Description
These super cute homemade gluten-free goldfish crackers are a copycat version of our favorite childhood snack. Light, airy with a crispy and crunchy texture, and packed with the cheesy flavor that we love, just without any gluten! Easily made dairy-free too. Go bake a batch today!
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your gluten-free flour blend already includes it)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, grated
- 8 ounces cold cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons ice-cold water, plus more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat and Line: Preheat oven to 350F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Process Ingredients: Combine all ingredients except for water in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend together. Mixture will become crumbly.
- Add Cold Water: Add in 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water and blend or while the food processor is running. The mixture should start to stick together forming an orange-yellow dough. If you are using a blender, pour mixture onto work surface and knead together. (Note: If the dough is too dry, create a well in center and add small amounts of water until dough forms and stays together.)
- Shape Dough into Round Disc: Once dough is pliable, lightly sprinkle your work surface with gluten-free flour and shape the dough into a round disc.
- Roll Dough: Roll the goldfish cracker dough out to about ¼-inch thick. Dust the rolling pin and top of the dough only as needed.
- Cut Dough into Goldfish Shapes: Once dough is rolled out, use a goldfish cracker cutter to cut out goldfish shapes and place onto the prepared baking sheets ½ inch to 1 inch apart. Re-roll any remaining dough scraps and cut out until all the dough is used.
- Bake Until Crispy: Place the baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes (baking time may take 10-14 minutes depending on how hot your oven is). The longer you bake the crackers without burning, the crisper they will be. They will be soft while still warm then crisp up more as they cool.
- Store: Store goldfish crackers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
Gluten-Free Flour: I recommend using a good-quality gluten-free 1:1 flour blend (a gluten-free 1:1 substitute for regular wheat flour) that is made up of lighter flours/starches (such as rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch or potato starch) for a lighter and airier texture. I do NOT recommend using a gluten-free flour blend that includes heavier flours (such as garbanzo bean flour) as that will result in a very dense final texture.
Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is the replacement for gluten in gluten-free flours and helps to better bind the ingredients together. If your gluten-free flour blend does not already include xanthan gum, make sure to add it in.
Baking Soda: Baking soda is the only leavening agent used here, so make sure to add it in to help the cracker dough rise and create the airy texture.
Ground Paprika: Ground paprika helps to give the dough the orangey color. Don’t add too much, just a little for a bit of color will be fine.
Butter: Make sure that your butter is very cold when grating it (use the smallest hole on your box grater). The cold temperature ensures that the butter stays in the grated pieces (as opposed to melting) in the dough and this creates the flaky, airy texture. If you are lactose-intolerant, go ahead and use dairy-free butter instead.
Cheddar Cheese: Make sure the shredded cheddar cheese is cold too. If you are dairy-intolerant, go ahead and use dairy-free cheddar cheese instead.
Cold Water: Make sure to use ice cold water to keep the butter cold so it doesn’t melt when pulsing and kneading the dough (see notes above for why you want cold butter). You may need more or less water depending on the gluten-free flour blend used. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour, and had to use an extra tablespoon of cold water.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
