Better than cheese straws

A plate of delicious

Ah, the holidays. A time to make indulgent treats that you wouldn't allow yourself otherwise. Also in general there are more people around to eat said treats stopping any temptation to devour all your delicious goodies yourself while watching 30 rock for the 90 billionth time. These crackers are easy to make, look elegant, and most importantly taste delicious. I love all forms of cheese crackers, from straws to coins, cheez-its to goldfish, I LOVE salty cheezy crunchy treats. Problem is they are not know for their abundance in nutrients. They are known for making your ass more abundant, which aint what I'm currently looking for. These are far tastier than store bought crackers, and are not full of chemicals. Simple easy ingredients are always better than chemical junkfood, but keep in mind you only make about 22 crackers and use a stick of butter in this recipe. So again, make these for friends or a partay in which you are sure to go home with an empty plate. I also suggest making a little sign to let people know they are crackers, I put them out at a holiday party and people thought they were cookies.
Because the ingredients are so simple be sure to to use high quality ingredients. Fresh thyme and freshly grated parmesan are essential if you want this dish to impress.

Butter and cheese

After you add flour, here is your dough!

Roll it into a log and refrigerate

Slice your cold dough

Lay, bake and enjoy!

Parmesan and Thyme Crackers

The Goods: Makes 22 crackers
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ounces (1 cupish) freshly grated parmesan cheese (grated in a food processor)
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

The Deal: 
1. Place butter in the bowl of a electric mixer with the paddle attachment and mix until creamy, about one minute. With the mixer on low speed, add parmesan, thyme, salt and pepper and combine. Keep the mixer on low and add the flour and combine until the mixture is in large crumbles, about one minute. If the dough it too dry, add 1 teaspoon water.

2. Dump the dough onto a floured surface and press into a ball, then roll into a 9 inch log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

At this point you can refrigerate the dough up to four days.


3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the log into 3/8-inch-thick rounds with a small sharp knife and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 22 minutes until very lightly browned. Rotate the pan once during baking. Cool and serve at room temperature.

These will keep in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.