Anyone who knows me, knows I love snacks. I also love recreating classic snacks from scratch. There’s something special about making wholesome food at home with simple ingredients, knowing exactly what’s in the things you’re eating. Goldfish were always something packed in my school lunch when I was a kid so they’re a little bit nostalgic to me. I have to say, these homemade varieties are way better than the store-bought ones. They’re extra cheesy, buttery, flaky and simply addictive.
What Type of Cheese to Use
You’ll want to use a semi-hard cheese like sharp white or orange cheddar, mild cheddar, gruyere, gouda, havarti, monterey jack, or colby. Use orange cheddar cheese if you want the classic goldfish color. I recommend using a block of cheese and shredding it yourself. The pre-shredded bags have anti-caking agents coating the cheese, which will cause the crackers to be a little gummy.
Gluten-free Option
This recipe works great with gluten-free flour. As expected, they have a different texture but still come out cheesy, flaky and delicious. I used Cup 4 Cup, but use your favorite all purpose gluten-free flour. I added another tablespoon of water to the gluten free dough, as it needed a little extra hydration to come together.
Goldfish Shape
The shape of the goldfish is the fun part! I got this goldfish cookie cutter on amazon. If you don’t have one, don’t worry! You can use any small cookie cutter in any shape or just cut them into small squares.
Tips
- Mixing the dough: You’ll want to use a food processor for this recipe. You need the cheese to be completely blended into the dough and not have any clumps or shreds of cheese.
- Chill the dough: Chilling the dough will make it easier to work with, roll out and cut your crackers.
- Flour your work surface: This will prevent your dough from sticking to your work surface and to your rolling pin. If your dough gets sticky, sprinkle more flour onto your dough.
- Baking: Depending on the thickness of your crackers, they might need more or less time. Make sure the bottoms are golden brown before taking them out of the oven to ensure they will be dry and crunchy.
- Storage: Store these in an air-tight container. Any moisture will cause them to become chewy. If they aren’t crunchy anymore, place them back into a 350 degree oven for a couple minutes to re-crisp them.
- Adding flavors: Feel free to add any spices to add extra flavor such as garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, etc.
Homemade Goldfish
Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe
Yield: 4 cups of crackers
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Inactive time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3 Tablespoons grass-fed butter, cold
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 Tablespoons ice water
Flaky sea salt (optional)
1. Using a food processor, pulse shredded cheese and butter until smooth.
2. Add flour and salt. Pulse until the mixture becomes crumbly.
3. Add the ice cold water and pulse until the mixture becomes a dough.
4. Dump the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, flatten and tightly wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. Lightly flour your work surface. Roll out the dough about 1/4-inch thick. Using a goldish shaped cookie cutter, cut out the shapes and place onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt (optional).
6. Bake the crackers at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden. The bake time may vary depending on the thickness of your crackers.
7. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
It will surprise you how easy this recipe is to make. This is a fun baking project for kids to be involved in, and they will absolutely love the end product!
If you want to get your child more involved in the kitchen, we still have space available in some of our kids and teen summer cooking camps.
Homemade Goldfish
Ingredients
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 Tablespoons grass-fed butter, cold
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 Tablespoons ice water
- Flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Using a food processor, pulse shredded cheese and butter until smooth.
- Add flour and salt. Pulse until the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Add the ice cold water and pulse until the mixture becomes a dough.
- Dump the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, flatten and tightly wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Lightly flour your work surface. Roll out the dough about 1/4-inch thick. Using a goldish shaped cookie cutter, cut out the shapes and place onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt (optional).
- Bake the crackers at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden. The bake time may vary depending on the thickness of your crackers.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
