Everyone knows that cookies can be a snack, but not everyone knows that they can be savory! Appetizer Cookies are crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and deliciously, marvelously cheesy, with smoky sharp flavors accented with spicy cayenne pepper! Mmmm, these buttery Appetizer Cookies make quite an impression! You may not even want dinner after snacking on these beauties!
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cold, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
- 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
Step 1 –In a food processor, add the butter, the Gouda, the cheddar, the cayenne, the salt, and the pepper and pulse until the butter is coarsely chopped and the mixture forms small clumps.
Step 2 –Add the flour and pulse until large moist clumps form.
Step 3 –Turn the clumps out onto a work surface and knead it gently until the dough comes together.
Step 4 –Divide the dough in half.
Step 5 –Press the dough halves into disks.
Step 6 –In between two sheets of wax paper, roll each dough disk to about 1/4-inch thickness.
Step 7 –Place the dough disks, still in the wax paper, onto a baking sheet and freeze them until very firm, about 1 hour.
Step 8 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 9 –Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 10 –Working with 1 of the dough halves at a time, peel off the top piece of wax paper and, using a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, stamp out the cookies, making sure to use as much of the dough as possible.
Step 11 –Arrange the cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Step 12 –Repeat with the remaining dough disk.
Step 13 –Bake the cookies until they are lightly golden and just firm, about 20 minutes.
Step 14 –Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes.
Step 15 –Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 16 –Serve.
