This recipe from Country Living was originally for making your own goldfish crackers, but I thought it would be fun to make them heart-shaped for Valentine’s Day.

Surprisingly there are very few ingredients for this recipe. Freshly ground pepper adds a kick, and I love how you can see the black flecks through the crackers. But you can adjust the amount to your taste.

Making the dough

Cutting out the shapes.

By the way, these are ghosts.

These crackers are super addicting and can be packaged into gifts. They are a little bit flakier than goldfish crackers, and the amount of crunch depends on the thickness of the dough (thin=more crunchy).This is a really easy and quick recipe and I’m glad I had all the ingredients on hand already.

Cheesy Heart Cracker Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 4 tablespoon Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces
  • 8 ounce Grated Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 3/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Fresh-Ground Pepper
  • 3-4 tablespoons of water

Directions:

Pulse the flour, butter, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper together using a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Pulse in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and only enough so that the dough forms a ball and rides the blade. Remove, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper and set aside. Roll the dough out to 1/8th-inch thickness. Cut out as many crackers as possible using a 2-inch cutter. Place them 1 inch apart on the prepared baking pans. Bake until golden and crisp — 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough and scraps. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Makes about thirty 1.5 to 2-inch hearts. And three ghosts.

Happy Cheesy Valentine’s Day!