When I started low carb several years ago I was militant. Nothing that was over a small handful of carbs was allowed on the plate. No corn, no carrots and of course no chips or crackers. Unfortunately this meant a lot of the same things over and over. It is amazing how you miss the simple crunch of a cracker or chip. While you may get a crunch from a piece of radish or carrot, it is really not the same and I missed that “mouth feel” in addition to the taste. Many of the snacks I ended up with involved cheese and meat. While I love cheese, it got to a be a little much.
Back then the Food Network supported Low Carb by airing a show called “Low Carb and Lovin’ It”. The chef was George Stella, a professional chef who grew to over 400 pounds. When he decided he’s had enough, he embraced low carb and found interesting recipes to cook. I was a big fan of the show and purchased several of his cookbooks. You’ll see a number of his recipes on this blog in the future.
One show he made Cheese Crisps. While they looked good, I didn’t really believe that they could get crispy. Heat and cheese meant melted cheese, right? Gooey. Not crisp. Boy was I wrong, and glad for it! A thin slice of cheese, some heat and time, and a great snack that is low carb and healthier for you than the original slice of cheese. The recipe calls for Colby-Jack but as I had a whole brick of Monterrey Jack, that ended up being my cheese of choice. I imagine a softer cheese would have proven my suspicions.
As always, I started by preheating the oven (this time to 400 degrees). I thinly sliced the cheese, cut it into squares and spread them out on parchment paper over a cookie sheet.
I baked the cheese for 7-7.5 minutes and started checking them at five minutes. These are not done yet.
Once they are browned (these might be able to use another 30 seconds, but I was impatient), take them out and slide the parchment onto a cooling rack.
You can see that the cheese that gets browned ends up like a lattice. There are little holes spread throughout the piece. Much of the oil in the cheese will bubble out. Quickly dab the cheese with a paper towel to soak up the oil. It will soak up more than you think and the more it does, the healthier the snack is.
Cheese Crisps
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 7 min | Servings: 4 servings | Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces Colby-Jack cheese sliced into 1/8-1/4 inch slices about 1.5″ square
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Arrange the cheese slices on another parchment paper-lined baking sheet in rows—without any seasonings.
Bake both until well-browned and crispy, about 7 and 7 1/2 minutes. If undercooked, they’ll be soggy, so don’t be afraid to check them and put them back in for more time, if needed.
Cool the crisps completely before serving—as they cool, they’ll crisp up quickly. Store on the counter in an airtight container for a few days.
Source: Food Network
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
Ooooh, this sounds really good. I will try these.
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I’m on low carb and not liking it today. The cheese was a good idea and definitely satisfied my “crunch” cravings.
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LOVE these. I will sometimes make a big cracker and use it as the shell with taco meat, lettuce, sour cream, etc. SO good.
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Have you ever tried the microwave cheese cracker? I use Land O Lakes American cheese, break into four squares. Put them on the back of a microwave safe bacon tray, arranging on a checkerboard pattern You can use the food-grade plastic they’re wrapped in or you can use parchment paper. I do up to two of the slices at a time and nuke until they start to bubble and brown. Remove from the microwave and let cool – they are very crisp. Do not try this during humid weather as they don’t crisp up well. Don’t taste like American cheese. And the crispier you get them the better they are.
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Reblogged this on The Daily Pot and commented:
yum lil’ snack I’m sure. I’ve done this accidentally when making a sandwich and some of the cheese dripped into the pan. I’d love to add it to turkey bacon salad instead of croutons.
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Wow. Definitely will try this! Thanks for sharing, it surely looks delicious for a low card snack 😉
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Oh, yes!
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Speaking of cheese, do you go to the Shaker Farmers Market on Saturday mornings (although not this Saturday since it’s the week off between the indoor and outdoor markets?) If so, stop by the Mackenzie Creamery table where I’m often selling the most amazingly delicious chevre with Rob, son of Jean, the cheesemaker. Come early enough to taste the Baby Buche, the Bucheron-style aged cheese. It is SO good. And say hi!
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I haven’t been to the Shaker Farmers Market, but sounds like I should give it a try. When I do, I’ll stop and sample!!!
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The market’s great, although some things are a bit expensive. Kilbuck Mushrooms will spoil you for any other shrooms and New Creations Farm has stellar meat. There are lots of other great things as well so yes, you should definitely come on out. I’ll be there April 7, first day of the outdoor market and just in time for Easter, so stop and say hi!! We always have about 6 samples. 🙂
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Awesome! This makes a Celiac very, very happy. I’m going to try it this weekend.
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My wife makes these and they’re great!
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I can’t wait to try this…Looks very Yummy:)
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Tasty looking blog you have and I LOVE cheese.
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A friend and I sometimes try something similar to this, though I’m not sure the end result is as appetizing as this. Definitely gonna have to give it a try.
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