Cheese Crisps

Cheese Crisps! Seriously...baking can't get any easier than these! I had these for the first time at a very upscale brunch and fell in love with these crispy cheesy bites! The chef shared his culinary secret with me: baked shredded cheese. Yep, that is it! This takes the place of those little cheese crackers that are wonderful with dips and with a glass of wine. These are low carb and gluten free. You can change it up with flavored cheeses. Two of my favorite cheeses to use are Mediterranean herb or Chipotle Chile Pepper Cheddar cheese. The traditional standby Cheddar, Co-Jack, Gouda, Pepper Jack or Swiss cheeses work great too. They are also fabulous salad toppers in place of croutons and a great replacement for the french fried onions on top of green bean casserole.

Everyone loves these crisps and anyone with a gluten allergy or those watching their carbs can eat them so they are a must for happy hour or holiday appetizers. They also make a great hostess gift paired with a bottle of wine! They are so SIMPLE to make! (It is also a great way to use up any leftover cheeses from party trays). They spread as they bake so each one will have a lacy snowflake pattern. You can also customize the flavor by adding seasonings like rosemary, basil, pepper, Italian seasonings, etc. that will bake into the cheese as it melts.

Cheese Crisps:

Your favorite shredded hard cheese or semi-hard cheese

Place small piles of shredded cheese (you want to make sure they are in mounds because they will flatten when baking) onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for about 7-12 minutes or until brown and crispy. (These should be crispy like a potato chip). You can make them bite sized or larger for dips. You can also sprinkle shredded cheese evenly onto the parchment lined baking sheet rather than making mounds and then break them into pieces later which works fine as croutons or topping for casseroles but doesn't look quite as elegant as the lacy round patterns when making the mounds for individual crisps. I remove the crisps from the parchment paper and place on a brown paper grocery bag or newspaper to let the grease drain off so they get crispy as they continue to cool. (The cheese has fat in it so it will drain out as they are baked).

Shredded cheese on parchment paper prior to baking

One of my favorite cheeses to use for cheese crisps

Stacked Cheese Crisps

Nice Lacy patterned cheese crisp

Pile of yummy deliciousness! :)

Up close look at a larger cheese crisp. Nice lacy pattern.

I hope you enjoyed this super easy but delicious recipe. Gluten free doesn't mean it has to be expensive or difficult.

Tanja
Gluten Free Casually