Cheese straw biscuits with smoked red pepper

cheese biscuits • Drizzle and Dip — cheesy snacks with smoked red pepper

These cheese crackers with smoked red pepper are a melt in the mouth and so easy to make. When I first made these I used a product that is no longer available. A mild smoked bell pepper (not chilli) so use something. mild or add much less chilli. Aleppo pepper could be nice too.

I wanted these to be cheese straws but after making the pastry it was too delicate to twist into a long shape. So they became cheese-snacky, biscuit things.

They taste amazing!

So there I was at my sister’s birthday picnic last Saturday at Kirstenbosch and a bowl of the most delicious ‘cheese straw/biscuit’ things was passed around. Made by my brother-in-law’s mother Maude, who is German, and a very talented baker.

I literally had to ask my cousin to take them away from me, because they were so moreish I could have wiped out the bowl, and I had a big dinner to go to that night.

I asked Maude how to make them and was delighted at how incredibly easy her recipe is.

The recipe consists of equal weight of flour, butter and cheese and you can make however little or much you desire. I used 250gms each which made 2 big trays.

How to make:

preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F)
weigh out all the ingredients accordingly using room-temperature butter. I used cheddar, but you could use a combination of cheddar and parmesan or any nice flavourful cheese (gruyere would be nice)
I added 2 Tbs of smoked red pepper sprinkle (you could leave this out or add other spices)
Mix all the ingredients by hand until a soft dough is formed
wrap the dough in cling film and rest in the fridge for an hour or so to cool down and firm up
using a lot of flour, divide the dough into small batches and roll out to about 0.5 cm thick. It’s delicate and breaks easily due to the high cheese and butter content
lightly brush the pastry with a beaten egg and sprinkle over sea salt flakes. I ground over some smoked salt. Maude uses cumin seeds, and if you are not using the smoked red pepper, rosemary would be nice
cut the pastry into the shapes you desire using a cookie cutter or a knife or a pizza slicer
place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper or silicone sheets and bake for about 10 – 12 minutes until golden brown

These are perfect snacks to serve exactly as is with drinks.