Cheese Pennies

After realizing how much fun it was to make my own crackers, I decided that I wanted to make more.  The only thing I didn't enjoy about the cheddar cheese crackers I made earlier was the rolling and cutting of the dough. I was searching for more cheese cracker recipes and came across a recipe for cheese pennies on the King Arthur Flour website.  I have made these three times now.  The first time, I followed the recipe exactly as it was written, and they turned out great.  The kids kept coming into the kitchen to get more crackers while they were on the cooling racks.  The second time I made them, I used a mix of all-purpose, whole wheat, and harvest grain mix. For the third recipe, I used pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar.  All three recipes are great and very easy! The pepper jack were a little spicy for the kids, but my husband and I love them.   I am posting the pepper jack and multi-grain recipes here.  The original recipe can be found on the King Arthur Flour Website.

Pepper Jack Cheese Pennies

Multi-Grain Cheese Pennies

Pepper Jack Cheese Pennies

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

2 cups (8oz) grated pepper jack cheese

1 stick salted butter

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1) Combine all ingredients in a large food processor.  Pulse until one large ball forms.  You may need to add a little bit of water. 

2) Transfer to a lightly-floured work surface and roll into a 16-inch log. 

3) Wrap the log in wax paper and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.  Move the dough to the fridge after 30 minutes if you are not cutting and baking right away.

4) Using a serrated knife, slice the log cross-wise into 1/8-inch slices.  You will end up with about 80 crackers.

4) Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 400 for 12 - 14 minutes.  Cool on wire racks.

Multi-Grain Cheese Pennies

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

2 cups (8 oz) grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 stick salted butter

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup harvest grain blend (if you don't have this you may substitute rye, whole wheat, all-purpose, barley, or any other grain mix you would like)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Topping:

paprika

parmesan cheese

garlic powder

1) Follow directions for pepper jack cheese pennies, but do not blend the paprika, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder in the dough.

2) Before baking, sprinkle the top of each cracker with grated parmesan cheese, paprika, and garlic powder.