Cheese Grits Recipe
Did someone say Cheese Party?
When you’re pulling long shifts in a bakery, anything salty calls out to you in a sea of sweets, hence the birth of some Milk Bar classics such as Compost Cookies (full of potato chips and pretzels) and Ritz Cracker Cookies (full of Ritz crackers).
Perhaps supreme in the salt power rankings is the Cheez-It electric in color, satisfying in texture, and off the chain in cheez (not cheese) flavor. When I pondered the thought of what a Cheez-It cookie could be like, the rabbit hole led me to this creation:
a cheese-based, crispy, savory cookie that gets its structure from corn grits (you know I love a corny moment) and is just as crushable as its orange-squared forefather.
Yes, these are the perfect guests at a cheese or charcuterie-type party, but honestly, I throw a party when I find a sandwich baggie of these in my backpack, too. P.S. Our Culinary QA Manager, Gonxhe, turned me on to the Buffalo wing variety of Cheez-Its and I’ve never looked back.
Ingredients:
140g unsalted butter, softened 10 T
30g mayonnaise 2 T
80g sharp chedd
ar cheese,
shredded
⅓ cup
80g pecorino cheese, grated 1 cup
1 large egg
0.5g black pepper ⅛ tsp
cayenne pepper small pinch
180g flour 1¼ cups
30g instant corn grits 1 T
6g baking powder 1½ tsp
3g kosher salt ½ tsp
Instructions:
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, mayonnaise, cheddar, and pecorino on medium-high for 2 minutes until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Add the egg, black pepper, and cayenne and beat until smooth.
Add the flour, corn grits, baking powder, and salt and paddle on low speed for 2 minutes until the dough comes together and is thoroughly combined.
Scoop out half the dough onto a large sheet of parchment paper and form into a rough log.
Fold the paper over the log and use the flat side of a bowl scraper or a wide spatula to press along the bottom edge of the log, pressing the dough against the taut paper, to tighten and extend the log to about 11 inches. Repeat with the second half of the dough.
Carefully transfer the logs to a tray and refrigerate until chilled and firm, a minimum of 45 minutes. Once firm, the logs can be wrapped in foil or placed in a plastic freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months.
Heat the oven to 375°F. Pan-spray or line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Just before baking, remove 1 log from the refrigerator. Use a thin knife to slice the cookies into discs between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick, essentially as thin as you can without breaking.
Don’t get too caught up if an edge crumbles here or there, just press it back together. Place the sliced cookies onto the prepared pans ½ inch apart. (They don’t spread much.)
Bake at 375°F until the edges turn golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough log.
Let the cookies cool slightly on the pans, then carefully transfer them to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temperature, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.
Post A Comment: