As spring hobbles in, and winter drags its muddy feet, we’re here, waiting for the actual season to change. I suppose every March is like this but it does seem to be taking forever this year. There’s really only one way to deal with weather that keeps us inside; that’s to start cooking and baking! What else is there?
Our post early this month, in which we tried to invoke spring with talk of asparagus, didn’t work I suppose. It’s still cold! Sorry to have failed you all. 🙁
To make up for it, here is a recipe for one of our most popular, and often requested, snacks. It’s another one of our extremely easy recipes that will become a must have in your repertoire of simple appetizers. It comes from the Land O’Lakes website, which is a major resource around here. It has all the qualities of a great recipe: Simple, few ingredients, keeps well and tastes delicious!
Seeded Cheesy Wafers
For the Dough:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sweet, unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
a pinch of ground cayenne pepper
2 cups of shredded cheese of your choosing: Cheddar is the standard, but any sharp cheese will work.
For the Topping:
1 egg white + 1 tablespoon water, beaten together
2 tablespoons seeds (poppy, sesame, flax, etc)
Mix together all the dough EXCEPT for the cheese, until it forms a dough. Add cheese and mix well. Shape the dough into a flat disc shape, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or leave overnight.
When ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly dust work area with flour. Roll out disc to 1/4 inch thickness, using a bench scraper to straighten the sides so that you end up with more of a square than a circle shape. The dough will be a little tricky to roll out at first but as the butter softens it will give in. Press any cracks together with the bench scraper or your fingers. Cut the dough into bite sized shapes using either a cookie cutter or a pizza cutter. Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Next, brush the cut outs with the egg and water mix. Sprinkle liberally with seeds. Bake for about 15 minutes, checking half way through and rotating pan if necessary. They should be lightly browned around their edges. Let them cool on the pan before removing.
They are a fabulous addition to an hor d’oeuvres spread, along with olives, nuts and cheeses. They are upscale Cheezits! (sorry/not sorry Cheezits!!!)
Hopefully by the time you try these, you’ll be enjoying them with a nice beverage on a porch somewhere! Or you can try them the next time you’re here at the Brampton Inn!