Smoky Cheddar Spritz Crackers

As we were growing up our mother would make Spritz Butter Cookies almost every year during the holidays, and also cheese 'straws' throughout the year. Maybe your mom or grandmother did as well?

My sister and I followed the same tradition as we started our own families, we would decorate the cookies in all sorts of pretty ways and sometimes with colored cookie dough ~ They are a perpetual favorite and always look so festive on the cookie tray.

Sadly, my cookie press finally went kaput after many years of use, so when I saw good reviews about this set made by OXO I was compelled to replace my old Mirro metal version. Plus, I fell for the pumpkin disk in the Autumn set. :)
OXO's great reputation and all of the unique disk motifs, its' ease of use and care sold me.

The press comes with 12 decorative disks; all of the traditional ones I remember -
snowflake, heart, wreath, tree, buttercup, daisy, etc. as well as some, new to me (all really cute!) :
shell, sunflower, fleur de lis, bear (little teddy bear!), leaf, butterfly
See more about the press and other disks below.

~*~*~*~*~

Of course you can use any cookie press or disk to make these delicious cheese straw crackers, follow your favorite recipe or choose the one I favor (it's over on my recipe blog, link below.)
This is my favorite recipe for a savory cracker using the cookie press.
Like most all Spritz-type cookies the recipe is really simple, just a bit more involved than a shortbread dough.
But for the cheese crackers I jazz mine up a little by adding 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder and 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric (it adds a very subtle warm flavor and nice color.)
Sometimes I mix it up by using Smoked Paprika (as I did this time) instead of plain sweet paprika. If you like them spicier, increase the amount of cayenne pepper, or hot paprika.

Tip for crispy crackers:
I like these crackers to be crisp, but not brown, so after baking and cooling all of the batches, I place them in a single layer on the baking sheets and place in a 175ºF oven for a several minutes until they dry out a little, they will crisp even further after cooling. Keep an eye on them while they're in the oven so they don't turn dark.
Alternately you can place in your oven set to 'warm', or the lowest temperature available and do the same.
Either way you choose, do watch them as ovens vary.
When the crackers are crisp, I turn off the oven and leave the oven door open just a bit until the crackers are completely cool, then store in airtight containers for up to a week or so.
These are really good served on the cheese/fruit tray or along with soup or a salad. They make a nice gift from the kitchen, too.
If you give them a try, I hope you enjoy!
A printable version of the recipe and tips can be found on my recipe blog by clicking this link.

~*~*~*~*~
Additional Disks for the OXO Cookie Press
Also available separately are two sets of additional seasonal disks, (six disks in each set):

OXO Good Grips Cookie Press ~ Autumn or Springtime ~ Disk Sets

The Autumn set includes: Spider, Web, Owl, Turkey, Leaf and Pumpkin
The Springtime set includes: Cherry Blossom, Rose, Love, Double Heart, Shamrock, Bouquet

(You can click the link above to learn more)

Thanks for coming by today, friends.
Bon Appetit!
~m.


Note: The folks at OXO don't know who I am, (no compensation from them.)
I'm just sharing a product I like... I hope you like it, too. :o)