Mini Cheese Puff Crackers

These mini cheese puff crackers are made from a dough of equal parts flour, cheese, and butter. They are crumbly and cheesy, and are the perfect nibble with a glass of dry white wine. 

It's very hard to stop at just one. They are fabulous straight out of the oven, and pretty much melt in your mouth.

I used a sharp cheddar cheese to make these, but you could experiment with Gruyere, Swiss, Gouda, or a similar cheese. I'm actually thinking about using pepper jack.

You can add additional flavors if you like such as rosemary, thyme, or black pepper. I added a pinch of cayenne powder, and it was perfect with the baked cheesy goodness.

Set these out during cocktail hour and I promise you, they will disappear. Plus, your guests will say in wonderment, "you made these from scratch?"

For my first batch, I tried cutting this dough into a flower shape, but it developed a mind of its own in the oven. It kind of resembled a flower if you squinted a little, but I decided to go with rounds for the rest of the dough. If you want to try other shapes, I would suggest trying chilling the dough after cutting them into shapes (although I haven't tried it).

Mini Cheese Puff Crackers

Makes about 40 crackers

Ingredients

100 grams all purpose flour

100 grams very cold butter, cut into cubes

100 grams shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 egg yolk

a pinch of salt, depending on the saltiness of the cheese

a pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Rub the butter and flour together with your fingertips until it reaches a "pebbly" texture. 
2. Stir in the cheddar, and then mix in the egg yolk. 
3. Form the mixture into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
5. Roll the dough out to about 1/8 of an inch (3 mm) between two sheets of wax paper or parchment and cut into small circles (about 1 1/4 inch) with a cookie cutter. Gather up the scraps, re-roll the dough out, and cut more circles. If the dough gets too warm, return it to the refrigerator to chill. 
6. Bake the crackers, one sheet at a time, for about 15 to 20 minutes, until just lightly browned. Cool on the pan on a wire rack. Serve with wine as an appetizer.
7. Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container. 

Recipe adapted from Weekend Bakery as part of the Avid Baker's Challenge created by Hanaa's Kitchen.