Crunchy Chipotle Cheese Crackers

 Ah, the cheese cracker. Right up there with chips and cheese puffs in the list of America's favorite snacks - but unlike chips and cheese puffs, these are amazingly easy to make at home to suit your tastes. They're crunchy, spicy, cheesy, and contain a nice wallop of butter to help balance out that beer (as I learned in Chemistry class, the best way to prevent hangovers is to eat a stick of butter with your beer. Somehow that never caught on....)
This recipe is great to make ahead, since the dough is refrigerated and can be rolled out and baked in under 30 minutes. And it's easy to customize - try sprinkling a little sea salt or parmesan on top before you bake them, or drizzling a little sriracha into the dough.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour (white is fine if you prefer)
1 t smoked paprika
1/4-1/2 t chipotle chili powder (1/4 t = just detectable; 1/2 = stronger kick)
dash of cayenne
1/4 t salt
4 T butter (1/2 stick, in pieces)
4 oz cheddar cheese, grated (pick a good one)
1 egg yolk

Directions

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour and spices a couple of times until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is sandy. Add the cheese and pulse until well incorporated. Add the egg yolk, and pulse until a dough comes together.
Form the dough into a round disk about 2 inches thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour, up to overnight.
When you are ready to make the crackers, heat the oven to 400 F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Place the entire rectangle on your baking sheet, and use a pizza cutter to slice triangle or square cracker shapes. It's OK if the cutter only goes partway through the crackers - after baking, they will break apart along the cut lines. You can also use cookie-cutter shapes if desired, although this should be done before placing the dough on the baking sheet.
Bake at 400 F for about 13 minutes, or until edges are slightly brown and the centers are set.
Remove from the oven and let cook on the mat, then break up the crackers.
These are best eaten fresh the day of cooking, but will keep for a few days in airtight storage - they just lose some of the crispiness.