St. Patrick's Day Recipe: Thyme Caraway Cheddar Crackers
Thyme Caraway Cheddar Crackers
My father makes these things he calls "salty cookies." He mixes queso fresco with an egg and a small amount of flour, and then showers the dough with caraway seeds and coarse salt. Salty cookies are very good with beer.
This recipe is my take on cheese crackers, made with sharp cheddar, fresh thyme, and caraway seeds. They have a little Irish in them, and they're best eaten alongside a pint of Guinness.
Makes about 50 (1½-inch square) crackers
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon caraway
Cut the butter into small pieces and place them in a large bowl. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the cheddar -- the mixture will clump and become tough to stir, but just do your best to smash the butter into the cheese. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme, caraway, and 2 tablespoons of cool water. Use your hands to gather the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk. Wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
About 20 minutes before you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 1½-inch squares (or any shape you like) and transfer to the prepared baking sheets, leaving some space between each piece of dough. Poke each piece with a fork. Bake for 14 minutes, rotating the position of the baking sheets after 7 minutes. Let the crackers cool on the baking sheets.
