Pecorino Crackers

OK, I have just started cooking out of my newest cookbook, Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites but these tasty little cheese crackers alone might just be worth the price of the book. I made them to go with yesterday's soup and Giada says she "adds them to a bread basket, crumbles them over salads and floats them in soups." I think they would be excellent paired with wine (maybe a nice Chianti?).

Pecorino Crackers

Giada's Kitchen, Giada De Laurentiis

Makes 24 crackers

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1 1/4 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup all purpose flour
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the cheese, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter. Using a hand mixer, beat the cheese mixture and butter until combined. Add the flour 1/4 cup at a time, mixing only until incorporated and the mixture holds together.

Place tablespoon-size balls of the dough on the parchment-lined baking sheets, tapping the dough down gently with your fingertips.

Bake until just beginning to brown at the edges, about 15 minutes. Let the crackers cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a serving plate.


Notes/Results: I added a little extra pepper to these because I love black pepper. I also mounded them when I should have flattened them a bit more; making them more cookie-like than cracker-like but in the end they were still delicious. Perfectly cheesy, flaky and melt in your mouth tender, these are one excellent little cracker. They are quick and simple to make and I have a feeling I will be pulling out this recipe a lot for parties. I think you could also make them using Parmesan if you don't have Pecorino-Romano handy.