Pecorino Crackers

These are sooo yummy! Amazingly flavorful and tasty! We added them to both our salad and our soup...wow! what a wonderful addition! (They are a lot like cheese straw cookies.) If you like the different flavors of cheese and the way cheese can enhance dishes, these would be so great for you!
Shopping note: The block of Pecorino Romano cheese pictured below is from BJ's. This is 1.15lbs and cost $3 less than the 0.57lbs block at Harris Teeter!
- 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Perorino Romano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the cheese, salt, 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 finger tips. 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 them to a serving plate. I really can't say enough how much we loved these! Will and I enjoyed these with Tomato soup again for lunch today. Will asked me again if these and the soup would be easy to make again. That is code for: "I love this meal! Want to make it again for me please?!"

found in Giada de Laurentiis's giada's kitchen