I'm the first to admit that I love me some junk food. The salty sweet combo is one of my faves and though I try to keep 'em to a minimum, when I do snack I want it to be the real deal. I love Cheez-Its but if you check out the ingredients there are some questionable fillers like petroleum that I'd rather keep out of my body.

I played with this recipe, originally for cheese straws, and made it my own. It's really simple, fast and is great for parties or as a road trip snack. I enjoy making the cheeze-its spicy and cheddar cheese gives them their familiar orange color. However, the recipe is versatile, so feel free to experiment. I have used bleu and parmesan cheese, as well as Italian seasoning.

Homemade Cheez-Its

1 1/2 cups cheese, (I used Cheddar and Gruyere)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 pieces

3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon sriracha garlic sauce

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence

1 tablespoon half & half

Preheat oven to 375. In a food processor combine all ingredients, except half & half and mix until combine. Pour in half & half and pulse for 10 seconds until a dough ball begins to form. On a floured surface roll out dough until about 1/8 inch thick and cut into roughly 1 inch squares with a pasta roller. Bake until barely golden, roughly 15 minutes.