There is rarely a time when, if one is put in front of me, I will turn down a savory bite of something served on a cracker. Whether it’s cheese and fruit or creamy dips or thinly sliced cold cuts, if I lived alone and chose to appease only my deepest food-desires, I might never lift a fork to a plate of un-crackered food again.

These little bites grew out of a fortuitous collection of ingredients I happened to have on hand after returning home in January. A last hoorah of apples from the fall, a couple packs of crackers I didn’t use at my food-filled Christmas party, and a precious gift of maple cheddar from some dear friends who live in Wisconsin.

Apple & cheddar cheese are a match made in heaven. The pairing of a sharp, creamy bit of cheese against a sweet, juicy apple would be delicious enough, all on their own, on these crisp little crackers. And I won’t lie, I’ve eaten my fair share of little bites just like that. But these little bites are more than that. The apple and cheddar are chopped into tiny little wedges and cubes with a tangy, punchy dressing.

The dressing on this little salad is a lovely little vinaigrette, one that can easily be adjusted based on what you have on hand. I used red wine vinegar, lemon-infused olive oil, honey, dijon mustard, and a little seasoning. If you don’t have lemon-infused olive oil, you can use regular with a dash of lemon juice, as I’ve listed in the recipe.

Then it’s just a spoonful of the mixture onto crackers. I added a bit of thyme as a garnish as well, for a burst of herby goodness when you take a bite.

These little crackers would make a welcome guest at any little party, but they make a perfectly justifiable meal if you want to pretend your normal, January dinner is a party. And why not Party food shouldn’t just be left to the holidays, should it?

I think not.

Cheddar & Apple Salad Bites
Adapted liberally from Eating Well

Makes 50-60 bites

1 crisp apple, such as Pink Lady, Jazz, or Honeycrisp
5 oz of your favorite sharp cheddar cheese
3 T red wine vinegar
1 T olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
50-60 crackers (I used two sleeves of Carr Water Crackers)
dried thyme to garnish

Chop apple into 16 wedges (the easiest way is to use an apple cutter and then slice each wedge in half), and then chop each wedge into 1/2″ pieces. Chop cheddar into tiny cubes, each one about 1/4″ long. Combine apples & cheddar cubes in a medium bowl.

In a small ball, whisk together red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey, salt, pepper, and sugar. Pour dressing over the apples and cheddar and mix until all pieces are evenly coated. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Place about a tablespoon of the mixture onto each cracker, making sure you have a good balance of apples and cheese on each one. Place them on serving trays as you go. Sprinkle very lightly with dried thyme and serve immediately.

We had a bit of a cold front move through North Carolina this weekend. Saturday dawned cool and cloudy. I pulled out a pair of jeans for the first time since, I don’t know, April In combination with students returning for the first week of class, late summer suddenly felt just a teensy bit like autumn. Obviously busting out a fall baking project became an immediate weekend priority.

But what? Every once in a while, I see a recipe for homemade cheddar crackers traipsing about the internet, and I promise myself, “THIS! This is next!” And then it never is. Until today! This particular cheddar cracker is a pretty basic one (as I imagine all cheddar crackers are) composed of a little butter, a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, some salt & peppers, and a beautiful heap of sharp cheddar.

If you have a food processor, this is certainly a great opportunity to use it. I scoffed, at first… why would I need to use a stinkin’ food processor to make a simple dough Shouldn’t a pastry cutter do the trick The truth is, yes: you can. But the food processor takes this dough from flour to mealy-cheese-stuff to ball-o-dough in a matter of seconds.

Someone give this sucker a promotion.

Then! Chill it. As with pie dough, this dough should be rolled out and cut to shape when it is very, very cold, so it’s needs a while to hang out.

While you wait you should make something tasty for lunch. I made goat cheese pasta, which I would link to but I can’t yet because I haven’t posted it yet but I promise it’s coming.

Then! After an hour or so (or longer, if you want) the fun part begins! You’ll need a rolling pin and the cutest little cookie cutters on the block. I have this little autumn set that are each about an inch wide, but you can use whatever you want. Or you can just cut them into your favorite shape with the tip of a knife.

And let’s not waste the scraps. Clump ’em back together and re-roll them, and you should be able to use almost every bit of your dough.

These crackers then go into the oven, puff up, and come out as perfect little bites of cheesy goodness. Reminiscent of Cheez-its, the whole wheat flour adds a full, nutty flavor to these crackers, and the peppers and sharp cheddar give them a nice little bite.

Sadly, the hot muggy weather of summer has returned after our brief moment of fall-itude, but I can still pretend. After all, I have two jars of cute little fall leaves to snack on.

Crispy Cheddar Crackers
Adapted from Home Cooking in Montana

Makes about 5 cups of crackers

1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
4 T unsalted butter, cold & cut into cubes
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
3 1/2 T water
additional salt for sprinkling

Combine flours, peppers, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times to mix well. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add grated cheese about 1/2 c at a time, pulsing 4-5 times after each addition.

Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse between each addition until the majority of the mixture forms into a ball of dough. Remove dough from food processor and press any remaining bits into the dough to form a single ball. Press into a disc-shape and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or if you’re making the crackers much later, the dough can remain refrigerated for 1-2 days until you’re ready to use it.

After the dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350 °F and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Remove dough from plastic wrap and place on a floured surface. Roll out dough, flipping and re-applying flour as needed to prevent sticking, until it is about 1/8″ thick. Using your favorite tiny cookie cutters, a pizza cutter, or simply a knife, cut dough into crackers about one inch wide and place crackers on the lined cookie sheet. Crackers can be placed very close together as they will not expand outwards very much while baking. Once all dough has been used, sprinkle all crackers lightly with salt.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the bottoms of the crackers are golden brown. Check the crackers after 15 minutes, especially if you are using a lower rack in your oven. Once crackers are done, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. If you have any left, that is…