Southern Cheese Spritz Crackers

Southern Cheese Spritz Crackers are amazing little morsels full of cheesy, buttery crunch. These tasty treats are totally addictive and super easy to make. They're similar to Southern Cheese Straws but made with a food processor and a cookie press. One bite, and you'll be totally hooked.

Jump to:

• Quick Look at the Recipe
• Here's What You'll Need
• Here's How To Make This Amazing Recipe
• PudgeFactor's Test Kitchen Tips
• Need a little help with this recipe?
• In Case You Were Wondering
• Recipe

Quick Look at the Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 16 to 17 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Special equipment: Food processor and a cookie press. No food processor - use an electric mixer. No cookie press - use a pastry bag fitted with a 1M star tip.

Dough temperature: For easiest pressing or piping, aim for dough temperature of around 75°F.

Yield: About 48 crackers

Best tip: Press the dough directly onto an unlined, ungreased baking sheet so the dough can grip the pan and release cleanly from the cookie press.

Here's What You'll Need

The stars of the show here are butter and cheese with flour and baking powder to hold the dough together. The flavorings are simple - salt and a bit of cayenne pepper. That's it!

Here's How To Make This Amazing Recipe

I've been making these fantastic crackers for as long as I can remember, using a hand-held electric mixer to blend the ingredients. Then one day, I wondered whether I could use a food processor to simplify things. Guess what? It worked like a charm!

1. I started by adding the room-temperature butter, shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to the bowl of my food processor fitted with a steel blade (Photo 1). Then, I pulsed the mixture 8 to 10 times until everything was well incorporated (Photo 2).

2. Next, I added the all-purpose flour to the butter/cheese mixture (Photo 3). Then, I pulsed the ingredients 8 to 10 times until the mixture was crumbly. Finally, I processed the mixture for about 10 seconds until a nice dough formed (Photo 4). I had the perfect dough for my Southern Cheese Spritz Crackers in less than a minute.

3. Today, I used the daisy disk with my cookie press. After assembling the cookie press base with the decorative disk, I used a small ice cream scoop to add dough to the cookie press tube.

4. I used a large, unlined, ungreased half-sheet baking pan to spritz the dough. The crackers don't rise much. Therefore, I placed them about an inch or two apart. I could fit 24 Southern Cheese Spritz Crackers on the half-sheet baking pan.

5. I baked the crackers in a preheated 350°F oven for 16-17 minutes. After that time, they were lightly browned around the edges and perfectly cooked. 

6. I transferred the crackers from the baking sheet to a wire rack to allow them to cool completely.

I ended up with four dozen amazing Southern Cheese Spritz Crackers. Each bite was buttery and cheesy and melt in your mouth perfect. Yum!

PudgeFactor's Test Kitchen Tips

• Weigh the flour. For the proper dough consistency, use 5 ounces of all-purpose flour. Too much flour can make the dough dry and difficult to press.
• Pay attention to dough temperature. For best results, the dough should be about 75°F when you press or pipe it. If the dough is too cool, it may be stiff and difficult to extrude. Let it warm briefly at room temperature before continuing or even in the microwave. If it becomes overly soft, chill it briefly.
• Use room-temperature butter and cheese. Starting with softened butter and cheese helps the ingredients combine evenly and makes it easier to achieve the proper dough temperature.
• Use an unlined, ungreased baking sheet. This is especially important with a cookie press. The dough needs to grip the bare metal so it releases from the disk when the press is lifted. Parchment paper, silicone mats, and greased pans can prevent proper release.
• Expect the first few crackers to take a little practice. Hold the cookie press flat against the baking sheet and use consistent pressure. Once you get the feel for the press, the process moves quickly.
• Not every decorative disk behaves the same way. I have successfully used the daisy, sunflower, fleur-de-lis, wreath, shell, butterfly, and snowflake disks with my OXO Good Grips Cookie Press. The bear disk was less successful.
• Fill the cookie press firmly. I use a small ice cream scoop to fill the cylinder. Avoid leaving large air pockets, which can interfere with even extrusion.
• No cookie press? Pipe the dough. A pastry bag fitted with a 1M star tip works well for making decorative cheese crackers.

Need a little help with this recipe?

Have a question? Leave me a comment below-I'm always happy to help! For another way to explore a change or work through a cooking problem, try an option below.

These optional helpers open ChatGPT (AI) in a new tab, keeping this recipe open. Review the prepared question and send it if needed. AI suggestions may be untested and can be wrong.

The helpers need JavaScript to load. You can still leave your question in the comments below.

In Case You Were Wondering

For another delicious cookie press recipe, try my Melt-Away Butter Cookies.

Recipe