I’m just guessing that most of you do not make homemade crackers.  I’ve made lots of them over the years, and this is one of my favorites.  They are Soft, almost shortbread-like, and they have a nice hint of bleu cheese.  They aren’t crispy like regular crackers, so if you put anything on them it needs to be very soft (butter, softened cream cheese, spreadable brie).  But they are just as good alone.  Ask me how I know!

INA GARTEN’S STILTON CRACKERS  (from her book, “How Easy is That?”)

1/4 lb. (One stick) softened butter

8 oz. Stilton* cheese

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. kosher salt*

1 tsp. black pepper

1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbs. water (for egg wash)

1/2 cup walnuts*, chopped

Mix first 5 ingredients in a mixer with the big paddle till thoroughly mixed.  OR, using a pastry blender, do it by hand.  You will have a lumpy, but easy to roll into a log mixture.  Roll into a log about 15″ long,  brush with egg wash, and roll in chopped walnuts.  Wrap in waxed paper and chill thoroughly.  Will last in fridge several days.

Bake on Silpat or Parchment paper at 350 degrees for about 22 minutes, or till they are lightly browned around the edges.

Cook44 NOTES:

*I had bleu cheese, which is similar to Stilton.  You could also use Gorgonzola. ALSO, I did not have 8 oz.  But I had a nice little wedge which was probably about 5 oz.  That’s all I used.  Don’t worry about exact amounts of cheese!  Especially with a strong flavor like Bleu, this is nice to have just a light flavor.

*I like pecans better than walnuts, so that’s what I used.  You could also use almonds or any kind of nut you love!

*Salt:  Ina said 2 tsp.  I think that’s too salty.  Especially with bleu cheese, which is salty. So I cut down on the salt and it’s delish.