Manchego Cheese Crackers

Recipe inspired by Melissa Clark and The New Spanish Table, Anya von Bremzen, Workman Publishing 2005.

📝 Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons butter (softened)
• 4 ounces grated Manchego cheese
• 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour (sifted, 150 grams)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg (for egg wash)
• 40 Marcona almonds ((or other blanched almonds), optional)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Add butter and cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together until fully combined. Scrape down bowl sides and add flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients come together - the dough will be very dry and crumbly. Use your hands to press the dough into a rough ball.
2. 2Transfer dough to a long strip of plastic wrap and shape into a 10-inch long, 1 1/2-inch diameter log, pulling up the sides of the plastic wrap to help you shape the dough. Wrap log tightly in plastic wrap. If you have a spare wrapping paper or paper towel roll, cut it lengthwise and place the plastic covered dough log inside to preserve the curved shae. (This is a nice trick for making shapely ice box cookies too.) Refrigerate the log for at least an hour and up to 4 days - or freeze for up to a month.
3. 3When you're ready to bake, place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
4. 4Slice the dough into 1/4" rounds, pressing together any rounds that crumble (don't worry they'll bake together). Arrange them on the prepared cookie sheet, spacing crackers about 1" apart.
5. 5Now make the egg wash; crack an egg in a small bowl and mix with a fork or whisk. Use a pastry brush to coat each cracker with egg wash. Optionally, press one Marcona almond into the center of each cracker.
6. 6Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until firm and golden brown. Transfer crackers to cooling rack to cool completely.
7. 7Once crackers are cool, they'll keep for several days in an airtight container. (good luck with them lasting that long!)