Gruyere cheese crackers are adorably crunchy little crisps with plenty of toasty cheese flavor ~ made with a cookie press! (Slice and bake instructions, too.)
my Gruyere cheese crackers are so easy!
Here’s how it happened ~ I set out to make cheese straws, and ended up invented a cute new cheese board essential ~ the cheese spritz! My cheese crackers are made with a simple cheese straw dough, simply stamped out with a cookie stamp. It all started when I couldn’t get my cookie press to press out the long straw shapes needed for cheese straws. I decided to cut my losses and try to stamp out the dough instead, and it was an instant success! These little bite sized cheese crackers are crisp, cheesy, and divine.
cheese crackers ingredients
- Gruyere cheese
- I think Gruyere makes these crackers special, but virtually any hard cheese will work in these crackers from Parmesan to Manchego, Gouda, Cheddar, etc. The stronger the cheese the better the flavor in the crackers. Don’t use mild cheese like Monterey Jack.
- butter
- I use unsalted butter, and it should be room temperature.
- egg
- flour
- salt
how to make cheese crackers
This method is fairly simple, and makes lots of crackers! Using a cookie press (or spritz press) can take a little practice. Any failed stamps can be gathered up and put right back into the dough. If stamping isn’t your thing, you can roll your dough into small logs and slice and bake into cheese “coins,” see directions at the end of this post.
1. mix up your dough
This is easiest to do in a food processor. Pulse to blend everything and then process until the cheesy dough comes together. It will be soft but not super sticky.
2. Fill cookie press and press cheese crackers onto baking sheet
This is best done right after you mix up the dough. It’s the perfect consistency for the cookie press. Do not chill it first or it will be too stiff.
3. bake until crisp
Bake them right on the same pan you stamped them on, until they are starting to turn golden. The bottoms of the cheese crackers should be golden, too. When properly baked they will be slightly crisp and have the wonderful flavor of toasted cheese.
storage
Cheese crackers will keep for a few days in an airtight container, or on a plate covered with foil. Be sure they’re completely cooled before storing them or they will lose their crunch.
cheese crackers can be frozen
Place the completely cooled crackers in a zip lock heavy duty freezer bag and gently press out excess air before zipping closed.
cheese cracker tips
spritz style cookies and crackers are easy but the process is very specific. Follow these tips for best results.
- The food processor works best for this recipe because it incorporates everything, especially the cheese, into a cohesive dough that will move through the cookie press. If you do not use a food processor it will be essential to grate your cheese very finely.
- Use your cheese dough right away, do not chill before stamping. Chilling will make the dough too stiff to make it through the cookie press.
- Use clean unlined cookie sheets. This is important so that the dough will adhere to the pan when you stamp the shape.
- I use stainless steel non-insulated cookie sheet for best results. You can see the ones I use here.
- Bake the crackers until they start to turn golden. This ensures that they will be crisp and flavorful. Your time may be different from mine, as ovens vary.
no cookie press?
No worries, you can still make Gruyere cheese crackers, otherwise known as cheese coins. Just roll the dough into 2 or 3 narrow rolls, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, then chill. Slice thin ‘coins’ and bake until starting to turn golden. I bake these at 375F for about 15+ minutes. The deeper they get, the crunchier they will be.
more fun appetizers
- Homemade Boursin Cheese Recipe
- Copycat Raincoast Crisps® Crackers
- Jarcuterie!
- How to Bake Brie
- Pan Con Tomate (Spanish tomato bread)
- Baked Feta Bruschetta
Gruyere Cheese Crackers
Equipment
- cookie press
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Gruyere cheese, finely shredded
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (this is 1 1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, Measure with the fluff/scoop/level method
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Put the shredded cheese, soft butter, egg, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse and then process until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl as necessary.
- Add the flour in two batches, and process just until a soft dough comes together.
- Fill your cookie press according to your model's instructions and insert the shape disk of your choice. Stamp the crackers onto a clean dry baking sheet. Note: this is important because the dough needs to stick to the surface as it comes out of the cookie stamp.
- Bake the cookies for 15-19 minutes, or until starting to turn golden on the surface.
- Let them rest on the pan for a minute or two before transferring them to a rack to cool.
- After the crackers are completely cool you can store in an airtight container, or they can be frozen for longer storage.
If you chill your baking sheets first the cookie press will work much better. The first one or two are always wonky so I just put them back in the dough bowl. Same is true when making cookies with a cookie press. Chill the baking sheets, use them cold.