Cheese pennies

30 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 cup Sharp cheddar cheese,
At room temp.; shredded
1 cup All-purpose flour unsifted
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Dry mustard
¼ teaspoon Red pepper, (cayenne) ground
6 tablespoons Unsalted butter or margarine softened
Paprika

Directions

Recipe by: Reader's Digest Down home cooking - ISBN 0-89577-646-4 Preparation Time: 1:05 1. In a medium bowl, mix together the cheese, flour, salt, mustard, and red pepper. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter just until the mixture is moist and resembles coarse crumbs. (To keep the pennies flaky and tender, avoid overmixing.) Press the dough into a ball, roll in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 mins. 2. Preheat oven to 350 F and set out 2 ungreased baking sheets. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 18- x 12-inch rectangle about ¼-inch thick. Using a 1½-inch round cutter, preferably a fluted one, cut the dough into 30 circles and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Using the back of a fork, lightly flatten each circle twice, making a criss-cross pattern, until the dough resembles a coin about ⅛-inch thick. 3.

Bake for 15 mins or just until crisp, but not browned. Using a spatula, transfer the pennies to wire racks, dust lightly with paprika, and let cool. Store in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks or in a freezer for up to 3 months. Makes about 30 appetizers.

NOTES : Traditional Southern delicacies dating back to colonial times that

were and still are part of festive buffet tables.

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