Cheez-It crackers - gluten free? Would it be hard?

Cooking Discussions
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My whole family has really liked Cheez-It crackers for a long time. They came out with a lower fat version (IIRC, about 30% less fat than regular) and these were really great, too - hardly distinguishable from the regular (full-fat) version.

Their “white cheddar” cheese versions are also pretty tasty, but frankly other than being a bit lighter in taste I’m not sure they’re really different.

The big question, for those in the know - how hard would it be for the Kellogg folks (current purveyors of Cheez-It) to make a gluten free version of these? I’m asking for Daughter #3.

It wouldn’t seem too hard, given how many other dry GF crackers are out there, but then I admit I’m pretty ignorant as it relates to dry goods GF baking.

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where there’s a will, there’s a way

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Yep. She’s now on SEC.gov looking for email addresses of senior officials (I’m kind of leading her along the way).

She’s decided to buy a couple of shares then say “Why are you ignoring this lucrative angle??”.

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You use Gluten Free flour and cheese powder (which is gluten free) to make a hardtack cracker of your own.

I imagine you could control the salt, as well. Maybe add some spices that Daughter #3 likes?? Experiment with how thin or thick she might like it??

Would daughter #3 enjoy a project like that??

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Oops… typo It was supposed to say “You could use”

Sorry if that came across wrong… sometimes my fingers can’t keep up with my brain.

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No worries, I just viewed it as shorthand like I use in texts to my kids.

It’s an interesting thought though, I’ll pass it along and see what she thinks.

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You could try this as a starting point (I used some of her recipes when I was baking for family that was gluten free for a while).

Lends itself to experimentation, because even the not great outcomes are pretty tasty :joy:

I’d play with dry mustard, white and black pepper, and smoked paprika as flavorings.

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Another one https://www.fearlessdining.com/gluten-free-cheez-its/

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Have you tried Frico? It’s gluten-free since it’s entirely cheese, no carbs added. Very addictive.

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Have you tried a non-Cheez-It alternative like the one below from Back to Nature?

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I have some distant memories when I was a kid. I remember fishing with my grandfather and my grandmother would make this anise hardtack crackers for us to munch on – while we were fishing.
She made hers rather thick almost like a hardtack biscuit… really good and a nice memory that popped back into my head.

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Yes, but not in a long, long time. Not sure why the kids stopped asking for them.


Thanks. I showed it to her and sent her an email linking. We’re going to give it a whirl next week.

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Thanks. I don’t know if I’ve seen the Back To Nature brand crackers around here, but these don’t appear to be gluten free.

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Too funny, because I didn’t learn to appreciate the flavor of anise until I got a lot older - as a kid, fishing with my dad, our primary use was to flavor our bait doughballs.

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I find frico scratches a different itch. We make them in the microwave, too easy. But when you want a cracker, you want a cracker.

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Not sure if your daughter is on Instagram, but she should check out philhatesgluten - he occasionally posts videos addressed to companies like Nabisco and Pepperidge Farm urging them to make GF versions of various products. He posted about Cheez-Its a few months ago: https://www.instagram.com/philhatesgluten/p/Cy_P9tKLolk/

(He’s also funny, and does product reviews and Boston-area restaurant reviews.)

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These might be close? https://www.heb.com/product-detail/lance-gluten-free-cheddar-cheese-crackers/2796014

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Wow! I had no clue, but I just asked her about Phil - she said “He’s the whole reason we have gluten free Oreos!”.

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Those should be perfect. She said she thought Lance had stopped making them, but the website for the Kroger in the next town over claims to carry them.

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Stella Parks also has a Cheezit recipe on Serious Eats. You’d have to experiment to find what gluten-free flours would substitute best.
I generally really like her recipes but have never tried these.

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