1.

Beat together softened butter and cheese with an electric mixer. It will come together to form a soft dough of uniform color.

2.

Once the butter and cheese have been completely combined, add the pepper (and salt, if you used unsalted butter).

3.

Add the flour a few tablespoons at a time while mixing at a slow speed. The dough will become crumbly. After the flour is fully incorporated…

4.

Add the water one tablespoon at a time until a pie crust like dough forms, it should not be crumbly but should not be wet.

5.

Refrigerate the dough in a sealed container (or plastic wrap) and chill for 30 minutes.

6.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

7.

Divide dough into three balls. Use a rolling pin, roll one ball on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/8 inch thick.

Newbie Notes:

• I found the dough easier to work with if I left the extra balls of dough in the fridge while I rolled out the one at hand.)
• With an 1/8” thickness, the crackers keep their shape better. On a batch that I rolled a little thicker (closer to 1/4”) they looked more like circles than hearts!

8.

Use a knife to cut the dough into squares or a small cookie cutter to make hearts. (I used a 3.5cm wide heart cookie cutter.) Place the crackers close together on a parchment lined baking sheet. Continue to roll and cut the dough until all the crackers are prepared.

9.

Bake the crackers for 12 to 15 minutes until they are bubbled up, golden brown, and dry to the touch.

10.

Remove pans from oven and allow crackers to cool to room temperature before serving.

You can store the crackers in your refrigerator in an airtight container for 6-10 days.