Parmesan Crackers with Garlic & Rosemary

Ironically, last night I made crackers from scratch because I was craving something crunchy but was too lazy to go out to the store to buy crackers.  And boy, am I glad I didn't!  I can't stop munching on these crackers - the flavor is so amazing and elegant!  It sure kicks any other cheesy-ish cracker I've consumed to the curb!  Another added bonus is that these aren't hard to make at all - while I did use my blessed food processor, this wouldn't be difficult to put together with a pastry masher or even a fork (...but it would take longer).  I don't think I'll ever buy crackers again because the batch I made yielded what would be in a normal sized box of cheese crackers!  Even after offering my housemates one, they kept on asking (and just going back) for more.  The greatest part about this recipe?  It's TOTALLY customizable with whatever spices you have in your pantry or whatever your craving... I'm still thinking about what combination I want to do next!


Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 tbsp butter
• about ½ cups water, plus more as needed (I used about ⅛ of a cup more)
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan
• ~4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• a few turns of fresh cracked pepper

(these are the herbs/flavors I used, but feel free to substitute with whatever you like!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Place the flour, salt, and butter together in a large bowl or in the container of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Blend with a fork or pulse, until the flour and butter are combined. Add about 1/4 cup of water and blend, then continue to add water until the mixture holds together but is not sticky (see ingredient list above)
3. Add in parmesan, rosemary, garlic, and pepper (or any other herbs/cheese/flavorings) at this point and give a final stir or pulse.
4. Roll out on a lightly floured surface until 1/4 in. thick, or even less (thinner = crunchier).  Score lightly with a pizza cutter if you want to break these into nice squares or rectangles later on & poke holes with a fork in the top. Bake on a lightly floured baking sheet, or directly on baking stones, until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Cool on a rack & store in an airtight container.