Today has been a really long day for one rogue cookie baker.
Driving 160 miles in the dark with a puking 7 year old, a 60lb chocolate lab, a meowing cat in a carrier, a 4 year old who's excited about her pending birthday...is not my idea of a good time.
Now, add seeing 4 moose to the mix...and I'm just ready to combust.
I'll admit it. I cried in the car from nerves. (One Christmas when The Empathizer was about 18 months old we hit a moose on our way up to my parents. The only warm and fuzzy memory from that Christmas, other than being relatively unharmed, was the moose fur all over the inside of my car.) Thank goodness The Deputy was driving, otherwise, my father would have been rescuing me from the side of the road.
But we made it. I may have a few extra gray hairs, but we made it.
Now, my mom knows about this little 25 day challenge I've made for myself, so she's aware that I'm taking over the kitchen for the weekend.
I was holding onto the perfect recipe for the day when I knew I wasn't going to have a lot of time...and if there ever was a day, today was it.
I realized that all of the cookies I've been making are sugar based, but not everyone has a sweet tooth. There are people out there that are more apt to reach for something savory rather than sweet...so this one's for you.
So, this is another one of those really simple, really basic recipes that everyone stands around munching on and offering ways to make it "better." (Not that it's not quite tasty all on it's own.) We came up with adding crab, pepperoni, and the best one...bacon. Cause everyone knows that bacon makes it better.
I found this recipe while looking for a recipe for "Cheese Straws" (you know, those cheesey snacky things you make with a cookie press). This recipe was totally different than any other "Cheese Straw" recipe I had EVER read and it sounded quite tasty. Now, rolling into a rectangle and cutting with a pizza cutter just seems boooorrrring. So, instead I rolled it out and cut it using small cookie cutters. Much easier than getting a rectangle out of dough and way way more fun.
I kinda sorta made these for my dad...cause he's the one who wanted cheese straws to begin with. These get my dad's seal of approval...he liked them and said they got better when they were cooled off and crispy.
Cheese Thingies
1 1/2 Cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
4 Tbs Softened Butter (Unsalted or Salted, your choice)
3/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tbs Half-n-Half (I suspect anything would work...milk, cream, water in a pinch.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare your cookie sheets with parchment, silpats, or silicone baking mats. (My mom has these fancy Wilton Cookie Sheets that you don't have to use anything with...wooohooo...cooking at her house is awesome!)
In the bowl of your mixer combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt and red pepper flakes. Mix together until crumbly. Add the half-n-half and mix until a dough ball forms around the beater.
Turn the dough out onto the counter and roll out to about 1/4" thick with a lightly floured rolling pin. (Now, I put mine between two pieces of wax paper because I had to throw mine into the fridge while we made dinner, but this dough is solid enough that you can cut it right away.) Cut it however you want to. Pizza cutter, pastry wheel, herb grater, cookie cutters...whatever have you.
Place on your prepared cookie sheets about an inch apart or so. These don't spread out at all so you can cram them together on the sheet.
Bake your cheese thingies for about 12-15 minutes or until brown around the bottom edges. When they're done they will puff up slightly and smell delicious.
Remove from the cookie sheet immediately and place on a wire cooling rack.
The next time I make these, I'm putting bacon in them...cause well....it's bacon.
A word of caution...Don't burn your mouth stealing too many of these straight out of the oven!!
Driving 160 miles in the dark with a puking 7 year old, a 60lb chocolate lab, a meowing cat in a carrier, a 4 year old who's excited about her pending birthday...is not my idea of a good time.
Now, add seeing 4 moose to the mix...and I'm just ready to combust.
I'll admit it. I cried in the car from nerves. (One Christmas when The Empathizer was about 18 months old we hit a moose on our way up to my parents. The only warm and fuzzy memory from that Christmas, other than being relatively unharmed, was the moose fur all over the inside of my car.) Thank goodness The Deputy was driving, otherwise, my father would have been rescuing me from the side of the road.
But we made it. I may have a few extra gray hairs, but we made it.
Now, my mom knows about this little 25 day challenge I've made for myself, so she's aware that I'm taking over the kitchen for the weekend.
I was holding onto the perfect recipe for the day when I knew I wasn't going to have a lot of time...and if there ever was a day, today was it.
I realized that all of the cookies I've been making are sugar based, but not everyone has a sweet tooth. There are people out there that are more apt to reach for something savory rather than sweet...so this one's for you.
So, this is another one of those really simple, really basic recipes that everyone stands around munching on and offering ways to make it "better." (Not that it's not quite tasty all on it's own.) We came up with adding crab, pepperoni, and the best one...bacon. Cause everyone knows that bacon makes it better.
I found this recipe while looking for a recipe for "Cheese Straws" (you know, those cheesey snacky things you make with a cookie press). This recipe was totally different than any other "Cheese Straw" recipe I had EVER read and it sounded quite tasty. Now, rolling into a rectangle and cutting with a pizza cutter just seems boooorrrring. So, instead I rolled it out and cut it using small cookie cutters. Much easier than getting a rectangle out of dough and way way more fun.
I kinda sorta made these for my dad...cause he's the one who wanted cheese straws to begin with. These get my dad's seal of approval...he liked them and said they got better when they were cooled off and crispy.
Cheese Thingies
1 1/2 Cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
4 Tbs Softened Butter (Unsalted or Salted, your choice)
3/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tbs Half-n-Half (I suspect anything would work...milk, cream, water in a pinch.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare your cookie sheets with parchment, silpats, or silicone baking mats. (My mom has these fancy Wilton Cookie Sheets that you don't have to use anything with...wooohooo...cooking at her house is awesome!)
In the bowl of your mixer combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt and red pepper flakes. Mix together until crumbly. Add the half-n-half and mix until a dough ball forms around the beater.
Turn the dough out onto the counter and roll out to about 1/4" thick with a lightly floured rolling pin. (Now, I put mine between two pieces of wax paper because I had to throw mine into the fridge while we made dinner, but this dough is solid enough that you can cut it right away.) Cut it however you want to. Pizza cutter, pastry wheel, herb grater, cookie cutters...whatever have you.
Place on your prepared cookie sheets about an inch apart or so. These don't spread out at all so you can cram them together on the sheet.
Bake your cheese thingies for about 12-15 minutes or until brown around the bottom edges. When they're done they will puff up slightly and smell delicious.
Remove from the cookie sheet immediately and place on a wire cooling rack.
The next time I make these, I'm putting bacon in them...cause well....it's bacon.
A word of caution...Don't burn your mouth stealing too many of these straight out of the oven!!