Chile Cheese Crackers

These light and buttery crackers are the grown up version of cheez-its! Spicy, Flaky, and oh so delicious. I love this dough from Shannon Swindle, it comes together so easily and the crackers bake up perfectly every time. I always make a double batch, the cheese usually comes in blocks of 8 ounces anyway and it is easy to roll all the dough, cut and freeze some for later. It is nice to have a baggy full in the freezer so you can bake and eat at a moments notice. Half of a double batch fits perfectly in my food processor and I just add both halves to my kitchenaid and mix.
INGREDIENTS:
8 oz. Unsalted butter, cold and cubed
4 oz. Sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz. Pepper jack cheese, grated
8 oz. Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Black pepper
1 tsp. Chile powder
1/2 tsp. Ground cumin
1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper

PREP:
Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. In small batches, I can do one batch with the amounts listed above in my processor. Get an equal amount of the ingredients if doing it in batches. Pulse, until the cheeses and butter is cut into the dry ingredients. When this is done, place mixture into an electric mixer fitted with the paddle and mix on low until the dough comes together. It won't seem like it, but suddenly it will form a ball and hold together. Pull a good size length of plastic wrap on the counter. Form half of the mixture into a ball and flatten out on the plastic wrap to about an inch thickness, this will make it easier to roll later. Wrap tightly in the plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours. To roll out dough, allow to sit a few minutes at room temperature then roll on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Cut with a 1 inch pastry cutter, square, round or any shape you might have. In this picture I used a fluted square. Place crackers on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until puffed and browned. (I also put the pan with the crackers back in the refrigerator for a few minutes to re-chill the dough prior to baking.) I bake them for 6 minutes rotate and then bake an additional 6 minutes. Cool crackers on a wire rack to cool. Cool completely and store airtight 2-3 days. The crackers are very delicate so handle with care.
To freeze, cut into crackers and freeze on a parchment lined sheet in a single layer. Once frozen store in a freezer baggy labeled with the date. Dough can be frozen up to one month.