And I've made a lot of boards.
Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.Learn more.
In the years I’ve spent obsessing over creative charcuterie boards and trying my best to recreate my favorites, I’ve learned that what takes a spread from “meh” to memorable is a good cracker. After all, anyone can pick out a few fun cheeses from Trader Joe’s and throw them onto a platter with whatever saltines or starchy snacks are in the pantry, but impressing friends and family with a good cracker—an element that people don’t pay as much attention to—is what will make them say “wow.”
That’s why I always take my time looking for crackers and other crunchy bites at the grocery store. Recently, a peeping window at the bottom of a box of Effie’s Gruyere Biscuits showed off snackable squares that were thicker than a typical cracker, but thinner than a cookie. These were clearly not American biscuits, but instead, closer to a crisp British biscuit. Gruyere is one of my favorite cheeses, and I had never seen it baked into this type of biscuit before, so there was no way I was going home without a box. After tasting a few, I knew they’d earn a spot on all my future charcuterie boards—and on our coveted Taste of Home Awards list.
Gruyere Biscuits
Many Crackers Need a Flavorful Partner
While buttery club crackers or wafers can successfully shuttle a slice of salami, prosciutto or cheese into your mouth, they don’t always add much flavor on their own. I like that Effie’s Gruyere Biscuits are pleasantly cheesy, but not in the in-your-face way that many cheese crackers are (sorry, Cheez-Its, I still love you).
Break the biscuit in half and you can see the layers of oats that make them tall and thick like a sturdy British tea biscuit. I’ve always preferred the thicker version of everything, from pizza crusts to cookies, so I love that these aren’t a typical thin cracker. Speckles of black pepper are sprinkled throughout, and a burst of freshly cracked pepper is the last flavor in your mouth, which makes them decidedly—and deliciously—savory. Still, the biscuits have the tiniest bit of sweetness that balances everything out.
These Savory Biscuits Can Stand on Their Own
Honestly, I like the Gruyere biscuits so much that I prefer to eat them without any cheese board pairings, so I can appreciate the flavors without getting distracted. But for a more substantial snack or appetizer, you can absolutely partner them with pretty much anything typically found on a charcuterie board, including a triangle of Gruyere. On the box, Effie’s suggests topping the biscuits with a generous swipe of caramelized onion jam. I’m planning to use them in savory s’mores and as a dipper for whipped feta dip. I might even crumble them up to make a crunchy topper for mac and cheese.
Once I fell for these biscuits, I tried all the other flavors, too. My second favorite is the cocoa biscuits, and then it’s a three-way tie between hazelnut, almond and original. The cocoa version would be perfect tucked into Greek yogurt to make the two-ingredient cheesecake recipe everyone is talking about.
How to Get Effie’s
I first spotted Effie’s Gruyere Biscuits at my local Pick ‘n Save. You can also find them at Metro Market, Whole Foods and, of course, Amazon. The store locator on Effie’s Homemade website shows where to pick them up in your area.
Now, I need to be careful—I should save Effie’s for my next charcuterie board, but I doubt that I’ll be able to make the box last until then!
More Taste of Home Award Winners:
