Whole Wheat Cheez-Its

A few weeks back I was blown away by my girl Ann's recipe for Homemade Cheez-Itz! They looked so super delicious and easy I knew I just had to try making some ASAP. If you're not reading Ann's blog, Cooking Healthy for Me, then you MUST start immediately because it's amazing and full of super yummy healthy recipes.

So. I decided to give cheez-its a try. But I figured I would try and Dara them up a bit. So, I made some tweaks, tried out a few different versions and came up with a recipe that incorporates some healthy elements into the cheez-it. First, I used whole wheat flour and added some healthy ground flaxseed for extra fiber and omega-3s. Then, I decided to use olive oil instead of butter. The result was a crunchy, cheesy cracker that was totally reminiscent of my favorite childhood snack.

Full disclosure: this was actually the second batch of this version I had to make because Craig at the ENTIRE first batch before I could even take one photo! They are that good. No seriously. I sent him back to the store for another block of cheese so I could make more. I had to put up Archer's baby gate to keep Craig out of the kitchen while I took photos of this batch.

Read more for the full recipe!

Ingredients:
8oz sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
2 tbsp ice water
sea salt


Step by Step Instructions:


1. Preheat oven to 425

2. With an electric mixer, beat grated cheese and olive oil for 30-45 seconds, until mixed and reduced

3. Add flour, flax and ice water, beat for 60 seconds, dough should be extremely crumbly

4. If the dough mixture is too dry, add another tablespoon of ice water

5. Kneed dough by hand into one large ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30+ minutes

6. Divide the dough into two balls

7. Using parchment paper, carefully roll out dough to approximately 1/8" thickness

8. Using a knife or ravioli cutter, cut dough in 1" squares

9. Place squares on a baking sheet

10. Using a toothpick or skewer, make a small hole in the middle of each cracker

11. Dust crackers with a light sprinkle of sea salt

12. Bake for 10-12 minutes, crackers will rise and brown slightly

13. Cool and enjoy!