Copycat Trader Joe's Oven Baked Cheese Bites

I love Trader Joe's Oven-Baked Cheese Bites. But apparently, a lot of other people do. While it makes my weekly shopping list, it doesn't make it into my cart regularly. Why? Because at some point, prior to me getting to the store, someone has already cleared the shelf for me.

It's that serious.

So rather than sulk about it. I went over to the cheese section and dealt with the issue directly. One chunk of parmesan cheese went into my cart as did one chunk of Grana Padano cheese.

Why those? Because those are the only ingredients in the original product.

After a bit of experimenting, I figured a pretty close ratio was 3:1. In this case, 3 cups of Grana Padano Cheese to 1 Cup of Parmesan Cheese.

In other words, after a bit of kitchen tinkering, I realized that 4 cups of shredded cheese would yield about 24 crisps.

So one cup of parmesan with three cups of freshly grated Grana Padano seemed about right.

Now, about that round shape. That was an easy problem-solving issue. Some basic kitchen equipment and you'll also have a similar (but not exact) shaped crisp.

Do I Have To Use the Cheese You Mentioned?

No. They just won't taste like the copycat that they are trying to be. If you use cheddar, you'll have cheddar bites. Use all parmesan, then you'll have parmesan crisps. At the end of the day, this is just a really simple parmesan crisp recipe.

What's the Difference Between Grana Padano and Parmesan Cheese?

While both kinds of cheese mention "parmesan" there are some differences. Both products are DOP controlled, meaning there are certain rules that are in place to protect this product from being named anything other than what it is.

In order for it to be called:

Grana Padano Parmesan-it must be aged at least 9 months, must be produced in the Po River Valley, must be produced with partly skimmed cow's milk and will contain the Trademark on the rind.

Parmesan Reggiano- it must be aged at least 12 months, is a mix of whole and skim cow's milk, is only made in certain northern provinces of Italy, and will also contain an indication on the rind about its origin.

Watch Me Make My Copycat Trader Joe's Oven-Baked Cheese Bites (40 Seconds)

Tips for making

• These are essentially just parmesan crisps, so any hard cheese you would enjoy would work here
• Keep an eye on these as the process moves pretty quick
• If you are watching these from the window of your oven, you will watch the following phases: melting, bubbling, frying, and when they look dry they are done.
• While they come out slightly darker than the cheese bites in a bag, they are just as delicious.

How Do I Make these at Home?

Step 1: Get two chunks of cheese: one of parmesan and one of Grana Padano. Preheat your oven to 400F.

Step 2: Grate the cheese.

Step 3: In your mini muffin tin, put one tablespoon of cheese shreds into each space. Four cups of shredded cheese should yield 24 bites.

Step 4: No need to grease the pan. The cheese has enough fat to prevent it from sticking. After you have filled all 24 spaces, place into the oven. You will see the cheese go through various phases: melting, bubbling, what looks like frying. Once there is less liquid in each space, then you'll need to keep an eye on these. They will brown quickly from this point.

Step 5: Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Use a spoon to pop these out of their place. If there is still some grease left, then allow them to dry on a paper towel. If they seem dry, then place them into an air tight container for storage.

Step 6: Taste and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy these Copycat Trader Joe's Oven-Baked Cheese Bites!

If you try this, would you mind hitting the “Rate” button? I’d love to know what you thought of it. If you modified the original recipe here, please let me know how it turned out. I love comments!

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