These delicious crispy shortbread crackers, with sharp cheddar cheese and a hint of cayenne pepper, are perfect for serving with wine or cocktails but are also delicious served with soup.

The crispness comes from incorporating rice crisp cereal into the dough, and the hint of cayenne adds a nice subtle jolt.

Once mixed, the dough is formed into 2 logs and chilled before slicing the cookies into ¼” rounds. Since this recipe makes about 50 cookies, you only need to slice the amount you need, and the remainder of the log can be frozen. 

When making these cookies, be sure to bring the butter to room temperature before mixing the dough, and also allow at least an hour of chilling time once the dough is mixed before baking.

If you are baking the entire batch at one time you could bake 45 cookies on 3 cookie sheets or you could bake them in two batches. The great thing about baking cookies in convection is that you don’t have to rotate the trays to get even results.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

10 oz sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp cayenne pepper

2 ½ cups rice crisp cereal

PREPARATION

Whisk the flour, salt, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter and cheese in a mixer until well blended, then gradually beat in the flour mixture.

When well incorporated, stir in the rice crisp cereal slowly to form a stiff dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured rolling mat and divide it in half. Form each half into a roughly 7” long roll and wrap in plastic wrap. The dough must be chilled for at least an hour before baking, or it can be refrigerated overnight or frozen.

Heat the oven in the Convection or Convection Bake mode to 325 F/165 C to bake the cookies.

Slice the log into ¼” widths and place it on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes until crisp and golden.  Slide onto cookie racks to cool.

Makes approximately 50 cookies.