Description
These homemade goldfish crackers are cheesy, crunchy, and amazingly addictive. They're also pretty simple and fun to make, so it's a fun activity to do with kids. You only need a few basic pantry ingredients, and you can cut them into any shape you'd like!
Ingredients
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
- 4-5 tablespoons cold water
- Goldfish cookie cutter (optional)
Instructions
- Finely shred your cheese with a cheese grater and add to a food processor. Process until cheese is very finely chopped. (This will ensure that the cheese becomes well incorporated in the dough.)
- Add in flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, paprika, celery salt, and onion powder and pulse until evenly incorporated.
- Add in butter and 4 tbsp cold water and pulse a few more times.
- Move the dough to a work surface and knead until it forms a dough that sticks together. If it's still crumbly, add more water in small increments until it comes together. Divide dough in half and shape into two 1" thick discs. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350˚F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a floured work surface, roll out each dough disc into a roughly 9-10" by 11" rectangle. It should be about 1/8" thick. Use your cookie cutter to cut the goldfish, and move to a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt to taste. You can re-roll any dough scraps.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes, until bottoms are slightly browned. Let cool completely on the baking sheet before enjoying.
Notes
Add the goldfish face: For the eye, just stick a skewer or fork tine all the way through the cracker. To make the famous smile, press the edge of a teaspoon-sized measuring spoon (or a small regular spoon) into the cracker. It'll take a few tries to get it right, but once you get the hang of it, you'll have a bunch of smiling goldfish.
Baking time: Ours took about 16 minutes to bake. They'll be done when the bottoms are slightly browned. You want to make sure you don't take them out when the bottoms are still pale, because they just won't be crunchy.
Sprinkle with salt before baking: This step is easy to forget, but it adds a lot of flavor. Don't forget it!
No goldfish cookie cutter? No problem. Use a bottle cap to cut these into round oyster-style crackers. Alternatively, you can cut them into squares (like our cheez-its) or any other shape.
Storage: Keep these stored in an airtight container for about a week. If they start to lose their crispness, pop them back in the oven for a few minutes.
Goldfish is a trademark of Pepperidge Farm, Incorporated. This recipe is an inspired version created for educational purposes for home cooks. This recipe is not associated with, endorsed by, or officially related to Pepperidge Farm, Inc.
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 50 goldfish
- Calories: 161
- Sugar: 0.6 g
- Sodium: 274.3 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.3 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 6.5 g
