I love these cheesy crisps flavored with different cheeses, spices/herbs/seeds, lemon zest and even pepperoni. Great for a cheese or charcuterie platter or to serve alongside soups such as tomato or minestrone. How about making smaller Parmesan crisps to add to a caesar salad instead of croutons. Use bigger Pepper Jack crisps to put on a burger. Use as a vessel for small flat tacos or to dip with. They might be a little fragile so use a soft dip like salsa, guacamole or a queso. Or spoon the dips onto the crisps. You might try making them into cups by shaping inside muffin tins  or use the bottom of a glass. Roll them into tubes while they are still warm is another good idea for an appetizer. The possibilities are endless – just use the ingredients you love.

These are pretty and lacy using Asiago cheese and a favorite…

Hard Sheep Milk’s Crisps – Emeril:

• 1 cup Bianco Sardo, Parmesan, Montasio or Asiago, grated finely
• spices/herbs of your choice (I used fresh minced basil and a couple shakes of garlic powder)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Use a heaping tbsp.+ of cheese (mixed with herbs of choice), spread out with a fork and bake for 7-9 minutes, or until lightly browned.

These were crisp and very tasty!  Perfect appetizer to serve with wine…

How about  pepperoni crisps (another favorite and oh so good – think pizza without the crust) and shaped crisps using the bottom of a glass, rolling pin or the handle of a large wooden spoon.

Pepperoni Crisps:

• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmesan, finely grated
• 12 (1-3/4″ dia.) pepperoni (or salami cut into pieces), dabbed a few times with paper towels to get rid of some of the grease before cutting into small pieces (you could also microwave the meat for about 30 seconds and then blot off the excess grease)
• Italian seasoning to taste or use fresh herbs such as basil and oregano, minced and maybe a dash or two of garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I use this temperature for all the crisps I make as they cook slower and the cheese is evenly melted and browned.

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Place 2 heaping tbsp. of cheese on the parchment paper and spread out with your fingers to about 4 to 4-1/2 inch circles.

Bake for about 6-7 minutes, watch closely so they don’t burn. The pictures below show the color they should be. You need to cook them long enough so they aren’t soggy but not too long where they burn.

Cool for a few minutes and place on a rack to finish drying. Serve these with a marinara dip but I loved them just by themselves.

Shaped Crisps:

• rolling pin, glass or muffin bottoms, large wooden spoon handle
• even mixture of Asiago and Parmesan cheese
• I used lavender buds – add lightly as they can have a potent taste
• use a filling of your choice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I made these one at a time and if you have helpers by all means make more. You need to work fast as the cheese hardens quickly. I placed the spoon over a bowl and then wrapped each crisp around it until it held its shape.

When using a large wooden spoon you need to use your fingers to hold the shape around the handle – the cheese is not too hot.

Here are a few more suggestions: The first two I originally posted in one of my first recipes on this blog Minestrone Soup with Parmesan Crisps (back in Nov. 2011). One I found comes from Giada and another from Emeril. You will see in the recipes above and below that you can use a cheese by itself or a combination of cheeses. For a really crisp frico use hard cheeses such as Parmesan, Romano, Aged Cheddar or Asiago. They retain their shape to give a “lacy” texture but melt enough to hold together.

Add seasonings such as taco flavored to give a Tex-Mex touch to your crisps. Herbs such as basil always works with cheese; rosemary and thyme are other suggestions. How about chives; the flower petals for color and a  mild onion taste. Lavender is a favorite as it not only provides color but a light floral taste. Minced parsley will brighten up your crisps made with a white cheese such as Asiago. Seeds are another good possibility. Cheeses such as Pepper Jack need no extra flavor.

Parmesan Crisps:

• Parmesan cheese, coarsely shredded with 1 tbsp. flour and freshly grated pepper or use the following recipe:
• 1-1/2 cups Parmesan, freshly grated
• 1 tbsp. flour
• flavor with 1-2 herbs or spices of your choice, minced or
• add lemon zest or finely chopped scallions or chives

This recipe makes 12 mounds of 2 tbsp. each. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment and coated with cooking spray; flatten into 4-inch rounds. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. While still hot remove with a thin spatula and let cool completely.

Mozzarella/Parmesan Crisps:

• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2-4 tbsp. Parmesan, grated
• 1 tbsp. flour

This recipe makes 16 mounds of 2 tbsp. each. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment and coated with cooking spray; flatten into 4-inch rounds. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. While still hot remove with a thin spatula and let cool completely.

Pepper Jack Cheese Crisps:

• Pepper Jack Cheese cubes or shredded with a little flour added

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the cheese into 1/2-inch cubes. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment and coated with cooking spray. Place each cube about 6-inches apart. Bake for 7 minutes (more or less) depending on the size of your cubes, or until the cheese melts.

The Pepper Jack cubes on the right were rather soft as I probably did not cook them long enough. The centers needed to brown more.The bigger Pepper Jack crisps on the left I added 1 tbsp. flour. These took 12 minutes, were rather crisp, browned really nice and were perfect on a turkey burger or as a base for mini tacos.They sure did add a nice texture and a great flavor like cheese always does.

The large Pepper Jack cheese rounds are excellent to use in place of tortillas for tacos. They bend and roll up so you can eat them with your hands! Low carb and delicious!!!

Parmesan “Croutons” For Caesar Salad:

• Parmesan cheese grated finely
• couple dashes of garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the two ingredients together. Line a baking sheet with silicone or parchment.  Place a 1″ round cutter on the parchment and add 1 tsp. Parmesan. If you want them smaller only add 1/2 tsp.  Pat them down with a fork into nice rounds. The more you spread the cheese the lacier they will become. Bake for 7 minutes or until nicely browned. So good – I could just munch on these tasty tidbits!

Tear up the romaine leaves and add the dressing. Serve on the side and let your guests add as many crisps as they want.

Less carbs by not using homemade croutons and they are a very good substitute. Plus I can make as many as I want versus buying a loaf of white bread!

I didn’t make these crisps by Giada but I bet they are delicious with the lemon addition.

Basil and Lemon Crisps – Giada: 

• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp. fresh basil, minced
• 1/2 tbsp. lemon zest, grated

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees; combine the 3 ingredients. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Scoop a heaping tbsp. of the cheese mixture onto the baking sheet and pat down using a fork. Bake 7-9 minutes and let cool.

Nacho Cheese Crisps

• 1 cup aged cheddar (I used Boar’s Head Vermont Cheddar aged 3 months)
• 1/2 tsp.  taco seasoning  (I might use less)
• 1 tbsp. flour if you use the bigger grater

I used the small and large hole grater. With the large ones (4) I mixed 1 tbsp. flour with the taco seasoning. The smaller crisps I only mixed in the taco seasoning. I found it is better to mix in with the cheese versus sprinkling it on top of the crisps prior to baking.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone.  Bake at 350 degrees; 9 minutes for the large and maybe 4 minutes for the small. Allow to cool slightly and remove to a rack to crisp up further.

Pepper Jack Cheese and Aged Cheddar Cheese with Taco Seasoning are perfect crisps for dipping into homemade guacamole.

Additional crisps I hope to try – (April 18, 2020):

Lemon Three Cheese Crisps:

• 1/3 cup Feta cheese crumbles
• 1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon zest
• 2 tsp. fresh parsley (or 1 tsp. dried), minced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the cheeses, lemon zest and parsley. Place heaping tbsp. of this mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread out each mound into circles about 2-1/2-inches in diameter.

Bake in oven for 6 to 8 minutes until they start to turn golden and the edges are beginning to brown. Remove and allow to cool.

Store in refrigerator for up to a week. To re-crisp, stick in microwave for 30 seconds and then let cool.

Jalapeno Four-Cheese Frico:

• 1/4 cup sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup white cheddar, grated
• 1/4 cup Asiago, shredded
• 1/4 cup Cotija, shredded
• 1 tbsp. guacamole
• 1 tbsp. fresh jalapenos, minced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 2 generous tbsp. of the mixture on the baking sheet and spread each mound into a circle.

Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starts to brown. Remove and allow to cool for 1 minute.

Parmesan Crisps with French Onion Filling :

• 1-1/2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated and packed
• 1 onion, small dice
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. oregano

Cook the diced onion in a small amount of butter until very browned, about 25 minutes or so; cool

Mix the ricotta and  milk until smooth. Stir in the onion, paprika and oregano. Place in a piping bag and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Make 12 mounds with the Parmesan cheese and place on parchment lined baking sheet but only cook 6 at a time. Bake at 350 degrees for about 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and working quickly, mold the baked cheese round over the handle of a wooden spoon to form tubes. The cheese hardens very quickly.

Pipe the filling mixture into the shells and serve right away.