Chile Crisp Cheese Crackers
Updated February 9, 2026
Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
- 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
2 tablespoons black or white sesame seeds (or a combination)
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons/150 grams all-purpose flour
⅔ cup/70 grams finely grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons/80 grams unsalted butter, cold and diced
2 tablespoons chile crisp (with as little oil as possible; see Tip), store-bought or homemade
1 large egg yolk
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
½ cup/40 grams thinly sliced scallions (from 2 to 4 scallions)
Nutritional analysis per serving
9 grams carbs; 16 milligrams cholesterol; 83 calories; 1 gram monosaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 4 grams fat; 48 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein
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.
For those folks who are having trouble rolling the dough and/or getting the sesame seeds to stick: process the dough a bit longer than the recipe calls for. This is very similar to the dough I use for cheese straws and the trick is to process until it's the consistency of Play-Doh. This makes it very easy to shape, and the seeds will stick like a champ. I just pulled a batch out of the oven and they are tender and delicious. My chili crisp is quite orange, so they're also a lovely color.
My face is red! I made the dough yesterday and let the log rest overnight in the refrigerator. I sliced and baked half of them this morning and they just crumbled after they cooled. I swore I followed the recipe with no substitutions or alterations. So, I went back and looked at the recipe again, and realized I used 6 ounces of butter, instead of 6 tablespoons… double the amount! So, don’t do that. I still have half a log, so I will see if I can salvage it by doing the math and using the right amount of everything else to make up for it. Saving the crumbles as they are delicious and I could see using them with panko as a coating for chicken cutlets or something.
How do I stop eating these?, sooo yummy, but I have scared them with neighbors and family, I guess I’ll,have to make them again this week!
Has anyone tried adding some finely chopped pecans to this?
I’m dying to try these but I don’t how much chile crisp to use. In the ingredients list on my phone screen, it just says “tablespoons chile crisp”with no number in front. 1 tablespoon? 2 tablespoons? More? Less? Help, please!
@Annagreta same problem here! Can someone tell us how many T of chili crisp to use? The amount is not appearing on my iPhone either.
@Annagreta When I set the recipe to be halved (0.5), it says 1 tbsp. So a full recipe should be 2 tbsp, I imagine. I see what you do in the app.
@niL I replied to the OP but will include here. When I halve the recipe (set to 0.5), it says 1 tbsp. So I assume a full recipe should use 2 tbsp.