Homemade Crackers

When I saw a link to Homemade Wheat Thins recently, I got all excited.  Trying to make homemade crackers has been on my to-do list for a while, since my girls love crackers.  They can eat a whole box in a matter of two or three days.

This recipe looked pretty quick and easy and used ingredients I always have on hand, so on a recent afternoon we gave it a try.  The dough was very easy to mix up and roll out.

I think my Silpat Baking Mat was key to the ease of rolling these very thin and not dealing with sticking.  I love that mat!  The cutout crackers were stable enough that the girls could help me transfer them to the baking sheet.  (Of course, I wasn't worrying about perfect shapes!)

I sprinkled them with Kosher salt.  Mine needed the longer end of the baking time - 9-10 minutes.  

Verdict: easy and delicious!  They seem to keep well (although we've eaten them up in a few days!), but they're not quite as crisp as store-bought crackers.

As for the cost breakdown - the biggest expense here is for the whole stick of butter (for a double recipe). Still, I estimate that a double recipe cost me about $1.00.  I don't know exactly how many crackers it made; next time I plan to weigh them to compare it to a box of Wheat Thins.  My guess is that I made the same or a little more than a store bought box.  

Thus the homemade version would be a significant savings over the regular price of approximately $3.49/box.  With a sale and a coupon, I can often get crackers for $1.50/box, and occasionally $1.00/box.  So only if I find the best deal would it not be cheaper to make them myself.  Plus, I'm sure that the homemade version is much healthier!

Check out more great frugal tips at Frugal Fridays.

This post contains an affiliate link, which helps support this site.