Over the years I have amassed quite a collection of pastry cutters. For my Fourth of July party this year I cut two thirds of this cheese dough into strips, and used my star cutter on the remainder. Cheesy stars and stripes to serve to my fellow countrymen.
I also love to use my dog-bone cutter and then watch people try to decide whether I'm offering them dog biscuits with their drink! These biscuits are named in honor of a legendary Black Lab, Bud. When his nose detected these baking he would go into hiding under the kitchen table where the cooling rack was waiting. He got lucky more than once.
Here's how:
2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsps baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 sticks butter
10 oz cheese*, grated
A word of advice on the cheese: a mix of Gruyere, Parmesan and Cheddar is good. Please do not cut corners with any old Jack. Get good quality European cheese and Vermont Cheddar. These babies are worth it.
Mix dry ingredients and grated cheese in a big bowl. Now here's the secret I want to share with you: FREEZE the butter for 30 minutes before you start, then grate it into your mixture. (This is my technique for sticky dough avoidance, particularly when the proportion of fat to flour is as high as this. It works. It's fast. It keeps the dough light.). Stir to mix with a couple of tablespoons of ice water. Chill 30 minutes.
Roll out dough 1/4" thick. Cut into straws or with a cutter. Chill again. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake 10 minutes or until golden. Transfer to cooling rack.
