Chile Crisp Cheese Crackers
Updated Feb. 9, 2026
- Total Time
- 1 hour 40 minutes, plus cooling
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2tablespoons black or white sesame seeds (or a combination)
- 1cup plus 3 tablespoons/150 grams all-purpose flour
- ⅔cup/70 grams finely grated Parmesan
- 1teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6tablespoons/80 grams unsalted butter, cold and diced
- 2tablespoons chile crisp (with as little oil as possible; see Tip), store-bought or homemade
- 1large egg yolk
- 1½ teaspoons lemon juice
- ½cup/40 grams thinly sliced scallions (from 2 to 4 scallions)
Nutritional analysis per serving (25 servings)
82 calories; 4 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 48 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place the sesame seeds on a baking sheet and set aside.
- Step 2
Place the flour, Parmesan, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and process until the mixture is crumbly, then add the chile crisp, egg yolk and lemon juice. Pulse until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand, then tip it into a large bowl and add the scallions. Stir to incorporate, then knead gently to form a ball.
- Step 3
On a clean work surface, roll the dough into a log that’s about 10 inches long and 1½ inches in diameter. Place the log on the sheet with the sesame seeds, then roll the log until it is covered in the seeds. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Don’t worry if the dough is slightly soft and misshapen for now.
- Step 4
After the stint in the fridge, remove the dough and, without removing the plastic wrap, roll it into a more even log, then refrigerate until firm — about 45 minutes (or up to 3 days).
- Step 5
When ready to bake, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 6
Slice the log into coins that are ⅓ inch thick and place them 1 inch apart on the lined baking sheet. If they break, just smoosh them back together. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. The bottoms of the crackers will be a deeper reddish-brown from the chile oil as well as the direct contact with the heat of the sheet — this is as it should be.
- Step 7
The crackers are soft when warm, but will crisp up when they cool down.
- Use your favorite brand of chile crisp, such as Lao Gan Ma, or make your own homemade version. Too much oil will make the dough soft and waxy, so leave as much of the oil in the jar as possible.
- The crackers can be eaten on the day they are baked but are at their best a day or two after, when they’ve dried out a little and the flavors have had time to meld together. They will keep, loosely wrapped in foil, for up to 5 days.
Private Notes
Comments
I used Lao Gan Ma brand chili crisp, in my opinion, the most flavorful of all the brands. This recipe was fast and easy, and I had no problem shaping the roll. The crackers were DELICIOUS — the Parmesan flavor was front and center, with a tiny hint of heat to add interest. I was curious how the scallions would look in the cracker, but apparently, they were sliced so fine that they all but disappeared. This is my new GO-TO savory snack. My family wants me to make them again tomorrow, doubling the recipe.
@CPH I suspect that the dough should be unwrapped before slicing into coins.
@MK Reporting back: My fix worked! The sesame seeds are incorporated into the crackers as I couldn’t effectively scrape them off the log, but that just adds to the charm!
I added the scallions in the food processor with the flour mix, and added a few grinds of black pepper, but otherwise made the recipe as written. Day 1: “These are really good.” Day 2: “These are INCREDIBLE.” Day 3: “We ate them all—can you make more?”
The yield on this recipe is fairly small, so I had to stretch it to serve at an event. After chilling the dough 1 hour, I rolled the dough into small balls (1") and smooshed each into a 1/4" thick cracker with the heel of my hand; rolled the edges in toasted sesame seeds and baked on parchment. Yield was 35 crackers.
These are delicious! Needed to add more lemon juice/ water to get dough to come together. Used Trader Joe’s chili onion crunch.