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Spicy Cheddar Shortbread

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons cold butter, plus more for greasing the pan
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400 F.
2. Cut the stick of butter into chunks.
3. Grease a baking sheet with more butter.
4. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times; as soon as the mixture resembles coarse meal, stop.
5. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic, wrap it, and press it into a ball.
6. Refrigerate the dough for at least 20 minutes or up to several hours.
7. Pinch off heaping tablespoon-sized pieces of the dough and roll them into 1-inch balls.
8. Put the balls on the prepared pan, leaving 2 inches between them.
9. Press down on each ball to flatten it to 3/4 inch thick.
10. If there is dough left over when the sheet is filled, wait and cook a second batch.
11. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the shortbreads are puffed and golden brown.
12. When they are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a wire rack and bake the remaining dough.
13. Serve right away or store covered at room temperature for up to 1 day.

Attribution