Cheddar Cheese and Pecan Crisps

These cheddar cheese and pecan crisps are the perfect appetizer to go with a sparkling white wine before dinner. 

These crisps are deliciously flaky, light, and tender. They remind me of what the best cheesy biscuits would be like if they were a cracker. 

This cheddar and pecan cracker recipe is so easy to make too. Just toss the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times. Once the dough comes together, wrap it up and chill it overnight, and then roll it out, cut it into any shape you like, and bake! 

I used a sharp, round, 1 3/4 inch cookie cutter to cut the dough, and ended up with exactly four dozen crackers. 

You could cut these crackers into squares or strips if you prefer. Just be sure that you are using a very sharp cutter or knife so that they will rise into layers. 

Ingredients in these Cheddar Cheese and Pecan Crisps:

Sharp cheddar cheese: Be sure to freshly grate it yourself. You can also add a little bit of good sharp cheese such as Parmesan or Romano to bump up the flavor. I used a ratio of four-to-one cheddar to Parmesan and was super happy with the results. 

Flour, salt, baking powder, cold butter, a large egg, and a large egg yolk for brushing: It's perfectly fine for the egg to be cold. No need to bring it to room temperature. 

Spices: Cayenne powder and a little paprika for the egg wash. You can also add a little chile powder if you like (I did). 

Finely chopped pecans: I actually used pecan meal, but you can chop your own pecans if you'd like it to be a bit more visible. I had a bag of Millican Pecan meal in the freezer, which worked perfectly, and made it easy to hide the fact that there were nuts in these crisps. 

While the dough for these crackers feels like shortbread when you roll it out and cut it, it actually behaves like biscuit dough. The crackers rise up while baking, not out, and the crackers become light, airy, and super flaky. 

You can bake them fairly close together, about one half inch apart. 

How to Make these Cheddar and Pecan Crackers:

First, pulse the flour, salt, baking powder, and cayenne powder in the bowl of a food processor. 

Next, dump in cubed cold butter and pulse about 10 times. 

After that, add the cheese and ground pecans and pulse, and then add the egg and pulse until the dough just comes together. 

Form the dough into a disk and refrigerate it overnight. The next day, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick, cut it, brush it with an egg wash, and bake for about fourteen minutes. 

These crisps are so savory, rich and cheesy, and delicious! If you like these, be sure to check out my Sourdough Crackers with Gruyère and Thyme. They are less buttery and nutty, but just as savory, cheesy, and flaky. 

Make-ahead and Ingredient Substitution Tips:

Instead of the ground pecans, you can use ground walnuts. As mentioned, you can also chop the nuts yourself for a more distinct "nutty presence." 

You can play with the cheese and spices or substitute dried herbs. I'm looking forward to trying a combination of Gruyère cheese and herbes de Provence. 

Once you've made the dough, you can chill it in the refrigerator for up to two days, or freeze it for up to three months. 

Once you've made the crackers, they will keep in an air tight container for at least two days. 

This month, the Baking Blogger group is baking party appetizers. Be sure to check out everyone's recipes:

Baking Bloggers December 2021

Baked Party Appetizers

• Brie Gougere from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Cheddar Cheese and Pecan Crisps from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cheesy White Sauce Chicken Buns from Sneha’s Recipe
• Crescent Roll Samosa Wreath from Magical Ingredients
• Monte Cristo Puffs from Palatable Pastime
• Pigs In A Blanket Christmas Wreath from Making Miracles
• Shrimp and Pork Roll Lettuce Cups from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Cheddar Cheese and Pecan Crisps

Yield: 48 crackers

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

These cheddar cheese and pecan crisps are the perfect appetizer to go with a sparkling white wine before dinner.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (2 cups) unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt (table or fine sea salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder (you can substitute chile powder)
• 7 ounces (14 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (keep cold)
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 ounce Parmesan or Romano cheese, shredded (do not use the canned Parmesan)
• 1/3 cup pecan meal or 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans.
• 1 large egg, cold
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 large pinch paprika
• 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

1. Place the flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne into the bowl of a food processor and pulse two to three times.
2. Add the butter cubes and pulse about 10 times, until the butter is about pea-sized.
3. Add the shredded cheese and pecan meal, and pulse two to three times.
4. add the egg and pulse until the dough just begins to come together.
5. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and just knead it together with the heal of your hand until it comes together. Form it into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill it overnight.
6. Heat your oven to 400 degrees F with a rack in the middle. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper (You can also re-use a lined baking sheet for the third batch as long at it has cooled).
7. Roll out the dough, in batches, between two sheets of wax paper and cut the dough into rounds or squares and place them on the baking sheets about 1/2 inch apart.
8. Whisk together the egg yolk, paprika, and water, and brush the tops of the cut dough with the mixture.
9. Bake the crackers, one sheet at a time, for about 14 to 16 minutes. The center should be fully cooked.
10. Let the crackers cool on the pan for about two minutes before moving them to a wire rack.

Karen's Kitchen Stories

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Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking Appetizers, published 2009. You can also use this dough for a wonderful savory tart crust.