The Conscious Shopper: The Great Snack Experiment: Parmesan Crackers

For my February Extreme Challenge, I stopped buying crackers for the month (along with a few other processed foods that have been lingering around in our diet). Crackers - specifically Goldfish crackers - have been my family's go-to snack since First Son was old enough for solids. There are so many things to love about a storebought cracker: they're cheap, easy, small, self-serve, and don't make too much of a mess. But my family has greened our diet and trimmed our waste-line, and crackers no longer fit the bill.

I've discovered this month, though, that deciding to cut out those lingering processed foods without coming up with a back-up plan is a disastrous way to go about it. We've been experiencing a domino effect of food shortages. Toast for breakfast leads to no bread for lunch, leading to no muffins for snacks, and so on. It's been tough to keep up with all of the from-scratch food needs around here, and after the month is over, I'm not sure how much I'll stick with it.

In the meantime, I've been trying out several homemade goodies and wanted to share a few with you, starting with this one:

Parmesan Crackers

MAKES: 2 dozen crackers

COST: $2.17*

3/4 c. whole-wheat flour
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 T milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Stir together the flour and salt. Cut in the butter (like when you're making biscuits), and then stir in the cheese.
Add the milk, one tablespoon at a time until the mixture holds together.
Roll out the dough onto a floured surface until very thin. Cut into squares and place on a baking sheet.
Bake 12-15 minutes until lightly browned. After you remove them from the oven, the crackers will continue to crisp up as they cool. They don't ever get as crispy as wheat thins, but they're similar with a cheesy flavor.

*Note that all costs are estimates based on prices in my area. Your costs may vary.

UPDATE: I tried this recipe again but substituted cheddar for the parmesan. It went over much better with the kids.

This recipe is based on fresh365's Parmesan and Cracked-Pepper Crackers and Smitten Kitchen's Parmesan Cream Crackers. I used all whole wheat flour and left out the cracked pepper because I knew my kids would refuse to eat them with pepper. Turned out that they refused to eat them anyway (parmesan is not their favorite cheese), but I thought the crackers were really tasty. So tasty that I ate them all within two days. And that, dear readers, is part of the reason I like storebought crackers. I am never ever tempted to snack on Goldfish.

And by the way, if you don't know about fresh365 or Smitten Kitchen, you need to check them out right now. They both take the most mouthwatering photos (and make very yummy food).

So that's my first snack recipe. If you have a favorite snack recipe you think I should try, send it my way!

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