French Fridays: Cookies au Fromage (Cheesy Crackers) pour l’heure de l’apéro

Instructions

1. Put the flour, baking powder and salt and Piment d’Espelette in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse 3-4 times to just combine the ingredients.
2. Add the butter and pulse a few times until the mixture has some pieces the size of peas/ corn kernels and some smaller pieces.
3. Add the cheese and pulse until the cheese is fully incorporated. The mixture will be quite sticky. The dough might ball up around the blade of the food processor.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and bring it together gently with your hands.
5. Pat the dough gently into a flattish disk and wrap it tightly in plastic.
6. Chill for at least one hour in the fridge. This dough can stay in the fridge for a few days, or frozen for about a month. Thaw in fridge overnight before using.

When you are ready to bake:

1. Remove the dough from the fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
3. Roll the dough out between sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. This is thicker than you think it should be but just go with it! If you can't measure the thickness of the dough, use the cookie cutter to see if you can cut at least 16 cookies by placing the cutter gently on the dough to "measure". if you can, you're good to go!
4. Using a 2-inch (5cm) round cookie cutter, cut the dough into crackers. Gather the scraps and re-roll and re-cut.
5. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the crackers are lightly golden brown on top, firm to the touch and cooked on the bottom (flip one over to check it’s cooked and crispy).
6. Place the baking tray with the crackers on a wire cooling rack and allow them to cool slightly. These taste great slightly warm or at room temperature.