Description
These cheddar cheese coins (aka cheese pennies) are a cross between shortbread and a Cheez-it. They're crisp but flaky, super buttery and cheesy, slightly spicy, and are a perfect snack or an amazing soup cracker. Best of all, they only require a few basic ingredients and are super simple to make.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (8 ounces) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (omit if sensitive to spice)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- Everything bagel seasoning or sesame seeds, for rolling
Instructions
- To a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, softened butter, cayenne pepper, paprika, ground mustard and salt. Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until the butter is evenly incorporated with the dry ingredients. (If you don't have a mixer, you can also use your hands.)
- Add in the cheddar cheese to the dry ingredients and mix with a mixer or your hands, until the dough comes together and forms a ball. (Note: if you use your hands, it will take 5+ minutes to properly incorporate the cheese.) It should be speckled with little pieces of cheese and it should stick together when pressed between your thumb and forefinger.
- Divide the dough in half and move to a silicone baking sheet or a lightly floured work surface. If the dough isn't completely incorporated, knead it for a few seconds to incorporate any stray crumbs and ensure there aren't any internal gaps. Use your hands to roll each dough half into a log measuring 8" (20cm) long and 1.5" (~4cm) in diameter.
- Sprinkle everything bagel seasoning or sesame seeds onto your work surface and roll the logs of dough in the seasoning until well coated. Wrap each dough log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes, until the dough feels firm.
- Heat oven to 400˚F (205˚C).
- Using a serrated knife, cut your dough logs into thin coins that are slightly less than 1/4" thick. Too thick is better than too thin, as thin crackers will burn fairly quickly. We were able to get about 45 coins per log. You don't need to give them a ton of space, but they will spread slightly as they bake.
- Place coins down onto a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges just barely start to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before enjoying.
- We recommend storing these in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days.
Notes
Use room temperature butter: If your butter isn't softened, it's going to be almost impossible to incorporate your butter into the dough. If you're short on time, cube the butter and place it in the microwave for about 10 seconds, which should soften it without melting.
Mixing: We've made this recipe with a stand mixer, a hand mixer, and with just our hands. Using a hand mixer/your hands will give you nice little chunks of cheese that will melt and bubble up and make your crackers more aesthetically pleasing, while a stand mixer or food processor will evenly incorporate everything and you won't get those little cheesy dots. They'll taste exactly the same, though.
Baking: Make sure you place these on oven racks positioned in the middle of your oven to get the perfect bake.
Make-ahead: If you want to make these ahead of time, we'd recommend following the recipe through step 4, where you place the dough in the fridge or freezer. Then you can just take them out of the fridge/freezer, let them thaw until workable, and then slice and bake.
This recipe is adapted from King Arthur Baking Company's Cheese Pennies.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 crackers
- Calories: 175
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 157.4 mg
- Fat: 12.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.3 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 5.5 g