Goldfish crackers seem to be present wherever toddlers are found. The little goldfish crackers seem to be the perfect mate for little fingers. Myles is not quite toddling yet, but just as I've done advance reading to know what to expect, I also thought some advanced baking might be in order to learn the secret behind the goldfish goldmine. Are goldfish crackers something that I could easily make myself using a cheddar of my choosing? YES!
The hardest part of making goldfish crackers, as it turns out, is the time it takes to cut them out. Because the goldfish crackers are so tiny, a little dough goes a long way and you'll feel like the cookie cutter stage is never-ending. That being said, nothing is stopping you from making giant goldfish crackers if you so choose!I found the goldfish cracker recipe on YumSugar and they got the recipe from Country Living.
- 1 C all-purpose flour
- 4 T cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 8 oz cheddar cheese (This is the fun part! Pick out whatever type of cheddar that you like! I used orange cheddar for half of the fish, as shown above, and white cheddar for the other half, as shown below. Both cheddars that I used were extra sharp because that's how I like it!)
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/2 t fresh-ground pepper
- A fish cookie cutter. I got mine from CopperGifts.
- Pulse the flour, butter, cheese, salt, and pepper together using a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Pulse in 3 to 4 tablespoons of water, one 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.
- Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thickness. (If you roll it thicker, it will still work, but the crackers won't be quite as crunchy. This dough rolled out so easily; you'll wish that you always worked with cheddar!)
- Cut out as many crackers as possible.
- Place them 1 inch apart on the prepared baking pans.
- Bake at 350 F until golden and crisp - 15 to 20 minutes.
And, yes, these fishies are going to go in a cupcake!
51 comments:
These are yummy for adults too!! I have made the same recipe as well and they are soo good!! check out my post on my blog about them
acupfullofcake.blogspot.com
Shanna
That's it? It seems too easy too be true. I can't wait to try this out! Thanks!
riDICulously adorable :)
good work!
These are so cute. I'd like to try some jalapeno cheddar. :) But... the cookie cutting stage might keep me from tackling this recipe until this summer when I have more time.
did you hand-cut those out or have an itty-bitty cutter?
awesome!
Cookies and Cups - There is no way I could hand cut those! I bought a cookie cutter at Copper Gifts.
Am I reading something wrong because it seems like the steps in the recipe are incomplete. How long do you bake them? And at what temp?
Hoshi - You scared me for a minute there. I try not to leave that sort of thing out. It's right there in step 8.
I can only see up to step 4 and then the comments start...
Anon - Can you tell me if it is working for you now?
Yes, I can see all of the steps now...
Can't wwait to try these...I was thinking last week that I would rather have an alternative to the store bought goldfish for my daughter...you delivered!!!
What perfect timing! I just came up with the idea to make cookies with goldfish crackers yesterday. Maybe I'll even make homemade crackers - what a great idea!
Hooray! (I could only see to step 4 too!) So glad they're all there now. Can't wait to try these. My kids are going to squeal!
Your fishies look absolutely perfect!! I'm not a fan of Goldfish, but if I had children, I would really make this for them! What a great recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Oooo! This is so awesome! I had no idea how easy it would be to make these! My son has a soybean allergy so I can't buy him goldfish crackers so I am really excited about this! Thank you! ^^
I love Pepperidge Goldfish crackers!!!! Now I can make them at home. Can't wait to try it!
Oh my goodness -- goldfish are my weakness!!
But I SO love the idea of a non-processed version, sans preservatives. I'm putting these on my "must-try" list!! :)
I can only imagine what it would be like cutting out all those little fish! They look great though! And they're going in cupcakes?! Can't wait to see!
Great post! I can't readily find goldfish here in the UK and just LOVE them!! Made these yesterday...cheesy flowers and stars!! so yummy! thanks for sharing!
I've talked to my husband about doing this, but I've never really figured out how! Thanks for the recipe!
I can't wait to try this! Also, I love the little monkey bowls. Where did you get them from?
These sound great! I think I would rather make them using a larger cookie cutter, though. The small fish are cute, but too time consuming for me. Thanks!
I just made these with parmesan cheese instead of cheddar and they are delicious! Thanks for sharing this.
Made them, loved them! Thanks for the post!
Great idea. Homemade goldfish sound excellent.
Just made these and they were rather puffy and more like little cheese straws than a cracker. But seriously yummy and definitely moreish!
I wish I could post pics here, but here's a link...
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3898252&l=1e4f704336&id=637114489
These are amazing. I have been looking for a "goldfish" cracker recipe that I could alter if I needed. I used a gluten free flour mix (rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, xanthan gum) and added 1/2 tsp Old Bay instead of the salt and pepper. My son with Celiac loves them, and the other kids don't know the difference! It's true that using the mini fish cutter was time consuming, but totally worth it for picky kids.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. :)
Did you think about forgoing the cookie cutter part and just cutting little squares. It would be more like all natural Cheez-its, but it would be less laborious. Just a thought.
@Anonymous: I made a second batch by dividing the dough in two, then rolling it into a rectangle on parchment paper and using a pizza cutter to cut into squares. I did not separate the pieces and baked the full rectangle. Everything came out fine. SO much faster. The edges were a little more done than the rest, but not burned. I still have to say that happy kids are worth tiny little annoying cookie cutters! :)
Sara - Thanks for sharing that tip. Good to know!
Such a great job with these crackers.....so cute!
I did the same trick sarah! Funny, I came here to give it to others. We must think alike :) This recipe is amazing. Goldfish are one of my sons favorites but we no longer eat processed foods, so I am thrilled to be able to give them to him. Hubby and I love them too! I cannot make enough. We have a fun variation...I roll out a sheet and cut them into strips. Then I grate some fresh parmesean cheese over them and bake. We use them to dip inot soup. They are so amazingly delish! Thanks again.
How long can you store the crackers? Could you freeze them? I would like to make them early in the week for my niece's garden party which is in 1 week.
Anon - Did you make them already? I'm not really sure how long they would last for. They didn't last long in my house. But, I imagine they would be fine for at least a week.
I made these last weekend and they were such a huge hit with us!! Im an american living in the netherlands and they don't have goldfish crackers like they do back home. These also reminded me of cheese nips! we just loved them. Thank you so much for the recipe that will be used again and again : )
Omg! These are so good! And easy too! I used about 5 oz. cheddar and 3 oz. parmigiano-reggiano. Just came out of the oven a little bit ago and they are fantastic! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Question: Are these crispy like the Pepperidge version or are they soft and chewy? I have a recipe for cheese crackers that turned out chewy and my daughter loves the crunch factor.
Renee - They were crunchy!
I made these a while back. Excellent recipe! My toddler TOTALLY knew the difference between them and the original. She is so darn picky! We have the same monkey snack cups. LOVE THEM! We also have giraffes and matching plates! Toddler household must haves!
http://lifeatf2point8.blogspot.com/2011/03/ok-smitten-kitchen-im-starting-to-think.html
Hi, I was wondering instead of cutting them all out by hand or cookie cutter. Would a cookie press work?
Katherene
I just found this site trying to find homemade Triscuits. Awesome!!!
Country - You could try a cookie press. That might be a great idea. Let me know if you do! (Sorry it took a while to get back to you.)
I make these all the time and we all love them! I'm making them now with new tiny Halloween shapes. Something I like that perplexes me is that twice now the white cheddar crackers have gotten orange bubbles when baked. Does anyone know what causes the cheese to change colors?
does it have to be cheese? how can i make it to be chocolate or honey graham flavor?
Lou - This recipe is specifically for a cheese cracker. You could make fish shapes crackers using whatever flavor recipe that you like though.
how long do they last?!?!!?
this is how i'm spending my saturday night woohoo! im 20 years old. such a good life :)
I made starfish crackers! Found tiny star cookie cutters in 2 small sizes. My orange cheddar cheese somehow didn't color the crackers orange, but I don't really mind that. They're a bit greasy in the hands but the flavors are great! Thanks for the idea and recipe
Please can you confirm for me that '4T' cold unsalted butter.... means 4 tbsp or 2 ounces. Thanks
Anon - Yes, tablespoons.
Thank you, greatly appreciate your quick response. Have a great day :)
I have made my own variation of these crackers three times now and thought I'd share. I have found you do not need to put them in a blender or food processor as long as you finely grated the cheese, and they turn out just as well. I use less than half the cheese (3 oz) which is expensive and make up for the loss of flavor by adding a bit of chicken base to the water. I also put a significant amount of garlic and onion powder in it and only a pinch of baking powder to avoid air pockets that brown too quickly. I also throw in some grated parmesan cheese and Italian herbs. I found making them fish shaped to be time consuming and just use a pizza cutter to cut the whole thing into squares in 30 seconds! Thanks for getting me started with cracker making!
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