There are some snacks that stay with you, way beyond childhood. As much as I loved those sharp cheesy little savoury crackers shaped like goldfish as a kid, I think I love them even more as an adult.
Here is the recipe I rely on to make foolproof, flakey, cheesy crackers, using a good gluten free flour blend. As long as it has a binder like psyllium or xanthan gum you’re good. And yes, this recipe will work perfectly with a regular all-purpose wheat flour. While you can make these gluten free, I have not tried making them dairy free. If you have a good cheddar substitute that shreds and melts correctly, then you should be fine. A plant-based butter is easier to source.
Ingredients
The ingredients are simple, you may already have all of them in the fridge and pantry. Shredded medium to sharp cheddar cheese, flour, butter, paprika, salt and garlic powder. That’s it, as well as a little water. If you omit the paprika and garlic powder, they will be fine, but a little bland. I find that both enhance the cheese flavour without competing with it. Because there are no preservatives, these are a pretty healthy little cracker. But it also means that their shelf life is diminished somewhat. More on that later. Avoid using pre-shredded cheese, these packages contain extra ingredients which will inhibit them from combining into a smooth dough and melting correctly.
Yes, you can swap out cheeses, try Monterey Jack, Gouda or a blend of cheeses. Cheddar will bring back the flavour of the classic cracker the best of course. If you switch out cheeses, add a bit of pepper or even dried herbs, you will create a lovely cracker to nibble on with drinks or cocktails!
Method
It all starts with combining the flour, cheese, cubed chilled butter and seasonings in a food processor. Yes, I highly recommend using a food processor for this recipe, it will guarantee a homogenous blend of ingredients, creating a smooth dough to work with. Once fully combined, a little water is added, till a dough forms. Depending on how dry the room, the flour you are using etc, you may need to add a bit extra, but don’t try adding all the water initially. Let the food processor do its job, pulsing the ingredients till the texture is achieved, and let the dough rest a few moments to give the flour a chance to absorb the liquid. If, when grabbing a small section, it doesn’t stick together easily, go ahead and add a bit more water.
Crucial Steps
After forming disks by placing the dough on a counter and pushing it down and out with your hands, and folding it in half a few times, wrap the halved dough into two small disks and in cling film and chill for an hour. Chilled dough will be best for rolling and cutting out with floured cutters. You may not be able to fit all the cut out crackers on one or two baking sheets, so divide each disk in half. Keep the unused portion in the fridge till ready to roll and cut out.
Roll the dough between 1/6 inch and 1/4 inch(4-6mm) Always use floured cutters on the dough, it will help with releasing the dough from the cutter itself. The cutouts can be transferred to parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake in a 350F for between 13 and 15 minutes. The time allowance is for different sized crackers you have made. Check after 13 minutes for smaller crackers. If golden and crisped up, transfer these to a wire rack to cool off. The larger ones can stay the 15 minutes, especially if you want them crispy.
As you can see, I used not only a classic fish cutter I happen to have, but also leaves, an apple and even acorn and fox. Why not have a little fun, especially if you are baking up a batch in the Autumn! And yes, if you want, you can even purchase the Goldfish Cookie Cutter online!
Storing
These will keep in a sealed container for several days. After that they may need to be stored in the fridge. You can freeze baked crackers in a freezer bag. Take them out and re-crisp them in a toaster oven or air fryer for about 4-5 minutes at 325F.
Depending on the snacking habits of your family, you may wish to bake up only half the dough at one time. The other portion of dough can be stored in the freezer till you are ready to bake up another batch. You can also freeze unbaked cut out crackers, but it will mean spreading them out on wax-paper lined baking sheets and placing it in the freezer. Once frozen through, they can be transferred to a freezer bag. They can then be baked off from frozen, just give them an extra few minutes.
Final Thoughts
I’m showing them here with a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sammie. It’s the Cream of Aleppo Roasted Tomato Soup found in my cookbook, it has all the best intense tomato flavour you are looking for in a soup, and is so easy to make. If you don’t already have my cookbook, check out the homepage of this website for easy ways to purchase it online.
These are easy to prepare, and bake off. The dough can be prepared and frozen, but it should only stay in the freezer for no more than a month, the colour may be compromised, it may turn a slight grey.
As I mentioned above, if you felt so inclined to add some dried herbs, like thyme or sage, along with pepper, and switch up the cheese to Monterey Jack and Manchego, these crackers would be wonderful on a snacking board for company.
If you want my foolproof method for making the perfect grilled cheese sammie, check out my Fried Egg Grilled Cheese Sandwich. For other soup options, you will love Chicken Soup from Scratch, Oven Roasted Cauliflour Soup, Broccoli and Feta Soup with White Beans.
If you make these Cheesy Gluten Free Goldfish Crackers, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.
Love Jen
Gluten Free Goldfish Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free Cup for Cup flour blend, can use regular wheat flour instead
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more if you want to sprinkle the crackers prior to baking.
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika, not Hungarian Hot, see Notes
- 8 ounces shredded medium to sharp cheddar cheese, see Notes
- 4 tablespoons chilled cubed butter
- 1-2 tablespoons water, or as needed
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Add the flour, salt, garlic powder, paprika and cheese to a food processor and pulse until it is evenly blended.
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Add the butter and pulse till even crumbs are achieved.
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Add water one tbsp at a time till the dough comes together. Depending on the humidity level in your kitchen, as well as the flour, more water may be needed. But don't add too much, once it relaxes it will hydrate.
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Remove the dough bal(s) to a counter and knead it into an even ball. Press out with your hands into a rectangle. Fold it in half and repeat two more times. Divide into two sections and wrap each in cling film. Press into a rectangle or disk. Place each into the fridge for at least 30 minutes. One section will make about 50-60 crackers, so feel free to freeze the other one for another batch.
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After cooling, Use a well floured rolling pin to roll out the dough to 1/6 to 1/4 inches thick on a floured counter.
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Have a small bowl of flour nearby to press the cookie cutters into before pressing into the dough.
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Use a knife or small off-set spatula to transfer the crackers to the prepared baking sheets. Use the blunt end of a skewer to create eyes in the goldfish.
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Repeat until you work through the dough. If you have more dough but won't fit on the baking sheets, return it to the fridge till ready to cut out the next batch.
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Optional, sprinkle the goldfish lightly with salt.
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Bake the crackers for 13-15 minutes (or less depending on the size of your crackers) They should be golden and lightly crisped. Transfer the crackers to a wire rack to cool.
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Repeat until you use up all of the dough.
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These will keep in a sealed container for a few days. To re-crisp, feel free to use a toaster oven or air fryer set at 300-325F for about 5 minutes, depending on your air fryer.
Recipe Notes
For an alternate flavour for these crackers, use 1 to 2 tsp dried herbs like thyme or sage. Switch the cheese to Milder flavour like Gouda, mild cheddar, Monterey Jack and a touch of Manchego.
Freeze any dough you don't wish to use for up to a month.
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