1/3/09

aged cheddar, cranberry & pecan crackers


Savory. Very savory. I loved these little cheesy critters immensely. I almost want to call it a cheese shortbread; so thick and rich. The tartness of the cranberries melded so well with the aged cheddar. Plus I added in some roasted nuts. You simply must try these if you are a lover of cheese crackers. I did make these once using craisins and I was so very sorry I did; I just don't like the taste of craisins, they don't taste like cranberries to me. But feel free to use whatever you like, even raisins might go well in here. These go great with a nice cold glass of white wine.
Are these a cracker or a cookie? Maybe even a savory shortbread nib. Who knows, they are delish. Perfect for upcoming summer parties.



cheddar & cranberry cookies/crackers
print recipe

1 & 1/2 sticks butter, room temp.
1 1/2 cups extra old (at least 3 years old) cheddar, finely grated
1 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
1/2 cup rough chopped dried cranberries
(I also used a dash of half & half as the dough was really dry)

Cream the butter and cheese together at high speed in your stand mixer. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together. Combine flour mixture, nuts and cranberries with the butter mixture on high. (there is where I added in the dash of h&h)
Turn dough out onto a large piece of waxed paper. Roll the dough into a log shape, roll the paper around it and twist the ends shut. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. You can freeze the dough at this stage as well.
When ready to bake; preheat oven to 375F.
Unwrap the dough log and, using a very sharp knife, slice the log into rounds 1/2 cm thick. Place rounds on cookie sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Should make about 30.

38 comments:

  1. Again brilliant! The combo of cheddar, pecans and cranberries sound so good. I would love to make these but I might have to save them for the future. I really need to go on a diet.

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  2. Oh, I love cranberries with stilton I wonder how that would work in these?!

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  3. Seriously, amazing. I think I would call them crackers with a cookie like consistency :) I am a mac and cheese kinda gal ever since I realized that I do like it a couple of years ago...esp with bacon :)

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  4. These sound so tasty. I love the combination of fruit, nuts, and cheese (usually in a salad or pasta), but this is something I would have never thought to create. Now that I'm thinking, that ricotta pie I made the other week would have been fabulous with a pecan crust. Thanks for the idea!

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  5. omg, these sound freakin fantastic :)

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  6. One of my favorites cheesy things is Asparagus Gruyere Tart- yum!

    http://lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com/2008/04/going-green.html

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  7. Why no craisins? I'm curious as to what the difference is between them and dried cranberries.
    I love ages cheddar with anything. My favorite being a cheese and sweet onion sandwich. My next favorite would be to eat slices of cheddar with Asian pears.

    I love the idea of these cookies. I can only imagine how hey tasted with your coffee...yum!

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  8. Wow, another thing I never would have thought of that sounds friggin awesome. I'll have to make these the next time I'm at my brothers, he and his wife would love them.

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  9. This is quite interesting, I bet it was delicious. Very nice and definitely worthy of trying.

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  10. These savour cheddar and cranberry cookies sound great!

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  11. Dear, God, Dawn. What are you trying to do to us???? There was a restaurant that I used to go to that had biscuits like this on the table. They were TO DIE FOR. I love you and I hate you all at once. :)

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  12. Oh, I didn't know that craisins weren't the same as dried cranberries! Thanks for the tip. Those look so moreish! :)

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  13. You are kicking it up a notch girl! My favorite snack is cheddar with Mac apples so I'm sure I would love these cookies.

    I'm guessing the difference between Craisins and dried cranberries is sugar, right? I'm not a huge fan of craisins because they are too sweet.

    Love your new photo! Great hat -perfect for this permanent cold spell we're having. I've been meaning to get a new photo for ages, but I've been too lazy (or busy) to do it.

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  14. four words.

    1. this
    2. is
    3. a
    4. winner

    -Darius
    www.everydaycookin.com

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  15. Love the combo!

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  16. Great pictures. Those cookies look so good.

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  17. wow, this looks so good! totally my kind of cracker/cookie!

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  18. This has to be a brilliant pairing and I would love to give these a try. I hope you had a fantastic new years as well. I appreciate your comment on my blog as I have enjoyed our friendship too.

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  19. What gorgeous cookies! They look incredibly good!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  20. I want to cry, these look so good!!

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  21. Dawn....very interesting pairing! It sounds delicious. :)

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  22. I've never made a savory cookie before. These look so delicious. I love the salty, crunchy and sweet flavors. Excellent recipe Dawn.

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  23. These look adorable I love the crnberries in there. :-)

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  24. I'm just imagining the wonderful cheese aroma these must have while baking! I love cheese anything, strong, aged, mild, anything really!

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  25. savory cookies, eh? call it a cookie, and i'm all over it. since i'm not really a fan of cheddar, i like kat's suggestion of trying stilton instead. great post, dawn!

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  26. Dawn, you are killing me. Your cheese crackers were such a huge success; these look like another winner too. I must try these!

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  27. In the south they would call these type of cookies- biscuits. They look so good with a cup of tea! Dawn it is finally getting cold where I am but not as cold as New England yet- still no snow here.

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  28. Oh my...I echo the delight the others have here...cheeze and a little sweetness from cranberries? I'm in!

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  29. Cranberry and cheddar, nice combo!! They are nice looking too:)

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  30. Sounds like an immediate winner. I love the combination. Cheese + pecans + cranberries = WOW!!

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  31. I bet these were good! I love this idea Dawn, great little munchies!

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  32. These cookie crackers sound great, never would have put those together in one baked good but I want to try them.

    I'm having a hard time getting past your logo, it took all of my will to scroll down and read the rest of this post...

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  33. these are lovely!!! happy new year!!! :)

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  34. This is a combination I never would have thought of but it does sound amazing!

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  35. Oooh savory cookies.. A nice break from the holiday indulgences.

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  36. If I don't have aged cheddar can I use sharp cheddar instead? if not what else can i substitute it with? this is my next project.

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  37. Wowsers!

    What kind of cheddar did you use?

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  38. I love this idea! Sounds so delicious.

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