These chewy, utterly snackable crackers are loaded with cheddar, smoky bacon, and crunchy pecans, making them a perfect snack for holiday events or game days. Plus, the dough for these Bacon, Pecan, and Cheddar Crackers can be made in advance, making them fast to prepare fresh.
You ever make a recipe and the output is drastically different from what the original said? I first made these crackers following a recipe in the Star Tribune last holiday season. It said it’d make 36. I got 90!
I’m giving the recipe a full rewrite, for that reason and others. It really needed more clarity… and less spice. The 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne in the original was way too much for me!
Bready or Not: Bacon, Pecan, and Cheddar Crackers
These chewy, savory crackers are fantastic to serve as a snack at a party. A food processor is essential to make the dough. Make the dough in advance and it’ll be easy to bake up when you need it! Greatly modified from the Star Tribune.
Servings: 90 crackers
Equipment
- large food processor
- food scale
- plastic wrap
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 16 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 slices bacon cooked to be crispy
- 1 cup toasted pecans
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) diced and chilled
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to increase the kick
- pretzel salt or flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Use the shredding attachment on the food processor to freshly grate the cheddar cheese. (Note that pre-grated cheese from the store may not incorporate well.) Temporarily move cheese to a large bowl.
- Use a knife or kitchen shears to reduce the bacon to small pieces. Set aside.
- Switch to the s-blade on the food processor. Add the pecans and process until finely chopped, but don’t make a paste. Add the diced bacon, cold butter, cheese (don’t wash the bowl), flour, and cayenne. Process until mixture begins to form a dough.
- Place empty former cheese bowl on food scale. Level out the tare for the bowl (or note number to subtract).
- Remove the s-blade and transfer the dough to the big bowl that previously held the cheese. Use hands to make sure everything is incorporated to make dough. Observe the weight of the dough; divide in half.
- Place each half of dough on a long piece of plastic wrap. Shape dough into long logs about an inch in diameter. Dough may be quite crumbly; use the coating of plastic and hand pressure to bring it together.
- Completely wrap dough to stash in fridge. Chill in fridge for anywhere from 8 hours to a couple days, or stash in freezer for up to a month. If frozen, thaw in fridge overnight before baking.
- To begin baking, preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pull out a log. Slice into coins about 1/4-inch thick; if they crumble a bit, reform with fingers. Place slightly spaced out on parchment. Sprinkle pretzel or flaked salt on top of each cracker.
- Bake for 14 to 16 minutes. Crackers should look pale golden and set. Leave them on the sheet to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Repeat to bake the rest.
- Store in a sealed container at room temperature. Crackers are best within two days but are still edible after that, albeit chewier.
