Welcome, friends, officially to the holiday season. The big old house in Bellville, Texas is settling into its own traditions this year, and I have to say… it feels exceedingly sweet. We put the Christmas tree up on the front porch well before Thanksgiving (a premature move by my old standards, but completely acceptable here in small-town Texas). With the tree glowing every night it finally feels like our holiday rhythm is taking shape which is very exciting!
And of course, once the lights are up, my brain immediately shifts to, “Okay… but what’s hitting the table?” Thanksgiving rolls right into Christmas, and I’ve been scheming a small, cheesy offering to kick off both celebrations.
Enter: Buttery Cheddar Pecan Crackers! They’re the salty, nutty, melt-in-your-mouth snack I can’t stop making. Every Central Texan this time of year has bags and bags of fallen pecans to shell and fold into every corner of the holiday menu, and if you live in a little town like mine, the local feed store will even crack your pecans by the bundle (a service I never knew I needed until suddenly I absolutely did).
These humble crackers are pure flavor: sharp cheddar, toasted pecans, a little spice, and enough butter to make them practically sigh when they bake. I’m convinced they belong right next to the deviled eggs and sausage-stuffed dates on your Thanksgiving appetizer table and can even be a savory moment in your holiday cookie tins. So good, right? Let’s get to baking.
Here’s the ingredients you’ll need for these Buttery Cheddar Pecan Crackers:
• All-purpose flour – the structural backbone of the crackers — it gives just enough sturdiness while still allowing for a tender, delicate bite.
• Kosher salt – enhances all the savory notes and sharpens the cheddar flavor without making the crackers taste overtly salty.
• Crushed red pepper flakes add a subtle heat that cuts through the richness.
• Unsalted butter is the heart and soul of these crackers. Butter makes them tender, melt-in-your-mouth, and impossibly flavorful.
• Sharp cheddar cheese provides big, bold, salty-cheesy energy. It melts into the dough, adding richness and depth to every bite.
• Heavy cream adds moisture and helps bind the dough while contributing to the luxurious texture.
• Egg yolk gives the dough extra richness and helps bring everything together smoothly in the food processor.
• Egg white to brush the crackers to adhere the pecan before baking.
• Pecan halves a buttery crunch on top for flair!
The dough for these savory little crackers comes together pretty effortlessly in a food processor. Start by blending the flour, salt, and red pepper flakes just to combine. Add softened butter, sharp cheddar, a splash of cream, and an egg yolk, then pulse until the mixture forms a soft, cohesive dough. It’ll look a little shaggy at first, but it should quickly come together into a smooth, cheese-flecked mass. Press into a 1-inch disk and wrap the dough. Let it chill for at least an hour so it firms up and becomes easier to roll.
Once chilled, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it’s about ¼ inch thick. Use a small round cookie cutter to punch out as many crackers as you can, re-rolling the scraps once if needed. A thin offset spatula is your friend here for transferring the delicate rounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
For the signature pecan topper, lightly brush the bottom of each pecan half with beaten egg white and gently press one into the center of each cracker. Bake the trays in a low oven until the crackers are golden around the edges and deeply fragrant. They bake quickly, so keep an eye on them after the 15-minute mark. Let them cool completely before tucking them into tins or airtight jars, ready for holiday snacking.
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Buttery Cheddar Pecan Crackers
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutess
- Total Time: about 40 minutes
- Yield: about 5 dozen cookies 1x
- Category: appetizer, cookie tin, crackers, holiday
- Method: baking
Description
Crisp, buttery, and packed with sharp cheddar flavor, these savory holiday crackers come together quickly in the food processor and bake up beautifully golden. Each tender cracker is topped with a toasted pecan half for the perfect Texas touch. Ideal for Thanksgiving appetizer spreads, Christmas snack boards, or gifting in holiday cookie tins!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pats
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated and at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 large egg, divided into egg yolk and egg white
- About 60 pecan halves
Instructions
- Add flour, salt, and red pepper flakes to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Whirl just to combine the ingredients.
- Add the pats of butter, cheese, cream and an egg yolk to the food processor and pulse until just combined, about 30 seconds. Stop the food processor every few seconds to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything mixes evenly.
- Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured work surface, divide the chilled dough in half and roll each half to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch round cookie cutter. Use a thin offset spatula to transfer the rounds to a parchment lined baking sheet, about 1-inch apart. Continue until as many rounds as you’d like are cut, re-rolling the scraps once.
- Place rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly burst the bottom of a pecan half with beaten egg white and gently press into the top of each cracker round. Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating and swapping racks halfway through baking. Keep an eye on the crackers after 15 minutes as they can burn quickly.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack before packing away in cookie tins or an airtight container for snacking.
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