Pecan Date Cheese Wafers Recipes

SOUTHERN PECAN CHEESE WAFERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce until smooth and creamy.
• Add 2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika, if you're using it. Beat well, scraping the sides.
• Add the cheddar cheese and beat well, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• Cover the dough and chill well, at least 2 or 3 hours or up to 3 days.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the baking sheet 1 inch apart. Press the top of each ball with a fork (if the fork sticks, coat with flour).
• Place a pecan half on top of each wafer.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are quite brown.
• Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store covered on the counter. Best served within 2 days.
• Re-heating: I made these a day in advance as Thanksgiving appetizers. They lose a bit of their crunch by day 2, so I spread them out on baking sheets and baked at 350 for about 5 minutes until they got crispy again. Worked great!

CHEESE WAFERS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, beat together butter, cheese and cayenne pepper until thoroughly blended.
• Add flour, beating until blended.
• Shape dough into log about 9 1/2 inch long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Roll log in sesame seeds, coating completely.
• Wrap and refrigerate until firm, several hours or overnight.
• To bake wafers, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut chilled dough into 1/4 inch slices.
• Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• Press a pecan half in centre of each, if using.
• Bake 12-14 minutes or until edges and bottoms are golden.
• Remove wafers from baking sheets, cool on racks.

JO'S CHEESE WAFERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a shallow baking pan toast pecans in one layer in middle of oven until a shade darker and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Transfer nuts while still hot to a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon butter and salt to taste. Cool nuts completely and finely chop.
• Coarsely grate Cheddar and transfer to a large bowl. Cut remaining 2 sticks butter into 16 pieces and scatter over cheese. Let cheese and butter soften. Add nuts, flour, and cayenne and with an electric mixer beat mixture until it forms a dough.
• Divide dough into 8 pieces. On a sheet of wax paper roll each piece of dough into a 1-inch-diameter log and wrap logs tightly in wax paper and foil. Chill logs at least 8 hours and up to 1 week. Dough keeps, frozen, 2 months. Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Working with 1 log at a time, with a sharp knife cut log crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices and arrange slices 1/2 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake wafers in batches in middle of oven until pale golden and just firm to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool wafers on baking sheet 2 minutes. With a metal spatula transfer wafers to a rack to cool. Turn wafers over and sprinkle with salt to taste. (Crevices on undersides hold salt without letting it roll off.) Wafers keep in an airtight container at room temperature 4 days.

CHEDDAR-PECAN CRISPS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and cheese until light and fluffy. In another bowl, whisk flour, salt, garlic powder and cayenne; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in pecans., Shape into eight 10-in. long logs. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm., Preheat oven to 350°. Unwrap and cut dough crosswise into 1/4-in. slices. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until edges are crisp and lightly browned, 12-14 minutes. Cool on pans 1 minute. Remove to wire racks to cool. Refrigerate in airtight containers. Freeze option: Place wrapped logs in resealable plastic freezer bags; place in freezer. To use, unwrap frozen logs and cut into slices. If necessary, let dough stand 15 minutes at room temperature before cutting. Bake as directed, increasing time by 1-2 minutes.

CHEDDAR BISCUITS WITH PECANS

Steps:

• Place cheese, butter, flour, salt, and cayenne pepper in the bowl of a food processor; process until a dough is formed, about 10 seconds. Turn dough out onto work surface and divide into two equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a 1 1/2-inch-thick log; wrap with wax or parchment paper and refrigerate until dough is firm, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
• Unwrap dough and slice each log crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place dough rounds on prepared baking sheet 1 1/2 inches apart; gently press a pecan half into the center of each. Brush with egg whites and sprinkle lightly with paprika.
• Bake biscuits until crisp, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SPICY PECAN CHEESE WAFERS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix cheese and butter on medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended.
• 2. Sift flour with salt and cayenne pepper. Stir pecans into the flour mixture. Add to the cheese and butter mixture and mix until a ball of dough forms.
• 3. Divide the dough into four or five parts and roll each part into a log about the diameter of a quarter. Wrap each log in waxed paper and chill in the fridge for at least two hours or up to two weeks. Logs can also be frozen for up to three months.
• 4. When ready to bake slice the logs in 1/4 inch slices and place on parchment lined cookie sheets or plain cookies sheets that have not been greased. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Do not allow to get too brown. Cool for about 2 minutes before removing to racks to cool.
• 5. These are delicious served as an appetizer or with tomato soup.

CRANBERRY-PECAN CHEESE WAFERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Cool completely (about 15 minutes).
• Meanwhile, soak cranberries in boiling water to cover 15 minutes; drain and pat dry with paper towels.
• Beat butter and next 3 ingredients at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until blended. Gradually add flour, beating just until combined. Stir in cranberries and pecans. Shape dough into 4 (12-inch-long) logs; wrap each log in plastic wrap. Chill 8 hours to 3 days.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Cut each log into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheets to wire racks, and cool completely (about 20 minutes).

CRANBERRY-PECAN CHEESE WAFERS

Steps:

• Sprinkle pecans in ungreased skillet. Cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently until nuts begin to brown, then stirring constantly until nuts are light brown. Cool.
• Meanwhile, place cranberries in heatproof bowl; add enough boiling water to cover. Let stand 15 minutes; drain. Pat dry with paper towels.
• In large bowl, beat butter, cheese and salt with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Gradually add flour, beating just until combined. Stir in cranberries and toasted pecans. Shape dough into 4 (12-inch) logs; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 3 days.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper. Unwrap logs; cut into 1/4-inch slices. Place on cookie sheets. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks; cool completely.