Email to Cat      

Cheese Crispies

Source of Recipe

From "The Pastry Queen Christmas" by Rebecca Rather


Recipe Introduction

"Another little 1950s gem from my mother. 'They make marvelous Christmas presents and they are nice to have with drinks,' she wrote. She also noted that the recipe can be doubled with ease, and that 'these freeze beautifully.' Stack them in cellophane bags tied with a ribbon, or nestle them in any holiday container that catches your fancy. I found little Christmas pails with green handles at a going out-of-business sale."

List of Ingredients

• 2½ cups (12 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups puffed rice cereal


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, or grease generously with butter or cooking spray.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cheese and butter together on medium speed. Add 2 cups of the flour, the pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and mix until well combined. Add the cereal and use your hands to combine it thoroughly with the flour mixture. Combine the remaining ¼ cup flour and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Use your hands to roll the dough into balls about the size of fresh cherries. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet. Dip the tines of a dinner fork into the flour mixture and press each ball down with the fork.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to wire racks to cool. The crackers will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.

Makes about 11 dozen.