Frugelegance by Carol and Randi – the Frugirls www.frugelegance.com
You don’t need a New Year’s resolution or be on one of those low carb diets to enjoy these delicious cheese crisps. Actually, that is how we came across them. I started going low carb a few months ago and a friend recommended trying cheese crisps as a substitute for crackers. It was love at first bite. I totally loved them. Unfortunately, they are crazy expensive for a small size package. So, we decided to make them ourselves.
Big bonus! They are extremely easy to make and fun to tweak by adding different kinds of seeds. Plain or with seeds, they are absolutely satisfying and delicious.
To make plain crisps, you only need shredded Parmigiano cheese and nothing else. Using a spoon or a few large “pinches” with your fingers, place onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Bake on 375˚ for 5-10 minutes depending on your preferences. The cheese will melt, flatten, and sizzle. Remove from the oven when the edges brown.
We tried several recipe variations. The amounts and ingredients are super flexible, so use per your preferences. This is our absolute favorite combination of ingredients.
- 2 cups Shredded Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (Kirkland’s brand at Costco)
- 1 cup Shredded Parmigiano Cheese (Stella brand cheese shreds, at our local Safeway grocery store)
- 1/2 Shredded Romano Cheese
- 2 TBSP Grated Parmigiano Cheese
- Roasted Sesame Seeds
- Black Sesame Seeds
- Hempseed (like Chia seeds, with higher protein & has a nutty flavor)
- Raw Pumpkin Seeds
- Other ingredients that go well: Poppy Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Chia. **FYI, do NOT add any salt at all. The cheese is salty all on its own.
Directions:
Prepare the cookie sheet with parchment paper. If using hempseed in the ingredients bake at 350˚, if not adding hempseed bake at 375˚. Mix all ingredients together. A teaspoon is a good thing to use if making small crisps. A tablespoon is a good size when making larger crisps. Just allow a little room around each because the cheese will spread a little when it melts. When golden brown edges and cheese is flat and sizzling, remove from oven and set aside to cool.
They are awesome with guacamole. They go so well with soup, crumble them in a salad, top with cold cuts, the sky is the limit. and of course, you can enjoy them plain for a good “nosh”, aka snack.
Carol and Randi, the FruGirls, are local home stagers and decorators. You can also find them Blogging about many other ways to live an elegant life for less at www.frugelegance.com FrugElegance is where Frugal and Elegance come together.