Cheez-its, my former, current, and forever love. I can easily eat a whole box of these in one sitting, but with these healthy alternatives, I could eat these until I hated myself; even afterwards, I would probably continue to eat them.

Yes, I know what you’re thinking: “fake cheese though? Surely that won’t be good.” I know to produce faux cheese, lots of ingredients that are hypocritical to the product being healthy goes into it, but trust me, it’s so good that it’s worth it. It makes for a great study snack. I know for myself, these got me through my intense studies for a law exam. So let’s get into it?

ingredients:

– 3/4 cup Bob Mill’s gluten free flour
– 1/2 TSP xanthum gum
– 1 cup of Daiya vegan “cheese.” Feel free to use their different flavoured cheese to create a mixture of cheez-its. I personally love the pepperjack.
– 3 TBSP nondairy butter
– pinch of salt
– 1 TBSP cold water  (cold tap water suffices)
– 1-2 straws
– 2 TBSP olive oil

the way:

– preheat the oven to 375 degrees
– in a mixing bowl, combine the butter and cheese together until they’re blended together.
– add in the flour, xanthum gum, and salt in a separate bowl and mix together.
– add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the butter/cheese and blend. Add the remaining 1/2 and mix until fully combined.
– Add the cold water in and stir until everything is incorporated.
– take the dough out and knead into a smooth ball.
– Take a rolling pin and roll the dough out in between two pieces of parchment paper. Alternatively, to save parchment paper, you can flour your counter surface and roll out the dough like that.
– using a pastry cutter, or butter knife (something that won’t scratch up your counter) begin to cut a grid pattern on the rolled out dough.
– if you have straws lying around, use the ends and create a hole in the center of each square.
– grab a pastry brush, dab some olive oil on it, and lightly brush across the dough. Then lightly sprinkle some salt on each square.
– transfer the grid to a baking sheet, and let it rest in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
– bake for 17-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Allow the cheez-its to cool completely on the baking sheet.