Ok, no more pasta recipes for now.
In fact, I’m switching to an entirely different food category. No more dinner…on to snacks! Everyone likes snacks.
I made these little beauties as a appetizer before our New Year’s Dinner.
These taste exactly like Cheez-its. I know they don’t look the same but I promise they taste identical.
I adapted this recipe from Food52– The original recipe called for smoked paprika but I didn’t have any and didn’t feel like buying any so I used regular old paprika. I’m sure the smoked one would have added a different taste but then they would have tasted like smoked Cheez-its and that’s not quite the same.
I added quite a bit of cayenne as well. I loved how spicy they were but Nate wasn’t such a fan of his mouth tingling, so go easy on it if you have a sensitive fiance.
My only issue with these adorable little things is that they’re so tiny that rolling the dough into like 40 little balls is kinda of time consuming…and annoying. But if you have them time, then it’s totally worth it.
**UPDATE! A reader suggested rolling the dough into a log and refrigerating it until firm and then slicing into rounds…way less time-consuming than the ball method. I’d prob recommend letting the rounds cook a little longer, though, if you put them into the oven while still cold.
I hope you’re having company over soon because you need to make these! Or maybe you just want a snack. Either is fine.
Cheese Crackers
Barely Adapted from Food52
Makes about 40
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon paprika (or more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
1 cup Panko bread crumbs (I used whole wheat panko)-*note these are not regular breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheets with parchment.
Put flour, butter, cheese, cayenne, paprika and salt into food processor and pulse till completely blended and a ball forms. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
Add panko and process in small pulses (as few as possible) to incorporate panko into dough.
Scoop small balls of dough (about 1/2 teaspoon) and roll in the palm of your hand (**or use other method mentioned above!). Place on cookie sheet and flatten with fork or spatula. (You can also roll the dough out about 1/2 inch thick and use small cookie cutters.) Sprinkle the tops with smoked paprika and more salt if desired.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes until the bottom is lightly browned and the crispettes are cooked through.
Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack.
