These Parmesan Black Pepper Crackers have a crunchy, cookie-like texture, but a salty, savory flavor.
For those of you who love to bake, but don’t feel like adding to the plethora of holiday sweets, then consider adding this savory cookie-like cracker to your baking arsenal. These Parmesan and Black Pepper Crackers are a tried-and-true Ina Garten recipe and make a great appetizer. We served them with a goat cheese spread, but they would go equally well with a sliver of Parmesan or cheddar on top.
This recipe was very easy to mix up—just cream the butter and stir in the rest of the ingredients. I did have to add a couple teaspoons of water before I could handle the dough, since it was very dry. Still, this may have had more to do with the climate than the recipe—the water content of your dough can vary from day to day depending on the weather. I ended up shaping the dough by rolling it up in a piece of wax paper and twisting the paper into a cylinder.
The crackers weren’t quite as perfectly circular as I wanted, but they still tasted excellent. These crackers have a crunchy, buttery, cookie-like texture, and the thyme and pepper compliment the savory saltiness of the cheese. They would be a perfect addition to any holiday appetizer spread.
Ingredients: Grated Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, thyme, flour and butter.
Parmesan Black Pepper Crackers
Ina Garten recipe, from the Food Network Web site.
Ingredients
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 ounces grated Parmesan
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix until creamy. Add the Parmesan, flour, salt, thyme and pepper and combine.
Dump the dough on a lightly floured board and roll into a 13-inch long log. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the log crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices. Place the slices on a sheet pan and bake for 22 minutes.
The finished crackers on their serving plate, garnished with a few sprigs of thyme.
ModernDomestic 
Rebecca said
Looks delicious. I’m surprised that there isn’t baking soda or powder in the recipe. But I’ve never made crackers before. I think I’ll give it a try.
Justina said
These crackers look amazing! I can’t wait to serve them at a party! We’re having a party food recipe contest and would love to have you enter one of your favorite recipes. The prize is a $400 MarxFoods.com gift certificate. If you are interested just click on my URL!
Alice said
These look amazing, I really want to try the recipe.
wonktheplank said
We tried them while in Oregon with ModernDomestic, and boy oh boy did they taste good. They are one of Wonk the Plank’s favorite crackers…those and Wheat Thins.
wonktheplank said
@ Justina:
Sadly, MD’s recipe is not an original, although MD and her mother are on a first-name basis with “Ina.”
March Shortbread Project Take Two: Parmesan, Thyme and Walnut Shortbread Cookies « ModernDomestic said
[…] realized as I was throwing these together that the recipe was shockingly similar to the Parmesan black pepper crackers I baked last December. Both cookies were made from a simple dough of flour and butter, flavored […]