Cheese Buds
Cheesy, salty, tender bites of melt-in-your-mouth cheese crackers. These cute little cheesy buttons make a great nibble for your holiday party. Cheese Buds also make the perfect homemade holiday gift!
Why I love these crackers
Who said Christmas cookies had to be sweet? How about a cookie of the savory sort? Growing up my mom, my sister, and I aways made an assortment of cookies at the holidays, but one tasty morsel my mom would sometimes make, that wasn’t your traditional sweet cookie, was these cheese buds. You know I love cheese. I have always loved cheese. I could not keep my dirty mitts off these tasty homemade bites when I was a kid. Salty, tender, melt in your mouth cheese bites of goodness! I usually had to be quick about snitching these because my mom usually made this recipe to be given as gifts. She would pack them up all cute, and put a bow on them, and give them away to neighbors, teachers, bus drivers, the Avon lady, you name it my mom was and still is the queen of the homemade gifts, and cheese buds were one of her specialties. What were her other specialties? Knitted slippers, jams, jellies, liver pate’, macrame plant hangers, cookies, breads, seriously our house was like a craft barn at Christmastime!
Gather these ingredients
How to make Cheese Buds
Not only are these little cheesy bites of goodness perfect for gifts they are the perfect nibble for parties and to have on hand for unexpected guests. They can be kept in an airtight container for up to a week or in the freezer for a month, so easy to keep on hand and place on a plate with a little bowl of mixed nuts Voila! Nibbles are served!
Honestly these crackers are so delicious, and like nothing you can purchase in the store. Your guests will be in awe that you even made the crackers. Don’t tell them how easy they are!
Please take a moment to rate the recipe below in the recipe card, or share on your social media! If you you are not following me on social media PLEASE DO! You can also get updates on my substack here.
Cheers! XO Sheila
Cheese Buds
Ingredients
- 4 ounces extra sharp white cheddar cheese, grated (approximately 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks
- 1 cup cake flour all purpose flour can be used if you don't have cake flour on hand
- 1 tsp course sea salt
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 egg white whisked till frothy, but no peaks
- smoked paprika for garnish
- whole pecans for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Grate cheese
- Add flour, cheese, butter chunks, salt, and cayenne pepper to a food processor. Turn food processor on and allow to process until ingredients form into a ball. This will take approximately 1 minute.
- Remove dough from food processor, wrap with plastic wrap and press into a flat round, place in refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Dust counter top with flour and roll out dough until its 1/4 inch thick, using a 1 inch round cookie cutter (you want your cheese buds to be bite sized) cut out rounds and place on parchment paper lined baking sheets.
- Place a pecan on top of rounds, using a pastry brush lightly paint each cracker with egg wash, and sprinkle with smoked paprika.
- Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until buds just start to brown around bottom edge. Check after 12 minutes.
- Remove from oven, and immediently remove to a cooling rack. Allow to cool and store in an air tight container for put to 1 week, or freeze for 1 month.
Notes
another idea: add some bacon bits to your recipe for a different flavor.”
Nutrition
Disclaimer: I am proud to be a part of blogger network that works with the United Dairy Industry of Michigan. Thank you for helping support Eat2gather by supporting your local dairy farmers!
I’ve made this recipe several times. I even have a copy of the Farm Journal that it appeared in. One change in the directions however. Instead of rolling out and cutting out I roll the dough into a 1 inch round log. Chill for about an hour, then cut one fourth inch slices and place on baking sheet and continue from there. Saves some time, energy and floury mess.Enjoy!
another idea: add some bacon bits to your recipe for a different flavor.
Thank you for this tip! The bacon bits are also a genius idea. Thanks for taking the time to contribute to this space. Cheers! Sheila
I thought these were cookies when I looked at the pictures without reading the words. 🙂 These would make perfect holiday crackers. Yummo.
Hope you are well Maureen! Thanks for taking the time to say Hi 😉 and yes these are YUMMO! xox Sheila