Spicy Pecan 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!

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.

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.