Here’s another recipe to add to the “goes great with beer or wine”: Spicy Cheddar and Sea Salt Crackers. Lots of kick with the jalapenoes and chili powder to boot. I used a very shart cheddar, so they are crazy flavorful. Sure, I made them all cute and pretty by using a flower cookie cutter, but a recular circle or square (or even just cutting irregular pieces with a pizza cutter would work.
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
14 tablespoons cold butter, diced
5 ounces extra sharp white cheddar, grated
2 tablespoons finely minced seeded jalapeno pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash
Coarse sea salt
Directions
Place the flour, salt and baking powder in a food processor and pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cheddar, jalapeno, chili powder and paprika and pulse again. With the food processor running, add the ice water all at once. Continue to pulsing until the mixture begins to form a ball. Dump the dough onto a floured board and roll into a ball; flatten to a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerator for at least one hour.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven 400F. Line a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.
Roll the dough out to Cut the dough in 3/8-inch thick slices on a well floured countertop. Cut with cookie cutters (I used a 2 inch flower, but circles or squares are also good). Place the crackers on the prepared sheet pan, brush with the egg wash, and sprinkle with the sea salt. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.
