The misleading name of the crackers—and their unnatural tint—has made me suspicious of them all my life, but my husband plows through stacks of them like they were candy (and he loves candy). Dan, these are for you: please eat them, even though they don’t glow.
YIELD: about 30 filled crackers
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
DIFFICULTY: 2
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: stand mixer (optional), food processor, fluted pastry cutter
CRACKERS
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 cups (8-1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Cheddar cheese powder (see page 12)
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
PEANUT BUTTER
1-1/2 cups roasted shelled peanuts
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
MAKE THE CRACKERS:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat liners.
Whisk the vegetable oil and eggs together in a small bowl; set aside.
In a food processor or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir the flour, sugar, cheese powder, turmeric, baking soda, and salt for a few seconds until combined. Add the butter cubes and pulse in 3-second on/off turns in the food processor or stir at medium speed with the mixer until a crumbly dough forms, resembling moist cornmeal. Add the beaten oil and egg mixture and continue to pulse/stir until a soft dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and shape into 4 discs. Dust one of the discs liberally with flour and roll into a rough 8-inch square no more than 1/8 inch thick. (Make it as thin as you can, since the crackers will puff up when baked.) Slice into 1-1/2-inch squares using a fluted pastry cutter. Transfer the crackers to a baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining dough. Poke holes in the cracker squares using a toothpick or cocktail fork, then sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until hints of golden brown appear around the edges. Watch carefully! Transfer the baked crackers to a wire rack and let cool completely.
MAKE THE FILLING AND ASSEMBLE:
Grind the peanuts, sugar, and salt together in a food processor or mini food processor, pulsing on and off and scraping the bowl down as needed, to make peanut butter.
Assemble by spreading peanut butter on the flat (bottom) side of one cracker, then topping with another cracker, flat-side down, to make a sandwich. Repeat to fill all the crackers.
Store the filled crackers at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
IT’S EASY BEING CHEESY
Maybe you’re like me, and a peanut butter–filled cracker pales in comparison to the thought of cheese on cheese. Use the base cracker recipe above and make your own Nip Chee crackers instead: with an electric hand mixer, blend 1/2 cup each of vegetable shortening and Cheddar cheese powder with 3 tablespoons buttermilk powder to make the signature gritty cheese filling.