Homemade Cheese Crackers: Italian

I don't really make New Year's resolutions, but I do like to think about what I would like to accomplish.  My mom bought a magazine that had a lot of really neat recipes in it, and the gears started whirring in my head.  I had been looking for something that I could really be excited about to celebrate topping 500 followers on my Pinterest board.  This magazine gave me ideas for just that.  Buried deep at the bottom of one of the pages, pretty nonchalant, sat the recipe for homemade cheese its!  We all know that I rarely meet a recipe that I leave alone, so I opted to forgo the over done cheddar idea and go Italian.

Here's what you need:

-8 ounces of Mozzarella cheese, I shredded mine fresh off the block.  Don't skimp out on me here, humans.
-1/2 stick of butter (room temperature)
-1 tsp salt, plus more later for sprinkling
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 tsp of Rosemary
-1/2 tsp of garlic cheese topper (McCormick makes a good one if you can't get Shipshewana spices, it's strong so I didn't use a ton)
-1 tsp of basil
-2 tablespoons of cold water*

Shred the cheese and mix with butter and salt. Mix on low speed and add the flour.  This should create a dough that looks like little pebbles. 

Slowly add the water and mix until dough forms a ball, or at least until you can form it into a ball when you press it together.  I had to add just a touch more water, very little though. I turned mine out on to saran wrap and pressed it into a disk.

Wrap it and chill it for an hour.

Preheat your oven to 375.  Plop your dough out on a floured surface and roll super thin (about 1/8th inch).  Cut out squares with a small cutter, or use a pizza cutter like I did. 

I am not overly concerned with perfect corners.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and put your squares out.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until the edges are brown and the crackers have puffed up.  Sprinkle a little salt on them when they come out of the oven.  Transfer them to wire racks to cool.

Perhaps because mine were not quite as thin as they should have been, but they have a texture that is like a hybrid between a cracker and a biscuit. 

They would be ablsolutely perfect for dipping! I think that these particular italian flavored ones would be great with a marinara or something similar.  These would be great party food!

I would rank these among one of the better things I have made in a good long while.  The flavors work very well and these are such a fun munchie.  More importantly, they aren't packed with preservatives.  SCORE!

Happy crafting!

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