Cheese Crackers

Name: Cheese Crackers
Total time: 50 min
Yield: About 6 dozen crackers
Cuisine: american, south american
Ingredients: 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup loosely packed grated Cabot Farms Vermont white Cheddar (about 3 ounces); 2/3 cup loosely packed grated pecorino Romano cheese (about 1 ounce); 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon cayenne; 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes; 1 large egg yolk; 1/3 cup pecans, finely chopped (about 3 tablespoons); 3 tablespoons untoasted white sesame seeds; 2 tablespoons ice water

By Gabrielle Hamilton

Total Time: 50 minutes, plus chilling
Rating: 4(787)
Comments: Read comments

Cheddar crackers. Cheese wafers. Coins, biscuits, straws and crisps. Known by many names and claimed by many grandmothers, they are all the same, delicious thing: a savory, addictive, shortbread cookie. The key to any short dough — that distinctive tender sandy crumbly texture — is the high fat-to-flour ratio, and this version not only relies on butter but also counts on the delicious fats that come from sesame seeds, block Cheddar and even the oil from the pecans. For a remarkable distinction among the many, many versions of these to be found, toast them until just passing golden into brown, and see how that in itself sets these apart.

Featured in: My French Grandmother’s Shortbread Makes for Shamefully Addictive Cheese Crackers

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Ingredients

Yield:About 6 dozen crackers

1⅓cups all-purpose flour
1cup loosely packed grated Cabot Farms Vermont white Cheddar (about 3 ounces)
⅔cup loosely packed grated pecorino Romano cheese (about 1 ounce)
1teaspoon kosher salt
½teaspoon cayenne
8tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
1large egg yolk
⅓cup pecans, finely chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
3tablespoons untoasted white sesame seeds
2tablespoons ice water

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Add the flour, both cheeses, salt and cayenne to the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until combined.
Step 2
Scatter the cold butter chunks on top, and pulse again to form coarse crumbs.
Step 3
Add egg yolk, pecans and seeds, and pulse to combine thoroughly, yielding a coarse grainy meal.
Step 4
Transfer mixture to a large stainless-steel bowl. Sprinkle the ice water on top, and knead briefly to bring the dough together, as you would a pie dough.
Step 5
Divide the dough into thirds, and roll each into a neat, 8-inch-long cylinder that is about the width of a silver dollar. Wrap each log in plastic wrap, and twist the ends tightly in opposite directions, forming a perfect and compact torchon. Refrigerate until well chilled and completely firm; overnight is ideal.
Step 6
Heat the oven to 375. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. Unwrap the dough, discarding plastic wrap, and slice the logs into thin coins, each about the width of a pencil.
Step 7
Arrange the coins in neat rows on the prepared sheets, making sure they’re not quite touching one another. This dough won’t expand or flatten after baking.
Step 8
Bake until golden at their centers and just starting to toast at their edges, about 20 minutes. Check them midway through baking, and rotate sheets if your oven bakes unevenly.
Step 9
Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks to cool. Once they are fully cooled, transfer coins to an airtight container, where they will keep for up to 3 weeks.

Ratings

4 out of 5

787 user ratings

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Comments

HDB6 years ago

These are delicious - nice kick from the cayenne. I made them exactly as written and they turned out perfectly. Great with cocktails or wine. I don’t understand why so many other reviewers want to chime in with their “I didn’t have this so I substituted this.” I am interested in how the recipe worked and any tips to making it easier or for clarifying instructions. When you write your cookbook get back to me with your recipes, until then I am after this recipe and how it works and tastes!

Ken6 years ago

I have made these several times, they have been a very big hit. Here are my clarifications and changes: Weigh the flour: 6 ounces or 170 grams, weigh the pecans: 1.25 ounces or 35 grams, beat the egg yolk with the water (to better distribute it), sprinkle the egg and water into the mix while still in the food processor and pulse a few times to evenly distribute, do not knead, just press together and roll into one 16" log. Any cheddar will do, the brand and the color makes no difference.

Michael6 years ago

I really wish the times would begin writing recipes in both the U.S, system of measurement and the metric system. Scaling is so much more precise, plus it's so much easier to double or triple a recipe like this in whole numbers. This dough deserves to be made in a much larger quantity than the amount provided in this recipe as this dough would freeze so well.

Susan1 month ago

Love the recipe. But, is it me? Or is “slice thin as a pencil” a baffling measurement?

Mimmas2 months ago

Although I usually like to make a recipe with the exact ingredients, I used asiago and sharp cheddar- and they were easy and yummy- so go ahead and substitute and have fun! I will freeze them to go on my next charcuterie board with wine and good friends.

Beth Kaime6 months ago

Delicious! Reminds me of my mother using leftover pie crust, mixing grated cheese in it and baking it. I had a mix of black and white sesame seeds on hand that I used.

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