Spicy Cheese Crisps

Submitted by Kerena

"Another Martha Stewart Good Foods recipe. You can use less cayenne if you want less of a bite to the crisps. Cooking time includes chilling time. Dough can be stored in refrigerator up to 3 days or frozen up to a month - no need to thaw before baking."

 

• Ready In: 18mins
• Ingredients: 5
• Yields: 40 crisps
• Serves: 10

ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, finely grated
• 1⁄2 cup butter, softened

directions

1. Whisk together flour, salt and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl. Add cheese and butter. Work with hands until a dough forms.
2. Transfer to a sheet of waxed paper. Form into a 1 1/2" diameter log; roll up tightly in paper. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice dough into 1/4" thick rounds; arrange 1" apart on baking sheets. Bake until edges are golden, 16-18 minutes; transfer to rack to cool.

Reviews

[Chef Kate]

FANTASTIC! A little too much cayenne for my taste but these are wonderful. Tasters have described them as "the best cheese puff ever' "Like cheese crackers went to heaven." I did put the ingredients in my Kitchenaid and mix until the dough was totally an incorporated mass. Definitely on my permanent cocktail party menu list. Thanks! December, 2008 update: I've now made these tiny, using a pastry bag with a star tip, and, today, larger, rolled out and cut with a scalloped biscuit cutter. Terrific every way!

 

[whyamiawake]

Hmmmm, these weren't at all what I wanted them to be. They smelled AMAZING while they were baking. They tasted really *floury* to me. No one else in my house liked them. I found they kind of grew on me. I didn't use the full amount of cayenne and might if I made them again. I would probably add much more cheese ... or maybe a sharper cheese.