their diets don't really need to, and don't receive any physical or nutritional benefit from it. They may 'think' it's healthier, or be trying to lose weight, read about it on-line, in a magazine, or have other reasons for doing it. GLUTEN FREE FAD/PHASE is an unnecessarily expensive and restrictive way to live, without any benefit.
NOTE: By cutting out gluten first, you can't even be clinically tested for Celiac disease, (you have to be eating gluten regularly to be able to test for Celiac Disease by blood and biopsy).
For those of us with real Celiac Disease, Refractory Sprue, or severe allergies, it is critical, and it isn't as uncommon as people think.
(And if you wonder, yes, I've been clinically diagnosed by blood, scope, biopsy, swallowing cameras, etc..., AND I also practice medicine for a living, so I'm qualified to speak on this subject). Thanks.
Hope everyone understands gluten a bit better now.
Reply 6 years ago
By the way cheese is not 100% lactose free (depends how ripe it is, and american cheese is not very ripe. Also some manufacturer of gratted cheese or flavoured cheese add wheat flour to the milk. Nice receipe but probably not lactose free and in some case not gluten free.
Reply 6 years ago
Thanks for the clarification. I have been diagnose with celiac very late in my life. The actual fad help finfing gluten free product but at the same time people think that you are just "new Trend" kind (see Miley Cirrus). The danger with the fad is that manufacturer will in the future think that they can sell gluten free product without really taking care of contamination . They will think : "after all this stupid snob have no idea what is gluten free so why being careful, they will not know!". In fact the destruction of the intestine is slow and silent. When the symptoms appears you can be really sick : diarrhea, osteoporose, lack of vitamins, weakening of the immune sytem, ...
6 years ago
I've made these with grated parmesan, in the microwave. Heat until well boiling and then allow to cool. Silicone muffin tin is essential.
6 years ago
old hat, but nice, do it on parchment paper. We used various Italian cheeses. To me Mac and cheese IS Baked Ziti. American cheese/cheddar cheese and elbows is rather boring.
And yes the stuff that crusted in the edges of the lasagna pan were a treat. That said this was a great revisit on an old item and using cheddar , while not my thing, (to me cheddar is usually bitter and some brands of cottage cheese are as well), is better then dried up cheese whiz goop.
As far as gluetin free, well, the % of people who NEED to be gluten free is quite small, for a guest who actually is allergic I would make this, but for all others, while it may be chic, I would not do this, unless I was in the mood.
Chop up some fresh rosemary and mince some thyme sprinkle over the pieces as well as some fresh black pepper . As they say in Scout Camp ...OOOh AAHH Special, so very very SPECIAL.
nice piece
6 years ago
I've always liked the crispy drips from a grilled cheese sandwich and sometimes I'll "fry" an extra slice of cheese and flip it like a pancake. This is more civilized and I can share them with friends.
6 years ago
nom, nom, nom, nom....
6 years ago
Do these have to be refrigerated? They sound wonderful to use in training dogs. I would cut them into smaller pieces before they cooled.
Reply 6 years ago
It depends on the cheese. Some need to be refrigerated and some don't. I suggest looking up the water content of your cheese and doing a little research to make sure you aren't serving spoiled food!
6 years ago
mmmmm looks amazing!!!
6 years ago
We cook ours on a sheet of baking paper (which is like parchment,
but is siliconized) on a cookie sheet; won't stick!. Cook until crispy
at about 250dF. The crisps spread out some, but not much. The paper
can be reused, though it gets greasy.
6 years ago
Brilliant!