Peppery Cheese Crackers Recipes

Steps:

• Place the cheese, flour, salt and pepper flakes in a food processor; process until blended. Add butter; pulse until butter is the size of peas. While pulsing, add just enough cream to form moist crumbs. , On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. holiday-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Reroll scraps and repeat., Bake at 350° until golden brown, 13-17 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease with vegetable oil.
• Place butter into a mixing bowl; add Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt. Mix together with the back of a spatula until thoroughly combined.
• Mix flour into cheese mixture with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle in cold water, 1 or 2 drops at a time, and mix with spatula until it comes together in a dough that holds its shape when squeezed.
• Transfer dough to a work surface and press into a thick, flattened disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Roll dough out on a floured work surface to about 1/8-inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut 1-inch wide strips from the dough. Cut strips crosswise into rectangles about 1 1/2-inches long. Use the back of a bamboo skewer to punch 5 small holes into each cracker. Arrange crackers onto prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crackers are browned and crisp, about 15 minutes. Let stand about 3 minutes for crackers to cool and release from the foil. Let cool completely before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Combine flour, salt, and red pepper flakes in large bowl; add Cheddar cheese. Toss until cheese is coated. Pour in melted butter; stir until mixture is moist and crumbly. Add rice cereal and knead by hand until dough is well blended.
• Roll dough into small 1/2-inch balls; arrange on a baking sheet. Flatten each ball with a fork.
• Bake in the preheated oven until light and crispy, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.
• Place bread flour, polenta, salt, baking soda, paprika, pepper, and cheese in the bowl of a food processor; pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, add buttermilk. Continue processing until dough just forms a ball. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few seconds. Wrap dough in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
• Cut dough into quarters. Using 1 piece at a time, roll out dough 1/16 inch thick on a lightly floured work surface. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off the excess flour. Keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap.
• Using a 1 3/4-inch fluted round cookie cutter or a small fluted pastry wheel, cut out crackers and place on prepared baking sheet at least 1/2 inch apart. Roll out a second piece of dough 1/16 inch thick and repeat cutting process; place on second prepared baking sheet. Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake until crackers are golden brown and crisp, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating once halfway through baking. Transfer crackers immediately to a wire cooling rack; let cool completely. Repeat process with remaining dough.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine the flour, Cheddar, smoked paprika, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until incorporated. Add the heavy cream and process until the dough forms a ball.
• Lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper and place the dough on top. Shape the dough with your hands into a flat rectangle, then lightly flour the dough. Roll it out with a rolling pin until it is a little less than 1/4 inch thick (about a 12-by-9-inch rectangle). Cut the dough into squares or rectangles and carefully transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the dough pieces with about 1/4 teaspoon more salt, gently pressing it into the surface, then dust very lightly with more smoked paprika. Bake until light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine the flour, Parmesan, rosemary, pepper, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until incorporated. Add the 1/4 cup heavy cream and process until the dough forms a ball. If a ball does not form, add more heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, and process until the dough comes together.
• Lightly flour a work surface. Pat the dough out in into a flat rectangle, then lightly flour the dough and roll it out until it is a little less than 1/4-inch thick and about 12-by-8-inches in size. Cut the dough into squares or rectangles and carefully transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, gently pressing the salt into the surface of the crackers.
• Bake until light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.

Steps:

• Spread crackers with cream cheese spread.
• Top with jelly and nuts.

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, pepper, salt and spices (if using), and pulse to combine.
• Add the Cheddar, Asiago and butter, and pulse several times, then let the mixer run until the dough comes mostly together around the blade, 1 to 3 minutes. It's OK if the dough is a little pebbly, but it should clump easily when you squeeze it. (You can also prepare this dough by hand, though you'll need to bring the butter to room temperature first. Mix all your dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Then, in a large bowl, mix Cheddar, Asiago and butter to form a paste. Add the flour mixture and knead the dough together.)
• Pull your dough out of your bowl onto a flat surface and gently knead it into a smooth ball. Split your dough in half and shape each half into a rectangle. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece until about 1/2-inch thick, dusting a tiny bit of flour on your pin, if needed, to prevent the dough from sticking. (If you don't want to bake all the crackers now, you can freeze dough in 1/2-inch-thick blocks.)
• Place a piece of dough in the center of an 18-inch-long piece of parchment paper. Roll the dough on the parchment paper, working from the center outward. (You want the dough to adhere to the bottom layer of parchment, but if your rolling pin sticks to the surface, lightly dust it with flour.) When your dough is about 1/4-inch thick, lay another piece of parchment, plastic wrap, or a silicone baking mat over the surface of your dough. Continue to roll the dough out 1/8- to 1/16-inch thick, as thin as your arms will allow, pressing together any cracks that may form. (You can also use an etching motion, moving your pin from the center out toward the edges across your dough.) Rotate the parchment in front of you with every few strokes to ensure you are rolling the dough evenly.
• Peel back the top layer of parchment and sprinkle the surface with half the Pecorino Romano and a dozen or so grinds of black pepper across the surface. Lightly roll over once more with your rolling pin so the cheese and pepper adheres to the cracker dough. Transfer this sheeted dough onto a baking sheet and chill in the fridge or freezer until firm, about 15 minutes. (If you let it chill longer, just pull it out and let it temper a bit before proceeding.) Repeat with the second piece of dough.
• When the dough is nearly chilled, arrange the racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and heat to 325 degrees. Remove one sheet of dough from the tray and place on a work surface.
• Using a pastry wheel (fluted is nice), pizza cutter or a sharp knife and a ruler, cut 1-inch squares across the surface of the dough. (A 1-inch-thick ruler or tracer made from card stock or cardboard comes in handy here.) Transfer crackers to parchment-lined baking sheets with 1/2-inch space in between. (They will not spread much.) If your dough warms up or is difficult to peel and place, just slip it back into the freezer still attached to your parchment paper and let it firm up, then proceed.
• Bake the crackers in the center of your oven for 14 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness), rotating trays midway through baking to ensure they color evenly. Crackers will be just golden at the edges and the surface should be firm to the touch. You want them to dry crisp. (Test by pulling one cracker off the tray, let it quickly cool and break it in half to see how it snaps.) Remove from the oven and cool on trays.
• Once fully cooled, store crackers in a tin or covered container for up to 4 weeks.